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What Can Rabbits Eat? Safe Foods and Foods to Avoid
A pet rabbit eats mostly hay, a daily handful of washed leafy greens, and a small measured amount of pellets. Fruit, carrots, and other sweet foods are occasional treats. Water stays available all day.
Rabbits are not hard to feed, but the Sacramento chapter of the House Rabbit Society keeps a long list of poisonous plants, so it pays to check what exactly you choose before your rabbit eats it. The RSPCA's feeding guide splits a pet rabbit's food into three groups, shown below.
How much hay does a rabbit need?
Hay and grass are the biggest part of the diet. The RSPCA says rabbits should always have unlimited access to good-quality hay or grass. Its guide for a day's supply is a "rabbit-sized" bundle of hay "as big as they are." The House Rabbit Society's diet page gives the same share as the figure above. Its vegetable page says 80 percent, so the society gives two figures, five points apart, and both put hay first.
The RSPCA says hay and grass keep the digestive system working, provide fibre, and wear down teeth that never stop growing. It also says not to feed lawnmower clippings, because they can make a rabbit ill.
Adult rabbits do best on timothy hay and other grass hays, which the House Rabbit Society says are lower in calories and calcium than alfalfa. It offers alfalfa hay only to babies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits.
Which leafy greens can rabbits eat?
Rabbits can eat a wide range of different vegetables, and the House Rabbit Society's list of safe leafy greens includes arugula, basil, bok choy, carrot tops, cilantro, collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, kale, mustard greens, parsley, romaine lettuce, spinach, and watercress.
The RSPCA says rabbits need a large handful of washed greens, herbs, and weeds every day, and that the mix should include several kinds, rotated rather than the same few every day. Its daily list is romaine lettuce, spring greens, watercress, rocket, basil, rosemary, coriander, mint, and dandelion leaves.
The House Rabbit Society suggests at least three types of leafy green daily. For the amount, its diet page gives 1 to 2 cups of vegetables for every 4 pounds of body weight. Its vegetable page gives approximately one cup of packed greens for every two pounds of adult rabbit and says to watch for any change in litter habits and behavior. Serving the greens wet adds to the water a rabbit takes in.
Some greens carry a limit. The RSPCA says spinach, cabbage, and celery can be fed safely but only occasionally. The Indiana House Rabbit Society marks kale and spinach "limit," and says beet greens, mustard greens, parsley, radish tops, spinach, and Swiss chard need rotating because of their oxalic acid content, with only one of them among the three varieties a rabbit gets on a given day.
Wash everything. The Indiana chapter says many pesticides are sprayed during growing, so all produce should be cleaned thoroughly. The RSPCA's page on poisoning lists glyphosate herbicide products among the common rabbit poisons, so ask about any pesticide treatment on greens you did not grow yourself.
What about broccoli, zucchini, and other vegetables?
The House Rabbit Society says leafy greens should make up about 75 percent of the fresh vegetables a rabbit eats each day. The rest can come from non-leafy vegetables, around 1 tablespoon per 2 pounds of rabbit. Its safe list for that group includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, green beans, pumpkin, radish, and zucchini.
Some entries come with a note. The society marks carrots, beets, bell peppers, parsnips, and squash (zucchini included) as high in sugars. It says to cut celery into 1-inch pieces because of concern about choking on the strings or having them wrap around teeth. Broccoli on the Indiana chapter's list reads "mostly leaves/stems; limit, can cause gas."
On cabbage, the House Rabbit Society's list says "Too much can cause enlargement of the thyroid and digestive problems."
How many pellets should a rabbit get?
The RSPCA says to feed a small, measured ration of good-quality pellets or nuggets each day, which it puts at 5 percent of the diet. For a healthy adult rabbit it suggests 25 g, approximately an egg cup-full, per kilogram of body weight, adjusted for the individual rabbit's lifestyle, activity, age, and health. Growing, pregnant, nursing, or underweight rabbits may need larger portions. It also says to avoid constantly topping up the bowl, because rabbits may stop eating hay in favor of pellets.
For the type, the House Rabbit Society says pellets should be fresh and relatively high in fiber, with 18 percent fiber as the minimum, and says to avoid "gourmet" pellets that contain nuts, seeds, or grains. Pellets also have an expiration date, so check it before you buy a bag.
The RSPCA does not recommend muesli-style mixes, because they encourage selective feeding: a rabbit may pick the tastier, lower-fibre pieces and leave the rest. For a rabbit already on muesli, it says to change the diet slowly over 14 to 28 days.
Can rabbits eat fruit?
Yes, as a treat. The House Rabbit Society says all fruits are treats because of their high sugar content and puts fruit and treats under 5 percent of the diet, a very small amount once or twice per week. It says bunnies "have a sweet tooth and, if left to their own devices, will devour sugary foods to the exclusion of healthful ones." Bananas and grapes are the high glycemic examples it names as occasional treats only.
The RSPCA names bananas, strawberries, and apples among its occasional fruit treats. Rabbits can eat a variety of fruits as treats, and our page on oranges covers the peel and seeds. Tangerines and other citrus follow the same limit as other fruits, and the tangerine page shows what a very small piece looks like.
Take out the seeds and pits first. The RSPCA lists fruit seeds and pits among the foods to avoid, and the Sacramento chapter's plant list says apple seeds and apricot pits contain cyanide while the apple fruit is fine for rabbits.
Which foods should rabbits never eat?
The RSPCA's foods-to-avoid list covers muesli-style mixes, avocados, chocolate, cereals, fruit seeds and pits, onions, leeks, garlic, meat, eggs, dairy products, broad beans, kidney beans, rhubarb, iceberg lettuce, lawnmower clippings, mushrooms, sweetcorn, chilli peppers, tomato leaves and stems, house plants, processed foods, bread, pasta, potatoes and sweet potatoes (raw or cooked), anything with artificial sweeteners such as xylitol, caffeine, and sugary or salty human foods.
The House Rabbit Society agrees on several of these. It calls processed human foods such as chocolate, cookies, crackers, breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, and yogurt drops especially dangerous for rabbits. It lists garlic and onions as immunosuppressive and potatoes as vegetables to avoid, and says "rabbits cannot digest corn hulls."
Iceberg lettuce is where the sources split. The RSPCA lists it as a food to avoid, the Indiana chapter writes "no iceberg or light colored leaf." The House Rabbit Society says it is "safe for rabbits to eat, but low in nutrients and higher in water content than other darker lettuces" and that "Large amounts can cause diarrhea." Romaine is the lettuce the RSPCA names for daily feeding.
Plants are a separate risk. The RSPCA names rodent poisons, ivy, rhubarb, foxglove, and glyphosate herbicide products as common severe rabbit poisons, and says species of lily, clematis, rhododendron, and lily of the valley have also poisoned rabbits. Its rule for greens is "if in doubt, leave it out." If a rabbit eats something poisonous or unsafe, call your vet as soon as you can.
Quick answers for common foods
| Food | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Romaine lettuce | A green to feed daily | RSPCA |
| Watercress | A green to feed daily | RSPCA |
| Spinach | Occasionally; limit, and rotate with other greens | RSPCA, Indiana House Rabbit Society |
| Kale | On the safe list; limit | House Rabbit Society, Indiana House Rabbit Society |
| Cabbage | Occasionally; too much can cause thyroid and digestive problems | RSPCA, House Rabbit Society |
| Zucchini (courgette) | On the safe list of non-leafy vegetables; marked high in sugars | House Rabbit Society |
| Leeks, onions, garlic | Avoid | RSPCA (all three), House Rabbit Society (onions and garlic) |
| Iceberg lettuce | Skip it; the sources differ on how risky it is | RSPCA, House Rabbit Society |
| Apple, banana, strawberry | Treat; a very small amount once or twice a week | RSPCA, House Rabbit Society |
| Carrot | Treat; a very small amount once or twice a week | House Rabbit Society |
| Potato, sweetcorn | Avoid | RSPCA |
How do you add a new food to a rabbit's diet?
Start from hay. The Indiana chapter says a rabbit should have been eating grass hay for a minimum of 2 weeks before any fresh food is introduced. After that, add one new type of vegetable at a time. The House Rabbit Society says to wait 24 hours to make sure there are no soft stools or gas problems before adding another, and to stop the vegetable if the droppings are soft or the rabbit is gassy.
The RSPCA says new greens go in gradually, in small amounts, and that sudden changes to the diet can upset a rabbit's digestive system and make it ill. It asks pet parents to speak to a vet before changing what a rabbit eats.
Baby rabbits wait. The House Rabbit Society says vegetables are fed only after 12 weeks of age, one at a time, in quantities under 1/2 ounce, with an exception for a baby that already met a vegetable while weaning from its mother. Needs also shift with age and health: the society says long-haired rabbits may need more pellets, overweight rabbits fewer, and older, ill, or underweight rabbits more, and that a rabbit with chronic digestive issues may need a completely different diet. For all of these, it recommends a rabbit-savvy vet. Our page on how long pet rabbits live covers the life stages.
A rabbit that refuses food needs a vet. The RSPCA names gut stasis, a slowdown or stopping of the normal movement of food through the digestive system, as one cause that needs immediate attention, and dental disease as another.
Rabbit Diet FAQs
Can rabbits eat alfalfa?
Mostly for babies. The House Rabbit Society says adult bunnies do best on a mix of timothy hay and other grass hays because they are lower in calories and calcium than alfalfa, and it offers alfalfa hay only to babies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits.
Is grass hay good for rabbits?
Yes. The House Rabbit Society says hay provides roughage that reduces the danger of hairballs and other blockages and helps grind down constantly growing teeth. Adult rabbits do best on a mix of timothy hay and other grass hays.
How many vegetables can I give my bunny?
A good rule of thumb is to provide no less than 1 cup of veggies per 4 lbs of body weight daily.
That matches the Indiana chapter's guideline, a minimum of 1 cup of vegetables for each 4 pounds of body weight per day. The House Rabbit Society's diet page gives 1 to 2 cups per 4 pounds.
Are carrots good for my bunny?
Contrary to popular belief, carrots should only be given to rabbits in small quantities. According to veterinarians, carrots are high in sugar and should only be given to your bunny as an occasional treat.
The RSPCA says the same: carrots often contribute to weight gain and digestive problems, and carrot tops are the better choice. Our pages on whether rabbits can eat carrots and carrot tops cover each in detail.
Do rabbits need water if they eat greens?
Yes. The RSPCA says rabbits should have access to fresh, clean drinking water all through the day. The House Rabbit Society adds that wet vegetables are a good source of water if a rabbit does not drink much from its bowl or bottle.
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