Question: Can rabbits eat plums?
Answer: Yes, but in small quantity and occasionally.
Do rabbits like plums?
Rabbits love plums. Rabbits, just like humans, have a special love for sweet food. However, like many fruits that rabbits enjoy, such as mangoes, melons, apples, cherries, berries, etc, you must only feed them these fruits occasionally.
In addition to being offered special treats, they must be fed in small quantities.
No matter how satisfying it may feel to see your bunny get excited by seeing plums, giving too many plums can cause adverse effects on your rabbit’s health.
Are plums safe for rabbits?
Plums, like many fruits such as berries, mangoes, and cherries, are safe for your rabbits if they are fed in small amounts as occasional treats.
Plums include small quantities of vitamins A, E, and B6. It also includes a small level of copper, pantothenic acid, niacin, choline, protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. The carbohydrate content in a single plum is 90%.
All of these nutrients are important to maintaining your rabbit’s overall health, provided you offer them in appropriate portions.
Are plums bad for rabbits to eat?
Plums are not entirely bad for your rabbit’s health. Overfeeding them plums might not be good for them.
Feeding your bunny large amounts of plums or different fruit or meal having a higher level of carbohydrates and sugar can lead to stomach difficulties, diarrhea, gas, bloating, and many other concerns.
They are classified as lagomorphs, which means their digestive systems aren’t designed to break down high-sugar or high-carbohydrate foods.
You also need to note that your rabbit might gain some weight, which could lead to obesity. Obesity in bunnies reduces their age and causes difficulties in grooming them.
How many plums can I give to rabbits?
One or two tablespoons full of plum pieces are sufficient for your bunnies. You should make sure that the plum is chopped into small pieces and not big chunks. Simply cut up a small plum and feed a few to your rabbit once a week. If it’s your first time offering plums to your bunny, proceed with caution.
For small rabbits, up to 1.1-3.5 pounds, 1 teaspoon is the right quantity. If you have a medium-sized rabbit up to 6-10 pounds, 1-2 tablespoons are enough. For large or old rabbits weighing 9-12 pounds, 2-3 tablespoons are required.
To minimize gastrointestinal problems, begin with smaller doses every time you add a new item to your bunny’s diet. Offer your furry friend a piece of plum and pay attention for 24 hours to check if it has any harmful reactions.
How should I feed plums to rabbits?
You can feed fresh or dried plums. Make sure the dried quantity is always 1/4th of the fresh ones.
Like with any food and fresh fruit, start with a little quantity and observe how their stomach reacts the next day. To remove any residues of herbicides, pesticides, or insecticides, rinse the plums under clean water.
You should neither feed any fresh vegetables or fruits to a rabbit under the age of three months nor should this treat be used to swap with their daily meal.
You may use puzzle toys to feed them plum pieces, to encourage them for using their litter tray, or to let them make a strong connection with you while they are playing.
Are plum’s skin, leaves, and wood safe for rabbits?
Plum skin is safe for rabbits to eat. Twigs, leaves, and wood from plums, on the other hand, are toxic to rabbits.
Woods and leaves from trees containing a single seed, such as peach, apricot, plum, and cherry, are also harmful and therefore must be avoided until the wood is fully dried.
In fact, offer them branches, leaves, or wood only from fruits like pears, grapes, apples, etc that have numerous seeds.
Can rabbits eat dried plums?
Yes, it is safe for rabbits to eat dried plums. If you have offered your bunnies dry plums, don’t panic. Prunes are simply dried plums. They are neither harmful nor toxic to animals.
You may offer prunes to your bunnies as a snack, but make sure they are smaller in amount, organic and fresh. You also need to remove pits from the prunes before feeding as your bunny might choke while consuming it.
Since prunes are dried fruit, so everything that dries out has a higher concentration more sugar. A dried prune’s sugar content is thrice that of a raw prune.
Dried prunes can provide a number of health advantages, including controlling constipation and boosting your bunnies’ cardiovascular health.
When should I not feed plums to rabbits?
Introducing plums to bunnies with digestive or oral issues may worsen the situation. When you see or feel that your bunnies are experiencing digestive issues, you should eliminate all other foods from their meals except hay.
It will guarantee that your bunny gets the fiber it needs for meeting its daily dietary requirements. Also, rabbits under the age of seven months should never be offered plums or any other snacks. Because young bunnies are prone to digestive disorders, they should mainly eat high-fiber food.
Healthy alternatives fruits to plums
While plums are healthy to feed to rabbits, but as a pet parent, you should still provide your bunnies with a range of food options, similar to their diet in their natural habitat. You can choose to feed them non-leafy vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, celery, zucchinis, cucumbers, and more.
Although, a proper balance of at least 80% hay and 20% fiber-rich food like fresh fruits and veggies is essential for rabbits.
Here are a few substitutes to plums that you may offer your bunnies as a snack once or twice a week:
- Melon
- Nectarine
- Apple (remove seeds)
- Banana
- Papaya
- Peach
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Pear
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Cranberries
- Pineapple
- Watermelon
- Cherries (remove seeds)
- Grapes
- Orange
Conclusion
Plums are healthy to feed to rabbits over the age of seven months. You must always offer your bunnies limited amounts of these foods just 1-2 times each week.
It is equally important that your bunny get proper nutrition from its daily balanced diet including, high-quality fiber food, fruits, and vegetables.
Plums may be a delightful snack for your bunny, but remember that balance is essential.
