What Fruits & Vegetables Can My Bunny Eat?

While most experts advise that you feed your rabbit a mix of store-bought rabbit pellet food and hay, it's also a good idea to supplement your rabbit's diet with fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. Bunnies' digestives systems can be sensitive, so follow the guidelines for what is safe for your rabbit to eat and what is not.

  1. Vegetables &Flowers

    • Carrots (including their green tops), beet greens (just the greens), broccoli, parsley, Chinese pea pods, spinach and watercress are all great sources of vitamin A and it would benefit your bunny to eat a small amount of one or more of these veggies on a daily basis.

      Your bunny's health will also benefit from numerous other veggies, including artichoke leaves, sprouts such as brussel sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, radish sprouts and clover sprouts, as well as asparagus, collard greens, cucumbers, spinach, mustard greens, green bell pepper, watercress and zucchini.

      If your rabbit likes to graze outdoors, make sure it is only eating the right kind of flowers and herbs it comes across. Sage, basil, mint, groundsel, nasturtium, dandelions and lilac are all fine foods for your bunny.

      While light-colored lettuce is not good for your bunny, romaine lettuce should be alright in moderation.

    Fruit

    • When feeding your bunny fruit, it's important to take out the seeds of fruit such as apples, papaya and watermelon. Rabbits love melons like honeydew and canteloupe, as well as berries like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Pears and plums are also fine fruits for your rabbit.

      Exotic fruits such as pineapple and papaya are especially beneficial since they have enzymes that help with digestion.

      While bananas and seedless grapes are also fine, they are very high in sugar and should only be used as an occasional treat for your bunny.

    What to Avoid

    • Iceberg lettuce--or any lettuce with pale leaves--is a definite no-no for your rabbit. The lactucarium in most lettuce can give your rabbit life-threatening diarrhea. Other problematic foods include cabbage, parsnips, tomato leaves and potato tops. They can leave your bunny feeling sick, and in high enough quantities, can seriously endanger your rabbits health.

      When your bunny is grazing on its own, you have to be careful what it gets its paws on. Certain flowers can be very dangerous for your bunny, including foxglove, honeysuckle, iris, hemlock, poppies, nightshade, buttercups, bluebells, arum lilies, ivy, primulas, jasmine, primrose, dahlia, larkspurs and tulips. It's best to restrict your bunny to grazing on good old grass.