Safe foods.
Rabbits love their food and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet. The main part of a rabbit’s diet should be unlimited amounts of fresh hay (preferably Timothy or Meadow Hay), grass, and plenty of clean water available. See 'What do rabbits eat?' for more information.
When introducing any new food, always do so slowly over a few weeks to avoid digestive upsets. Rabbits, like humans are all different and as such some may be unable to tolerate certain foods. Only give a small amount and wait for 24 hours, if your rabbit produces soft poo, withdraw the food and try with something else after everything has settled back to normal. Allow 5 - 7 days before making any other additions. Always wash food first and don't feed plants from roadsides or that contain pesticides.
The first rule of feeding bunnies and their delicate tummies is: if in doubt - don't let them eat it! Rabbits have strong tastebuds and will try anything even if it's poisonous - it's up to you to protect them! The following list was taken from the RWAF website.
Which vegetables can rabbits eat?A good guideline is to feed a minimum of 1 cup of vegetables for each 4 lbs of body weight per day.
Do not feed the pips, stones, plants etc of fruits unless otherwise stated, as most of the time they are poisonous! Rabbits love sugary fruit and will eat too much of it, which is bad for them. Therefore it's up to you to limit it!
When introducing any new food, always do so slowly over a few weeks to avoid digestive upsets. Rabbits, like humans are all different and as such some may be unable to tolerate certain foods. Only give a small amount and wait for 24 hours, if your rabbit produces soft poo, withdraw the food and try with something else after everything has settled back to normal. Allow 5 - 7 days before making any other additions. Always wash food first and don't feed plants from roadsides or that contain pesticides.
The first rule of feeding bunnies and their delicate tummies is: if in doubt - don't let them eat it! Rabbits have strong tastebuds and will try anything even if it's poisonous - it's up to you to protect them! The following list was taken from the RWAF website.
Which vegetables can rabbits eat?A good guideline is to feed a minimum of 1 cup of vegetables for each 4 lbs of body weight per day.
- Artichoke leaves
- Asparagus
- Baby Sweetcorns (but not full size ones)
- Beetroot (care with leafy tops as high levels of oxalic acid) - can cause gas so limit
- Broccoli (and its leaves, including purple sprouting varieties) - can cause gas so limit
- Brussel Sprouts (leaves and sprouts) - can cause gas so limit
- Cabbage (can sometimes cause digestive upsets) - can cause gas so limit
- Carrots (& carrot tops) – not the roots as they are high in sugars. Carrots should be limited due to high sugar content.
- Cauliflower (and the leaves)
- Celeriac
- Celery leaves
- Chicory
- Courgette (and flowers)
- Cucumber
- Curly Kale
- Fennel
- Green beans
- Kohl rabi
- Peas (including the leaves and pods)
- Peppers (red, green and yellow)
- Pumpkin
- Radish Tops - can cause gas so limit
- Rocket
- Romaine lettuce (not Iceberg or light coloured leaf)
- Spinach (only occasional)
- Spring Greens
- Squash (e.g. Butternut)
- Swede
- Turnip (only occasional)
- Watercress
Do not feed the pips, stones, plants etc of fruits unless otherwise stated, as most of the time they are poisonous! Rabbits love sugary fruit and will eat too much of it, which is bad for them. Therefore it's up to you to limit it!
- Apple (not the pips - they are poisonous!)
- Apricot
- Banana (high in potassium)
- Blackberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)
- Blueberries
- Cherries (not the pits and plant - they contain cyanide and are therefore poisonous!)
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarines
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Raspberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)
- Strawberries (and leaves)
- Tomatoes (NOT the leaves)
- Basil
- Coriander
- Dill
- Mint (peppermint)
- Parsley - not too much as high in calcium
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Borage
- Calendula
- Camomile
- Chickweed (astringent)
- Clover (leaves and flowers)
- Coltsfoot
- Comfrey
- Dandelion (diuretic properties)
- Goosegrass (cleavers) but may stick to coat!
- Lavender
- Mallow
- Nettle
- Nasturtium (leaves and flowers)
- Shepherd’s purse
- Sow Thistle
- Plantain
- Yarrow
Why is hay so important for rabbits?
Hay might look boring to humans but for rabbits it's their main dish of the day, with 80-90% of their diet needing to be hay! (and grass is very good too!) It keeps them healthy and helps them function in a number of ways, the main ones being:
Hay might look boring to humans but for rabbits it's their main dish of the day, with 80-90% of their diet needing to be hay! (and grass is very good too!) It keeps them healthy and helps them function in a number of ways, the main ones being:
- Hay keeps the gut moving
Hay is made up of long fibres that help the muscles of the bunny's gut stay strong. 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. If a rabbit doesn't eat enough hay then this can slow down the rabbit's intestinal functions and cause serious problems eg. GI Stasis (see below). - Chewing hay grinds their ever-growing teeth down to a safe level
Rabbits' teeth continually grow, including all of their back ones (did you know rabbits have 28 teeth?!) If these aren't kept in check by wearing them down on hay and grass, they can grow out of control and cause painful abcesses, and even grow into the eyes from within. It's a fast process - rabbit teeth grow about 12cm a year! Eye problems are often linked to the teeth. Other foods (even hard pellets) do not wear the teeth down like the side-to-side jaw action used when eating hay. - Keeps bunnies busy rearranging it and searching for the best tasting pieces
- Teaches rabbits good litter tray habits