Your rabbit can safely eat any part of the strawberry, including the leaves. “You can remove the leafy parts if you so choose,” Tullio said. “Just remember wild rabbits eat the whole strawberry and it's completely safe, but why not spoil your bunny?!”
Rabbits often nibble away the tender green shoots of strawberry plants and other garden crops as they first appear in early spring. The flowers of strawberry plants are also favored by rabbits, and these pests may strip strawberry plants of blossoms in springtime, preventing any fruit from growing.
Rabbits can safely eat strawberries as long as they are consumed in moderation. Strawberries are high in fiber and other nutrients, but they are also high in sugar, which could lead to weight and digestive issues for your rabbit.
100% Natural Dried Strawberry Leaves. A great supplement for rabbits.
They cannot eat any fruits or vegetables that are going bad, wilting, or getting moldy. If you wouldn't eat it, then don't give it to your rabbit.
And since berries are a soft-fleshed food, unlike apples or pears, it is not safe to simply cut away the moldy part, since the spores have likely gone into the flesh of the berry. If a berry is bruised, but does not show any signs of mold, the bruised part can be trimmed away. A moldy strawberry should be thrown out.
There is no need to throw out an entire carton of strawberries because of one moldy berry. If you find mold on one of your strawberries, throw it out along with any other berries that were touching the moldy one. Next, carefully examine the berries you have left. Toss any that are very soft or bruised.
You shouldn't give your rabbit strawberries too frequently, but instead give him the berries sparingly as a treat. “It is best to only feed them to your rabbit as a special treat,” Tullio said. “For example, once or twice a week.”
The strawberry tree fruit and leaf are a rich source of minerals, easily digestible sugars, dietary fibers, vitamins (especially vitamin C) and many bioactive compounds of significant functional value.
Strawberry leaf is a herb that makes up the diet of wild rabbits. So if you want your rabbit's food to be as close as possible to the original diet, strawberry leaves are a quality dish for him. They can be sprinkled on your pet's hay or given by hand as a completely natural treat.
Apricots, peaches & plums – cyanide in seeds/pits, high-sugar fruits. Onion bulbs, chives and garlic – can cause fatal gastric upset. Parsnips – contain psoralens, which are poisonous to bunnies.
Yes, it is safe for rabbits to eat cucumber! Most rabbits will love the fresh taste. Rabbits can also eat cucumber leaves. Before feeding cucumber to your rabbit, wash it in cold water to remove pesticides.
“A small acorn-size amount of seedless tomato per day is perfectly fine for a rabbit older than 12 weeks of age,” Henson said. So in general, tomatoes are an OK fruit to share with your rabbit, just as long as it's a small amount and the flesh part of a seedless tomato only.
The leaves on a strawberry plant are not toxic for dogs, but they could cause your dog to have an upset stomach. Make sure to remove these as well as the stems, so they don't become a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockages.
Foods to feed your rabbit as a treat
High in sugar, apples should only be fed to rabbits as a treat. Also high in sugar, it's safe for rabbits to eat bananas occasionally. Rabbits have a sweet tooth, so grapes are great as a treat.
The Answer Is Yes! Rabbits can indeed enjoy watermelon as a treat. This juicy fruit can be a delicious and hydrating addition to their diet when offered in moderation. Watermelon contains high water content, which can help keep rabbits hydrated, especially during hot weather.
Strawberry Tops Have Health Benefits
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, strawberry leaves are high in vitamin C, iron, and calcium, as well as contain tannins, which helps with digestion, nausea, and stomach cramps.
The hull or calyx is the green leafy top of the strawberry, which is generally removed before cooking or serving.
But can dogs eat strawberry tops? They can, but they may not like them. The leaves are non-toxic and contain a few vitamins and minerals that the flesh doesn't, but they taste a little bitter.
Fruits can be fed in very limited quantities – no more than 1-2 tablespoons of high-fiber fresh fruit (such as apple, pear, or berries) every 1-2 days. The high sugar content in fruits (and even carrots) may upset the normal GI tract bacteria if given in excess.
Fruit: Give once or twice per week
Fruit to feed your rabbit (one or two times a week): Apple (no seeds) Banana. Berries: Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries.
When strawberries develop brown spots, they are starting to go bad. Sunken and dark areas on your strawberries are a sign they are getting old. You can still eat them at this stage as long as they don't have any mold. A strawberry should be discarded and not eaten if it is soft and mushy with brown spots.
The little “hairs” on Strawberries are called 'Febriles.” Febriles alert strawberries to when they are being touched.
If you find white fluffy stuff on your berries that looks a bit like cotton candy, that is mold. Mold is a fungus with spores that feed on the berries and grow thin threads that can look like fluff or cotton. This particular type of mold is common among fruits and is known as Botrytis fruit rot or gray mold.