Can rabbits eat celery?

Question: Can rabbits eat celery? Answer: Yes, but in moderation!

Read on to learn more about the benefits of celery in a rabbits diet and learn exactly how much (or more importantly how little) you should feed them.

Rabbits are so adorable, and it is essential to feed them properly to maintain their endearing looks – cute eyes, distinctive long ears, and short fluffy tails. To keep them in this perfect shape, they should always be treated to nutritious diets.

While we may find it easy to simply have our rabbits eat hayand grass all day, spicing up their diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables would be ideal and healthier. Feeding on the same meal every day is no fun for rabbits, who will prefermixing things up a bit instead.

Are you looking for vegetable supplements for your rabbits? Chances are you have considered adding celery to their diet but remain unsure whether your bunnies can eat it. Here, we will take a close look at celery and its role in a rabbit’s diet.

What is Celery?

There is the iconic image of rabbits eating carrots that we are used to seeing in movies, cartoons, and on the internet – making some of us believe that they love this vegetable so much. However, this is not the case, as rabbits mostly live on hay and grass.

Of the family Apiaceae, Celery is a cultivated vegetable related to carrots and parsley. This plant has succulent, fibrous stalks and leaves that can be used as a salad for consumption by rabbits and humans. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

Celery contains many nutrients, including vitamins, water, manganese, and calcium, which are healthy for rabbits. Vitamins K and B6, which are very rare in nature, can be found in celery to keep your bunnies in good condition.

Rabbits love eating celery, and this is mainly because of its savory taste. Well, since most humans also like sugary food, we can understand our bunnies here.

Is Celery Safe for Rabbits?

A rich vegetable in nutrients, celery is safe for your rabbits and should provide a balanced diet to aid their growth and development. Although, while we recommend celery for your bunnies, they should be taken as a treat and not fed too much of it.

Furthermore, celery is a crunchy snack, and rabbits’ chewing activity while eating helps strengthen their teeth.

That said, it is worth noting that celery has long fibers and, if eaten whole by a rabbit, can cause some discomfort. The plant might get stuck in their throat, teeth, or stomach – subsequently leading to a choking problem, infection, or blockages.

To avoid this complication, we should cut the celery fibers into tiny pieces, depending on the size of your rabbit. The recommended fiber length is between half an inch to 1 inch.

Can Rabbits Eat Celery Leaves?

Yes, rabbits can consume celery leaves. Since the leaves do not have any fiber strings – that can cause choking hazards – they are safer for our rabbit pets than the whole celery stalk.

We do not want our rabbits to develop discomfort in their digestive system; hence, adding celery leaves to their diet will help minimize the chances of them coming down with any form of malaise or unease.

Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Celery?

Wild animals do not eat cooked foods. Rabbits are herbivores and wild, so they like to find their food on their own, eating them fresh and raw. They love to roam about in search of fresh vegetables to consume.

Hence, avoid preparing cooked or processed celery to feed them as it could cause harm to their bodies. After all, why even go through the stress of cooking celery for your rabbits when they prefer to eat them raw and fresh?

Can Baby Rabbits Eat Celery?

Many breeders are faced with this dilemma and often wonder whether they can feed celery to their baby rabbits or not. 

Now, let us break down the eating plan of rabbits from birth till they are well grown. Ordinarily, a baby rabbit feeds on its mother’s milk for almost nine weeks before they are weaned. After this, they can move on to eating grass and hay in little quantities.

From 12 to 13 weeks of age, a baby rabbit can be fed other fruits and vegetables as their digestive system would have already developed well enough to process these foods. 

For this reason, do not add celery to the diet of your baby rabbits if they are not yet up to 12 weeks old to avoid any form of complications to the health of your lovable cute tiny bunny. Make sure to follow the steps above while feeding your baby rabbit.

Is Celery Bad for Rabbits?

Celery can be likened to a coin as it has a good side and a bad side. We have spent a lot of time emphasizing the benefits of feeding celery to our rabbits, but this vegetable also poses a few threats to their health. 

While this plant is very nutritious to bunnies, it can lead to some disturbance when consumed in large quantities. When not eaten in adequate proportions, celery can be very harmful to rabbits.

Some celeries are contaminated with insecticides, pesticides, and parasites, and when passed into the digestive tract of our bunnies, can cause some discomfort. Also, if the vegetable’s stalks are hard, they can block the animal’s throat or stick between its teeth.

Furthermore, celery is very watery and can cause diarrhea – an illness that often leads to the death of rabbits. Water is suitable for rabbits, but they are not safe for a rabbit’s health when in excessive quantities.

Although celery does not contain too much sugar, it is sweeterthan hay or grass; and too much sugar is harmful to rabbits.

Alternative Foods to Celery

Typically, a rabbit’s diet should contain about 80% hay and grass, while the remaining 20% consists of fruits and vegetables. If you do not have access to celery at the moment, other healthy rabbit vegetables will suffice, and they include:

  • Spinach
  • Red Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Bok Choy
  • Lettuce
  • Broccoli
  • Parsley
  • Cilantro

Conclusion

From this article, we can see that celeries have their pros and cons. Hence, given that they have a few downsides, you might want to meet your rabbits with celery gradually.

Begin adding them to their diet in small quantities, and if they love it and are not negatively affected by the vegetable, you can increase the amount.

However, should they react badly to celeries, do not hesitate to discontinue feeding them this snack. Instead, you can supplement their hay with some of the vegetables mentioned above.

All in all, rabbits are not difficult to breed, and following this informative piece when feeding them, you should enjoy raising your endearing bunny with great ease.

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