Towcester Vets share good and bad foods for rabbits
February 10, 2022
If you are new to rabbit keeping, or just want a refresher on what they should and should not eat, the bunny-loving veterinary nurses at Towcester Vets have pulled together the following information for you.
Firstly, below is a list of foods that could seriously harm or even kill your pet rabbits. Once you have ‘digested’ that, check out our Healthy Rabbit Meal Planner to help you put together an ideal diet for your pets.
Download our Rabbit Meal Planner
Foods that your rabbits should not eat:
- Chocolate: toxic to rabbits – can be fatal
- Milk, cheese & yoghurt: severe gastric upset & life-threatening bloat
- Avocado: ingestion can be deadly
- Rhubarb: all parts toxic – causes mouth irritation, appetite loss, lethargy, diarrhoea, pain, dehydration – can be fatal in rare cases
- Iceberg & other light-coloured lettuces: dangerous sedative effect
- Apple seeds: contain cyanide – can be deadly in the right quantity
- Apricots, peaches & plums: cyanide in seeds/pits, high-sugar fruits
- Onion bulbs, chives & garlic: can cause fatal gastric upset
- Parsnips: contain psoralens which are poisonous to bunnies
- Potatoes: starch can harm digestion and parts of plants and tubers are toxic
- Some herbs & spices: fools parsley (looks like regular parsley), echinacea, jasmine, nutmeg, and others
- Cauliflower & silverbeet (chard): can cause colic and painful bloating
- Cereal (like muesli): can lead to tooth and tummy problems
- Walnuts, almonds & peanut butter: high in fat – can cause bad indigestion
- Dog, cat, hamster & bird food: could be nutritionally unbalanced and/or contain ingredients that are harmful to rabbits
- Grapes & raisins: not necessarily toxic to rabbits, but contain too much sugar for them to process
If you think your rabbits may have eaten an item off this list, or something else that could be harmful, call the team at Towcester Vets straight away on 01327 350239.
The above list is not exhaustive so you should always check online or ask our team if you are unsure.
Now that you know what foods not to give your pet rabbits, you are ready to create the ideal healthy diet for them. Download our handy menu planner and stick it on your fridge – this will help you to consistently give them the foods they need.
