Question: Can rabbits eat strawberries?
Answer: Absolutely, but only in moderate amounts, and not regularly.
Do rabbits like strawberries?
In fact, rabbits love strawberries. Like most humans, they have quite the sweet tooth. If left alone with a bunch of strawberries, they would likely devour all of them. Many wild rabbits are known to sneak into backyards and snack on strawberries. However, just because your rabbit adores strawberries doesn’t mean they should be allowed to have them frequently.
Whether you want to watch your pet rabbit adorably munch on this yummy fruit or you want to feed a wild rabbit something sweet, it’s important to understand the effects of strawberries on these small, furry babies.
Are strawberries bad for rabbits to eat?
It’s not that strawberries are bad for rabbits. It’s that too many strawberries in their diet is not the healthiest for them. Strawberries, like other fruits, should be considered a treat and treated as such. In the same way that humans should only consume chocolate and other sweets in moderation, rabbits should only eat fruits in small quantities occasionally.
Strawberries are not toxic or lethal. However, they are high in sugar. This means that too much of it can be detrimental to your rabbit’s health. Rabbits who eat too many strawberries may experience weight gain or gastrointestinal problems.
Therefore, it’s best to limit your rabbit’s consumption of strawberries as too much carbohydrates in their diet can be bad for their weight and sensitive tummies.
Are strawberries safe for rabbits to eat?
Yes, strawberries are safe for rabbits to eat! Strawberries contain a high amount of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and a bit of dietary fiber. These essential nutrients are actually beneficial for a rabbit’s health. Strawberries are also low on calcium which helps your rabbit’s sensitive stomach digest them better. In comparison to other treats, strawberries are on the safer side.
Nevertheless, strawberries are high in sugar content. Too much carbohydrates like sugar are not good for your rabbit in the long term. This could cause your rabbit to become overweight and suffer from gastrointestinal stasis. For this reason, it’s a good idea to not feed your rabbit too many strawberries.
How many strawberries should I feed my rabbit?
It’s best to view strawberries along with other fruits as a sort of dessert for rabbits. This means they should only be fed to your rabbit in small quantities as an occasional snack. If you want your small, furry friend to live a healthy life, their entire diet should not consist entirely of strawberries.
For small rabbits such as dwarf or mini rabbits, American Fuzzy Lops, Holland Lops, Jersey Woolies, or Lionhead rabbits, an entire medium-sized strawberry is plenty enough. They might struggle to eat the whole strawberry so if you can, chop the strawberries into smaller pieces. If measuring chopped strawberries, one to two tablespoons is a good portion to feed your rabbit.
For larger rabbits such as giants, French Lops, English Lops, Angoras, or Hotots, two or three medium-sized strawberries will suffice. If you’re feeding your large rabbit chopped strawberries, then three to five tablespoons depending on their size is more than enough for your rabbit.
How should I feed strawberries to rabbits?
Only raw and fresh strawberries should be fed to rabbits. Never feed a rabbit strawberry jam or jelly due to the preservatives and other ingredients that might upset the rabbit’s sensitive stomach. For similar reasons, rabbits should not eat cooked, dried, or canned strawberries. Remember that your rabbit is a herbivore who thrives off of fresh, organic food. Their stomachs are not designed to ingest anything other than raw foods. Anything besides a raw strawberry might cause harm to their gastrointestinal tract.
To protect your rabbit from pesticides and other harmful chemicals, buy organic if you can and wash the strawberries meticulously. Another safety tip is to check the strawberries for parasites just in case. You should also ensure the strawberry is not too ripe as this might give your rabbit an upset stomach and diarrhea.
After choosing and washing your strawberry, it might help your rabbit digest them better if you slice or chop the strawberry into smaller bite-size pieces. In the event that this is your first time feeding your rabbit this fruit, start off by giving them one piece to see how they react.
Regardless of how much your rabbit loves strawberries, only feed your furry friend this treat once or twice a week. No matter how cute they are, resist the urge to overdo it with treats.
Can baby rabbits eat strawberries?
Although strawberries are safe for adult rabbits to consume in moderation, baby rabbits are different. The digestive system of a baby rabbit is not capable of processing sugar yet. As a result, baby rabbits must avoid eating strawberries or other fruits entirely until they are about 12 weeks old.
Once the rabbit is a bit older, it’s best to start off with vegetable snacks first before feeding a young rabbit fruits such as strawberries.
Can rabbits eat strawberry leaves?
Rabbits can certainly eat strawberry leaves. Strawberry leaves are high in fiber and many rabbits love to chew on them. Strawberry stems are safe for rabbits to eat as well.
On the other hand, strawberry crowns or roots are not. This part of the strawberry plant may have bacteria on them so it’s safe practice to avoid feeding them to your rabbit.
Alternative foods to strawberries
It’s essential for your rabbit to have a well-balanced diet. These cute, furry creatures have a highly sensitive digestive system designed to eat mostly hay. As a result, a rabbit’s diet should consist of 80% to 90% hay. The remaining 20% to 10% can consist of high fiber rabbit pellets and snacks in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Since fruits are naturally sweet, rabbits are quite fond of them. Instead of strawberries, here are some other fruits that rabbits can eat in moderate amounts once or twice a week:
- raspberries
- blueberries
- blackberries
- cranberries
- grapes
- watermelon
- seedless apple
- seedless cherries
- banana
- peach
- plum
- pear
Conclusion
Like most people, rabbits have quite the sweet tooth, and thus, love strawberries. It’s perfectly okay to feed your rabbit strawberries as a treat once in a while. However, strawberries should certainly not be a regular part of their diet.
Instead, feed your rabbit a well-balanced diet consisting mostly of hay supplemented by high-quality pellets, and only a minimal amount of vegetables and fruits. Not unlike most things in life, strawberries are good for rabbits, but only in moderation.
