As a rabbit parent, you want to provide your furry friend with a healthy and balanced diet that meets all of their nutritional needs. While hay should always be the foundation of your bunny’s diet, incorporating fruits and vegetables into their meals can add variety and essential vitamins and minerals. But not all fruits are safe for rabbits to eat, and it can be challenging to know which ones to avoid. In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive list of 10 safe fruits for rabbits to enjoy, along with tips and recommendations for feeding them safely.
Hay Is The Most Important Rabbit Food
Before we dive into the world of fruits, it’s essential to understand the role that hay plays in a rabbit’s diet. Hay is a critical component of a bunny’s diet, providing essential fiber for healthy digestion, and helping to wear down their constantly-growing teeth. Without enough hay, rabbits can develop serious health problems, such as gastrointestinal stasis or dental issues.
There are several types of hay available, including timothy, orchard grass, and alfalfa. Timothy hay is the most common and is suitable for rabbits of all ages. Orchard grass is a good alternative for rabbits that may be sensitive to timothy, while alfalfa is best reserved for younger bunnies, as it’s higher in protein and calcium.
To ensure that your bunny is getting enough hay, provide unlimited access to fresh hay throughout the day, and make sure to choose high-quality, fresh hay from a reputable source.
Fruits for rabbits
Fruits can be delicious treats for your furry buddy, but even if it’s nutritious it’s also high in sugar and can cause imbalance in the gut bacteria and lead to severe health problems if you overfeed it. Fruit is like junk food for rabbits and it should only be served as a small treat a couple of times a week, with the pits and seeds removed. Recommended serving sizes for fruits varies much, so just keep it small and safe to avoid any issues. This link have a nice section where you can read more about fruits for rabbits. Remember to introduce new fruits slowly one at a time and consult your vet if you have questions or concerns
Safe fruits that you can give to your rabbit as small treats
Strawberries
Strawberries and the plants are not toxic for rabbits and most are able to digest them. Recommended serving size for strawberries are around a thumb size or a medium sized strawberry. These red delights are packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants. Wash the berries and the plants before you serve it to your bunny. Strawberries are nice treats for humans too
Apples
You can safely feed your rabbit apples as a treat, but never the seeds or the stems as they contain poisonous compounds of cyanogenic glycosides, wich is bad for pets. The skin is safe to eat too as long as it’s washed. Recommended serving size is a slice or two per week. Apples contains Vitamin B, C, traces of E as well as the minerals Boron and Potassium
Pears
Pears along with the washed skin is another sweet and juicy fruit that you can safely give your rabbit as small treats. Recommended serving size is the general rule of no more than two tablespoons. You should avoid the stems and seeds as they contain cyanide. Pears contains a wide array of both vitamins and minerals and is high in fiber, making it a good treat choice
Papaya
Papaya, or pawpaws as some call them is packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins wich can give your rabbit a little health boost when fed as small treats. Both the flesh and the skin is safe to eat, but be sure to scoop out the seeds and wash the skin in running water. Recommended serving size is 1 teaspoon per 2 pounds or 900 grams of bodyweight
Plums
Plums are bunny safe nutritious sweet treats with several health benefits and contains the Vitamins A, C and K. As with all fruits, plums are rich in sugar and should only be served as small treats. The washed skin is safe to eat too, but do not feed twigs, leaves or wood from the tree. Recommended serving size is 1 teaspoon per 2 pounds or 900 grams of bodyweight
Kiwi
You can safely treat your rabbit to these green delicious fruits wich is high in Vitamin C and antioxidants. The skin is safe too, as long as you have washed it in running water first. Kiwi does not contain any toxicity that can cause liver failure for rabbits. Recommended serving size for Kiwi is the general 1 teaspoon per 2 pounds or 900 grams of furry buddy bodyweight
Pineapple
Pineapple is rich with vitamins and minerals wich makes it a great choice for treats. But only the actual flesh, not any other elements of the pineapple. A thumb sized serving should be max. Rabbits who eat large amounts of fruits which is high in sugar and calories often gain weight and become overweight or obese, and we don’t want that to happend
Mango
Mango is another safe fruit that you can serve your rabbit as small treats. Mango is however, as you might have guessed allready, high in sugar. It’s also high in acid content wich may cause stomach troubles and even get diarrhea if to much is consumed. The washed mango skin is also safe for rabbits to feast upon. Keep it safe and stick to the general fruit rule here too
Watermelon
Watermelon is a perfectly safe sweet and juicy treat that you can spoil your rabbit with, as long as it is in moderation as with all fruits. The rind is even better than the actual fruit, as it contains much less sugar and more fiber. Be sure to wash the rind and clean out the seeds from the watermelon flesh first. Seeds may cause intestinal obstruction and choking
Banana
This fruit is a favourite amongst rabbits for sure, and what is cuter than watching a rabbit eating banana? The banana is perfectly safe for rabbits to eat, so is the skin as long as it’s washed in running water first. But as with all fruits, bananas are high in sugar and should therefore only be served as small treats now and then, and not as a part of the bunny’s daily diet
For more information about each fruit and the nutrition values you can do a search on Google. Remember to contact your veterinarian if you have questions or concerns regarding your rabbits diet or health, or the rabbit breeder if you bought your buddy from one. You can also find veterinarians online on Google that you can ask questions related to pets health and diet