Veg & Fruit - Proceed with Caution
The following list is a basic guide. It is based on independent research and personal experience.
This is not an exhaustive list, but includes vegetables commonly available in New Zealand.
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 and 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 …
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.
For desirable alternatives to feeding Veges please read the following -
Weeds
Herbs
Trees & Shrubs
Fruit
I don't regularly feed fruit to my rabbits, but if you do, only feed it as an infrequent treat -
Lettuce - so much controversy!
Read all about it here.
Ye Olde Sweetcorn ...
You can feed Sweetcorn stalks (small amounts), leaves, silks (they can get stuck in the teeth so cut them up first) and husk leaves but kernels and the inner cob are not recommended.
The corn kernel hull - the Pericarp, is made up of Polysaccharides (Cellulose and Hemicellulose) and Lignin. Most common plant cells; which rabbits can digest, are composed of Pectin (~35%), Polysaccharides; {Cellulose (~30%) & Hemicellulose (~30%)} and Protein (~5%). Corn Pericarp is composed of Hemicellulose (~65%), Cellulose (~23%) and Lignin (~0.1). This difference may be the reason that the rabbit gut finds whole or partially chewed corn kernels challenging to digest.
Other problematic issues include the high carbohydrate (sugars) level in corn kernels. As we know, foods high in sugars can and do disrupt rabbit intestinal flora leading to digestive disturbances. Dried corn kernel is also extremely tough; with the potential to break rabbit teeth if fed whole and may not be chewed/broken down by the teeth properly before being swallowed. Fresh or dried kernels may also be ingested/swallowed whole without chewing, leaving the hull intact. Because the hull does not seem to be digested well in the rabbit gut, the kernels stay intact and this can lead to life-threatening intestinal impactions and/or blockages.
Data Sources:
Biochemical composition of the pericarp cell wall of popcorn inbred lines with different popping expansion
The architecture of the primary plant cell wall: the role of pectin reconsidered
Copyright 2019 - Jen Herd/Westley’s World