Rabbits can consume as many vegetables as they want to each day as long as they do not get diarrhea and as long as the vegetables are not high in carbohydrates, as carrots and potatoes are.
Rabbits must have an adult-sized handful of safe, washed leafy green vegetables, herbs and weeds daily. Find out more in rabbit-safe plants, vegetables, herbs and fruits. Your vet can also advise about rabbit-safe plants.
No more than two cups daily of fresh vegetables should be given to adult rabbits. Dwarf breeds and rabbits under five pounds should get just one cup of fresh veggies per day. A variety of two or three vegetables is ideal.
Myth #1 - Rabbits eat carrots
Reality: carrots shouldn't be a main source of food. Rabbits don't naturally eat root vegetables or fruit. Carrots and fruit are high in sugar and should only be fed in small amounts as occasional treats.
Light green lettuce, like iceberg, contains lactucarium and that causes diarrhea for your rabbit. When giving your rabbit lettuce for the first time, introduce the veggie slowly and in small quantitates, large amounts of lettuce can hurt their tummy.
Some leafy greens, such as collard and dandelion greens, parsley, kale, Swiss chard, and escarole, should be fed in limited quantities, as they are high in calcium and may contribute to the development of calcium-based bladder stones if fed in excess.
Using both hands, gently run your finger tips along the sides of your rabbit – you should be able to feel a slight fat covering over your rabbits ribs but you should still be able to feel them. If it becomes difficult to feel the ribs, your pet may be overweight.
What can rabbits not eat? These foods are poisonous for your rabbit and could make her ill: Potatoes, daffodils, tulips, rhubarb, lillies, mushrooms, avocado, broad beans, sweet peas, buttercup, kidney beans, jasmine, foxglove and iceberg lettuce.
Do not give broccoli to rabbits. It will give them painful gas. Never give your rabbit kale or spinach. Kale and spinach can cause health problems over time, due to the high amount of oxalates and goitrogens.
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.
Overeating can quickly lead to obesity in rabbits, which is a very dangerous condition. Since rabbits have such a sensitive digestive system, they run the risk of developing complications in their gut that will require medical intervention.
Don't overfeed pellets – one eighth of a cup for a small rabbit per day is more than adequate OR you could choose to not feed pellets at all! There are no pellets out there in the wild and rabbits do very well without them! Don't skimp on the hay – a ball about the same size as your bunny per day is a great guide.
“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 total amount of fresh food that you may give to your rabbit daily (once your bunny has been gradually introduced to it), is a minimum of 1 heaping cup (loosely packed), per 5 pound of body weight, given two times a day.
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.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a veggie, so it'd be a perfect, healthy snack for your rabbit, right? Surprisingly, no. Although vegetables are an ideal addition to the high-fiber hay that bunny diets require, cauliflower causes rabbits to bloat and become gassy.
You can offer fruits in small amounts because that fructose can quickly pile on the pounds! Can rabbits eat apples? Yes! They also eat pineapples, pears, plums, bananas, and watermelons.
Apples and pears are the most notorious examples, but the pits from apricots, peaches, plums, and mangos also contain cyanide, as do cherry pits. While the amount of cyanide contained in fruit seeds and pits is generally scant, it is best to avoid feeding them to rabbits altogether.
Think natural – good foods are spinach, kale, watercress, broccoli, celery and dandelion leaves. Rabbits also enjoy munching on fresh herbs such as mint, parsley, dill and thyme.
You can include arugula, basil, bok choy, broccoli leaves, carrot tops, celery, clover, collard greens, dandelion leaves, dill, endive, kale in small quantities, romaine and dark leaf lettuce, mint, mustard greens, parsley, and watercress.
It is possible for your pet to grow tired of eating the same kind of hay every day. Offering new types of hay opens your pet up to a variety of new tastes and textures to make mealtime exciting.
A rabbit's complex digestive system means they need to constantly snack on hay throughout the day to keep things moving inside, and help prevent blockages (eg. from fur or things they've eaten - rabbits seem to have little concept of what they can and cannot digest!) Blockages can often be fatal.
The RSPCA Victoria states that rabbits should not be fed any pet cereals, breakfast cereals, grains, seeds, nuts, corn, bread, biscuits or beans. When given uncontrollably, such foods can be toxic to rabbits.