What Fruits & Vegetables Are Good for Rabbits?

Plain, high quality rabbit pellets and grass hay are the core of a rabbit's diet and its main source of protein and fiber. Rabbits also need a daily variety of leafy greens and vegetables for additional fiber and vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to remain healthy. Rabbits can also eat fruit, but only as an occasional treat.

  1. Introducing Vegetables into Your Rabbit's Diet

    • Introduce small servings of vegetables, one type at a time, into your rabbit's diet at 12 weeks old. Gradually increase daily vegetable servings between 7 months to 1 year. Serve your adult rabbit 2 to 4 cups of vegetables per 5 lbs. of optimum body weight, or how much your rabbit should weigh. Serve your rabbit at least three different vegetables each day, making sure that at least one of those vegetables contains vitamin A.

    Suitable Vegetables

    • Dark, leafy greens and the leafy parts of other vegetables are high in fiber, low in calories and should make up most of the vegetable portion of a rabbit's diet. This includes celery leaves and stalks; chard; broccoli and cauliflower heads, stalks and leaves; cabbage; spinach, kale and romaine lettuce; carrot and radish tops; leaves of berries; and endive, dill, basil, mint and other herbs, except for pennyroyal. Serve root vegetables, including carrots, parsnips, turnips and beetroots, in moderation, as they are high in starch and sugar, too much of which can cause health problems. Vegetables high in vitamin A include beet greens, broccoli, carrots and their tops, parsley, pea pods and watercress. Serve vegetables that are high in calcium, including chicory greens, collard greens, kale, turnip greens and mustard spinach, only once or twice a week or avoid completely if your rabbit has bladder or kidney problems or is over 6 years old.

    Fruit

    • Introduce 1 tbsp. servings of fruit per 5 lbs. of optimum body weight into your rabbit's diet once or twice a week at 7 months old. After one year, increase servings to 2 tbsp. per 5 lbs. of optimum body weight. However, do not feed fruit to an overweight rabbit. Rabbits can eat most types of fruit, including apples, apricots, bananas, grapes, cherries, melons, mangoes, peaches, plums, pears, papayas, pineapples and berries.

    Vegetables to Avoid

    • Never feed your rabbit rhubarb, onions, leeks, garlic, potatoes, yams, peas, beans, lentils, pulses or seeds of any kind, even those from fruit. Do not feed your rabbit corn because it is indigestible to rabbits and can cause life-threatening intestinal problems. While rabbits can eat tomatoes, do not feed your rabbit tomato leaves and stems, as these are poisonous for rabbits.

    Food Preparation

    • Always feed your rabbit fresh and, when possible, organic vegetables and fruit. Wash vegetables and fruit, whether organic or non-organic, thoroughly to remove any pesticides, fertilizers and harmful bacteria. Chop vegetables and fruit into 1-inch pieces, remove seeds and pits from fruit and serve wet to increase your rabbit's intake of liquid for healthy intestinal function.