Bell peppers taste wonderful and are very healthy for us, but can rabbits eat bell peppers? The answer is yes, bell peppers are safe for rabbits if given raw. Red, yellow and green bell peppers are all safe. They’re often referred to as capsicums and peppers as well, although the variety we’re talking about here is the large, sweet one. Note that hot peppers of any kind are NOT good as rabbit food. You can give them to your rabbit every now and then, but start out with a small amount and see how the rabbit handles it. If it seems to have no problems digesting it, you can slowly increase the quantity of bell pepper you give him or her. Note though that their diet should mainly be fresh hay and quality pellets, other fruits and veggies should make up 15% or less of it
Introducing them to it slowly will allow their digestive system to get used to the new food, so they’ll be able to properly digest it without problems. If your bunny has an upset stomach, diarrhea or gas after being fed bell peppers, you should probably stop giving it to them, or at least reduce the quantity you give them. Bell peppers, especially green and red. have a large quantity of Vitamin A, which is actually good for rabbits in small amounts. So they can be given to bunnies once or twice a week. However, try to combine different bell pepper varieties, like red, green, and yellow, instead of giving them the same type over and over. Bell peppers aren’t always popular with rabbits, though. Unlike berries and other sweet foods which rabbits seem to universally like, bell peppers are only liked by some. So there’s a good chance your bunny might ignore them, and that doesn’t mean anything is wrong. They’re just a bit picky, that’s all. My rabbit for example won’t even try strawberries, wich most other rabbits seems to love
Can rabbits eat bell pepper plants?
This question is a bit hard to answer, as wild rabbits tends to break into gardens and eat the plants. Bell pepper plants are in the same poisonous Nightshade family as potatoe plants, wich rabbits should not be allowed to eat. If humans for some mysterious reason should eat potatoe plants it can lead to nasty stuff like a headache, vomiting and other digestive symptoms. That, coupled with the lack of concrete evidence that bunnies can safely eat bell pepper plants means you should probably avoid giving them the plant, just to be sure. A couple sites say that they can eat the plants, so if your bunny’s accidentally eaten one from your garden, there may not be any need to panic. Watch them for signs of pain or discomfort and take necessary actions if required
Can rabbits eat pepper bell tops and seeds?
Since the tops are a part of the plant, it’s best to not give them to rabbits. A lot of people on forums seem to feed capsicum tops to bunnies without any issues, which is interesting, but until someone does a study on this subject we advise against feeding them to your rabbit. If you have a lot of tops left over after a meal, compost them instead. It’s free plant food. As for bell pepper seeds, they’re part of the fruit so they’re safe in that aspect, but they’re hard and there’s a very real risk of them getting lodged in your rabbit’s throat. So they’re not toxic, but a choking hazard. Also they have no nutrition value, so there is no reason for your rabbit to eat them anyways. So in conclusion, rabbits can eat bell peppers, but the tops, seeds, and other parts of the plant should not be fed. Only feed your bunny small pieces of bell pepper initially, and switch up the varieties so it doesn’t get the same over and over
Remember to contact your local veterinarian or rabbit breeder if you have questions or concerns regarding your rabbits diet or general health. There are also online veterinarians that you can ask questions about your pets for free, like for example on the mainpage of the site PetCoach. You can also find others by Googling search terms like online veterinarian and ask a veterinarian
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