What Do Bunnies Eat?

Bunnies are herbivores with specialized digestive systems where food is eaten twice to get the full nutrients from it. When they first eat food, it passes through the system and becomes "cecotropes" (soft feces). The bunny eats the cecotropes, which are digested again to pass as hard feces that the bunny does not eat. Because the digestive system is so specialized, it is important that rabbits eat a proper diet whether they are pets in a home or living wild in nature.

  1. Wild Bunny Diet

    • In the wild, bunnies eat a variety of grasses, weeds and flowering plants. Shrubs, tree bark and grass will make up a large portion of the diet of bunnies from dry regions, while those living in desert areas might eat rabbitbrush, spiny hopsage, mesquite and creosote plants. Vegetable gardens in human populated areas will draw bunnies in to eat lettuce as well as other leafy greens.

    Pet Pellet Diet

    • Feed stores and pet stores sell pre-packaged pellet foods that are a mixture of ingredients, including fibers, proteins, fillers and preservatives. The healthiest foods contain at least 18 to 20 percent fiber and 12 to 14 percent protein. Alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, ground grain, plant protein and vitamin B12 are all examples of pellet food ingredients. Some pellet food options also come with dried fruits and vegetables as well as non-processed grains. These "extras" can be sugary and fattening and are not necessary to maintain a healthy diet.

    Pet Fresh Diet

    • Because organizations such as the House Rabbit Society have experts (veterinarians, breeders and scientists) who decry the healthiness of a "pellet-only" diet, there are bunny owners who choose to feed fresh foods instead, including hay, vegetables and even fruit. To keep their digestive systems working properly, they need fiber, roughage, vegetables and some natural sugars. Around 70 percent of their daily diet should be hay (for the fiber and roughage), another 25 percent should be greens or vegetables such as carrot tops, dark-leafed lettuce, green peppers, dandelion leaves and flowers, and spinach, and the last 5 percent should include treats such as carrots, apples, plums, strawberries, melons or other fruits.

    Foods Bunnies Shouldn't Eat

    • Bunnies should avoid eating some foods because they can cause health issues such as gas, bloating, indigestion or diarrhea. Other foods are toxic and will cause health problems or even death. Foods to generally avoid include beets, breakfast cereals, chocolate, fresh peas, iceberg lettuce, legumes, nuts, onions, white or red potatoes, seeds and processed sugars. Foods that are toxic to bunnies include many flowers such as the calla lily, philodendron, daffodil, geranium, Easter lily, azalea and carnation. Other toxic plants include aloe vera, birch, eucalyptus, licorice plant and elderberry. It is always a good idea to double-check the toxicity of a plant before feeding it to a rabbit, just in case it is dangerous to it.