Can my rabbit eat this? Check the food before you share it
Can my rabbit eat this? A rabbit's gut is delicate, and welfare groups agree that the day is mostly hay, with a small handful of greens and a few pellets. Everything else is a treat or a no.
Tap any food, from dandelion to chocolate, and see if it is an every-day food, a small-amount food, a treat or dangerous, with where it fits on a rabbit's plate. We also show where Wood Green, the RSPCA, the SPCA and the House Rabbit Society disagree, and when to call a vet.
Rabbits are grazers, and a rabbit's gut is delicate. A food that is fine for you, or fine for a dog, can give a rabbit a sore tummy or worse. Welfare groups agree on the big picture: a rabbit's day is mostly hay, with a small handful of leafy greens and a little pellet food. Everything else is a treat or a no.
Can my rabbit eat this?
How to read the answer
- Every day: safe to feed daily as part of the greens. Offer about three to five different kinds across the day and rotate them, as the RSPCA suggests.
- Small amounts: safe, but only a little, because they can cause gas or are high in things like calcium or oxalates.
- Treat: sugary foods. A small piece now and then is the most any source suggests, and some say none at all.
- Better not: not poisonous, but they upset the gut, build bad habits or have no place in a rabbit's diet.
- Dangerous: known to be poisonous to rabbits. Keep it out of reach, and call a vet straight away if some was eaten.
Why sugary food is a problem
A rabbit's gut depends on a steady stream of fibre and the helpful bacteria that live in it. Sugar and starch (bread, cereal, biscuits, yoghurt drops, even too much fruit) can upset that balance. The House Rabbit Society chapter in San Diego links these foods to a serious gut illness called enterotoxaemia, which can be fatal. That is also why muesli-style mixes are on the "better not" list: rabbits pick out the tasty bits and leave the healthy ones, which is bad for teeth and weight.
Where the sources disagree
Rabbit food lists are not all the same, and it is worth knowing why.
- Lettuce: the RSPCA Australia lists it among greens, Wood Green says it has little nutrition and is a common cause of loose droppings, and the SPCA New Zealand lists it as unsafe. Iceberg is the one most often marked "never".
- Spinach and parsley: fine in small amounts for most rabbits, but high in oxalates and calcium. RSPCA Australia says to avoid both if a rabbit has had urinary problems; ask your vet.
- Fruit: the SPCA NZ says avoid it, Wood Green allows a tiny piece of apple or pear now and then, and the RSPCA Australia says occasional, if at all.
- Kale: listed as fine by the RSPCA Australia, but Wood Green and SPCA NZ advise sparing amounts.
When in doubt, leave it out, and offer more hay.
Plants from the garden and the walk
Wild and garden plants are a big source of trouble. Several common ones are poisonous to rabbits, including lilies, foxglove, ivy, holly, yew, nightshade, buttercup, rhubarb and bulb flowers such as daffodils and tulips. Pick safe greens like dandelion, clover and plantain only from places with no weedkiller, no pesticides and no roadside fumes, and keep houseplants out of reach. If your rabbit eats a plant you can't name, take a photo and call a vet.
Trying something new
Add one new food at a time, in a small amount, and watch the droppings over the next day or two. Soft or smelly droppings mean stop. A rabbit that stops eating or stops producing droppings needs a vet that same day, because a slow gut can turn serious quickly. Rabbits that are very young, pregnant, elderly or ill may need a different diet, so ask your vet for a plan.