Supermarket / Farmer’s Market Produce
Yes, many veges and fruits are safe to feed rabbits. Does this mean we should be feeding them to rabbits without caution .... in my opinion, it does not. Feeding them without caution can cause problems. There are hundreds of 'safe' food lists on the internet which include huge lists of veg & fruit. This doesn't mean that they are necessary, safe or even good to feed.
To quote Sally Gates - “From what I have seen on many posts it would appear that a lot of rabbits get way too many veges on a daily basis. A small handful is all they need (and they don’t even need that much). Grasses and herbs are a much better option along with hay and a daily serving of pellets. The other thing with veges is they do not wear the teeth down. Hay and grasses are much better for keeping a rabbit’s teeth trim”
I would add foraged or home grown weeds to Sally’s grasses and herbs. When feeding greens to our rabbits, it’s not just about giving green food as enrichment. We want to be maximising nutrition. Long fibrous grasses, weeds and herbs not only have a higher fibre to water ratio, they are more nutrient dense than veges and are therefore simply superior. Additionally; to ensure the best nutrition possible, if we do feed fruit and veg we also need to ensure we are feeding top quality produce, not the wilted, soggy dregs at the bottom of the veg drawer …
It’s my opinion that foraged or home grown long, fibrous grasses and weeds are far superior to vegetables, but that greens sourced from the Supermarket and Farmer’s Markets are fed by many either by choice or necessity.
The article linked below discusses a study by Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley that has documented the fact that wild greens boast more dietary fibre, protein, vitamin A, sodium, calcium, iron and vitamin K, and provide more energy than store bought veggies. The only veg which beat the weeds tested was Kale which had a higher Vit C content. This is why we promote feeding weeds over veggies!
Weeds in Poor City Areas Have Nutritional Value
The potential issues that you need to be aware of before feeding veges and fruits to your rabbit are discussed below in the lists and as with all things, please proceed with caution and ASK if you are not sure.
The following is a list of the ‘Greens’ that you are likely find at the Supermarket or at Farmer’s Markets.
I have tried to include all foods that you may come across.
Appearing on this list does not mean that a food is good or safe to feed your rabbit.
