If you pet rabbits for a while then you can notice that rabbits don’t like the same foods every day. They need new foods along with their daily food- grass and hay.
So what should we give them besides grass and hay each day? The answer is either fruits or vegetables.
On the other hand, rabbit’s digestive system is much sensitive and you can’t feed them everything you want!
So, when we think to feed them broccoli, we need to know first that can rabbits eat broccoli.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccoli?
Rabbits can eat broccoli for sure. They can broccoli’s other parts too. But there are some steps to follow before feeding because broccoli can create gas inside of a rabbit.
We are going to talk about every detail related to broccoli.
About Broccoli
Let’s give a quick look at what a broccoli can offer us.
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Folate
- Vitamin B6
- Manganese
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
So, a broccoli is full of essential ingredients and totally safe for rabbits. Can rabbits eat broccoli? Let’s see how many health benefits we can get from broccoli.
Is Broccoli Safe for Rabbits?
Well, the answer is both positive and negative. Because broccoli has no harmful ingredients of its own.
But feeding excessive broccoli can create serious damage to your rabbit’s health. Diarrhea and lethargy can be happened by overfeeding broccoli.
Broccoli should be mixed with other greens before feeding to your rabbits. They taste good and contain healthy nutrients.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccoli’s Leaves?
Some of us consider that broccoli leaves should not be fed and not safe for rabbits. But broccoli leaves actually contain essential vitamins like A and C.
There are pretty many antioxidants in broccoli leaves too. They have Beta Carotene which is good for preventing any skin or fur disease.
So, broccoli leaves are edible for rabbits and they are totally safe too.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccoli Stalks?
Leaves and florets of broccoli are connected by stalks. These stalks are pretty much hard for us and not so tasty while cooked.
But pet rabbits can eat broccoli stalks like leaves. They are quite crunchy and contain potassium and calcium which is good for rabbits’ teeth.
On the other hand, broccoli stalks contain too many fibers. So overfeeding of broccoli stalks can upset rabbits’ stomachs. No problem, as we are talking about can rabbits eat broccoli, we will talk about how to feed them broccoli too.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccolini?
Broccolini is an upgrade version of Broccoli. It contains a lot of Vitamin A and D. Also there are many fibers in it too.
You can feed broccolini the same way you feed rabbits broccoli. But broccolini is known as gas vegetables, more than broccoli. So need to careful while feeding.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccoli Flower?
Yes, rabbits can eat broccoli flowers too. Just like other parts of a broccoli, its flower is edible for rabbits too.
They can eat some other flowers too, like- sunflower, dahlia, rose petals, daisy, and others. They are safe for rabbits too, but rabbits do not seem like that much fond of flowers as they like fruits or vegetables.
Can Rabbits Eat Broccoli Plant?
Yes, the broccoli plant is okay for rabbits. The plant is not hard and kind of crunchy. Rabbits can eat the plant too as the leaves or stalks.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Broccoli?
Unfortunately, baby rabbits should not be fed broccoli. They should be stuck to their mother’s milk.
And if there is any situation that you can’t manage mother’s milk for baby rabbits, you can just feed them grass, hay, and vegetables associated with their age.
To digest vegetables like broccoli, baby rabbits need a certain time to grow their digestive tract. Generally, after 8 to 9 weeks, they become ready to eat vegetables and fruits.
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Broccoli?
Any kind of vegetable or fruit loses its actual nutrients after cooking. If you feed your rabbits raw foods, it is better.
Because in wild, they eat raw foods only. So, cooked broccoli is only for you but not for your rabbits.
How Much Broccoli A Rabbit Can Eat?
If we talk about how much broccoli a rabbit can eat then we can say rabbits do not have any limit. Because they do not understand their limit ever.
If rabbits find any food interesting, they want to chew that food the whole day if they can. And broccoli is part of the cabbage family, so they are interesting to rabbits without any doubt.
Do you know rabbits like cabbage, red cabbage? Yes, they do and they will like broccoli too. However, for being a part of the cabbage family, broccoli also contains too many dietary fibers.
Fibrous foods are good for rabbits obviously but they should not be fed too much of them. Foods that are high in fibers can because of lethargy and diarrhea and sometimes a warning of death too.
So how much broccoli rabbits should eat right? Actually, they can eat broccoli every day along with their daily foods like grass or timothy hay. Two tablespoons of broccoli once or twice in each week is okay for them.
How to Feed Rabbits Broccoli
Feeding broccoli is not that much hard or complicated. Nevertheless, we can point some steps-
- Select fresh and small size broccoli.
- Introduce your rabbits with broccoli slowly, do not give much at first.
- Cut the broccoli into pieces.
- If you get any bad smell after cutting broccoli, remove the whole part of it.
- If the broccoli has two or three fresh leaves, then don’t throw away the leaves. Rabbits can eat them.
- Feed broccoli in a small amount once or twice a week.
Overfeeding broccoli can create acidity in rabbits’ bodies. Let’s see the cons of broccoli now.
Is Broccoli Bad for Rabbits?
Yes, broccoli has some cons too. Among them, having gas is the most vulnerable one. Too much broccoli at a time is risky for a rabbit’s health. Broccoli contains a lot of fiber in it and they are the reason for acidity.
Let’s see how you can understand that broccoli gave your rabbits acidity:
- Your rabbits will not move that much as usual.
- Gurgling sound comes from their stomach intermittently.
- Your rabbits seem in pain or irritation.
- Your rabbits lose interest in their daily foods.
- Their poop got watery than before.
This happens only when your rabbits eat too much broccoli. If you notice this kind of issue, then you can treat them at home.
Don’t give them any hard foods or pellets for the next 24 hours. Give them grass again and again. Provide fresh water around them and keep them in a dry and cool place.
Alternative Vegetables for Rabbits
There are some other vegetables that are alternatively similar to broccoli for rabbits. They are low in fat and totally safe for rabbits. Some examples are:
- Lettuce
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Bok Choy
- Red Cabbage
- Parsley
- Cilantro
Keep these vegetables beside grass and hay. Make a proportion that is consists of 80% grass and hay and other 20% vegetables or fruits.
Things to Consider
Broccoli has pros and cons both side by side. It’s your duty to feed your rabbits broccoli in a safe way. Though there are some other vegetables you can offer your rabbits to have. But still, if you want to feed them broccoli then you should read through the article.
Conclusion
Some vegetables are good and bad both for rabbit’s health. As rabbit has a sensitive stomach and digestive system then we need to think twice before feeding any new food to them. A question like can rabbits eat broccoli? comes from that instinct. We hope this article will work for you.