When you have pet rabbits in your house, you have to maintain many things to manage a well balanced diet for them. We know that rabbit’s diet mostly depends on grass and hay.
But they need other fruits and vegetables too. As rabbits don’t like the same kind of diet every day, so we need to add some other vegetables or fruits to their diet. Celery is common to us, easy to find.
But can rabbits eat celery? We are gonna talk about that here today.
Can Rabbits Eat Celery?
Rabbits can eat celery. Celery can be a tasty snack for them besides grass and hay. But celery should be given in low amounts and there is some specific time to feed them celery.
Let’s have a look at this article to know more about celery.
About Celery
Most of us think rabbits love carrots a lot. Because movie or cartoon shows that! But rabbits live on grass and hay mostly.
Celery is one kind of vegetable related to the carrots or parsley family. It contains water, vitamins, calcium, manganese, and some other ingredients which are good for rabbit’s health.
Celery contains vitamin K, vitamin B6. This type of vitamin is not easy to find but celery gives you a chance to provide your rabbits these vitamins in a very simple way.
Is Celery Safe for Rabbits?
We have just talked about what a celery contains. It has some ingredients which make itself a healthy snack of course.
So celery is totally safe for your rabbits. But you should feed your rabbits celery as treat, not much of it.
Moreover, as celery is kind of a crunchy vegetable so when your rabbits eat this, they need to chew. And chewing helps their teeth to get improved.
How to Feed Rabbits Celery?
Well, now we know that celery is good in taste, healthy, and totally safe for your rabbit’s health. But how to feed rabbits celery, right?
You should just follow these easy steps below.
- Meet your rabbits with celery gradually. We can’t give them much celery at first. They also need to understand the food. So, not much but just a half or a full stick should be given at first.
- Celery must be fresh and not so thick. It should look green and watery when chosen.
- Cut the celery into some pieces. They should not be longer than an inch.
- Feed celery after rabbit’s daily diet. That means rabbits should eat grass and hay first. Celery should be given a treat.
- If your rabbits like celery and create no health issues then you should give them celery often.
Now, we talk about how often we should feed rabbits celery.
How often Rabbits should Eat Celery?
It is great if you meet your rabbits with some new fruits and vegetables. But notice if they have no health issue for that new fruit or vegetable.
If your rabbits are totally okay with celery, then you can feed your rabbits celery once a day. But do not overlay their daily diet. Rabbit’s digestive system is not so strong to manage foods like celery.
Can Rabbits Eat Celery Leaves?
Yeah, rabbits can eat celery leaves. What should I say, leaves of celery are much safe than the whole stalk of it.
Whereas, a stalk contains fiber strings which can be harmful to their digestive system. But leaves have no such issue. So try to find celery with leaves before feeding them.
Can Rabbits Eat Celery Stalks?
Yes, rabbits can eat celery stalks. The stalk contains more water and other protein than the rest of a celery has.
Actually, rabbits can eat all parts of a celery has. Its roots, leaves, or stalks all are edible for rabbits.
But stalks need to be chopped into pieces before feeding.
Related Article: Can Rabbits Eat Lemons?
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Celery?
Rabbits are wild animals. They are herbivorous by nature. They try to find and eat foods that are raw and fresh.
So, do not give them cooked or processed celery. This could be very much harmful to rabbits. Moreover, who needs to cook celery when your rabbits are ready to have raw and fresh celery?!
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Celery?
Usually, a baby rabbit should eat its mother’s milk for at least 8 to 9 weeks and after weaning, you can feed the baby rabbit some grass and hay. From age of 12 to 13 weeks, a baby rabbit can eat other vegetables and fruits.
So, don’t try to feed baby rabbits celery if they are not more than 12 weeks. This is the time when they grow their stomach stronger than before. So, when you feed them follow the same steps above.
Is Celery Bad for Rabbits?
Well, a small amount of celery certainly is not bad for a rabbit’s health. But if your rabbits eat much of them, then rabbits may face some health disturbance, sometimes they can be pretty much dangerous.
There are some conditions when celery can be harmful to rabbits. Some celeries contain parasites, pesticides. If these things go into the rabbit’s body then they could create serious damage to your rabbit’s digestive system.
Moreover, if the stalk of any celery is hard, then they can create some blockages. Celery strings can be hard to digest.
Celery can upset a rabbit’s stomach. As the celery contains much water, it can create diarrhea in the rabbit’s body. Though water is good for keeping the stomach well, but excessive water can lead to diarrhea which is a common cause of death.
Celery is not much sugary. But it contains more sugar than sugar or grass. And for your kind information, much sugar is much dangerous for rabbits.
Some celery has long and thick fibers. This can be a problem. Because rabbits can not swallow this type of fibers all the time and they get a choking attack.
Alternative Foods to Celery
Remember, a rabbit’s diet must contain 80% of grass and hay. And other 10%-20% should be covered up with fruits, other vegetables, and pellets.
There are many alternative healthy vegetables for rabbits. Let’s take a look.
- Lettuce
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Bok Choy
- Red Cabbage
- Parsley
- Cilantro
Things to Consider
You can compare celery with a coin. Because it has both good and bad sides on alongside. It has many nutritions your rabbits need again it has some cons too.
So, slowly meet your rabbits with celery. When they like it and there is no digestive issue then you may add up some more in the next time. And if there is any problem, stop giving celery at all and you should give other vegetables that we have talked about above.
Conclusion
So we see there are some pros and cons of celery while we are thinking can rabbits eat celery. As wild rabbits don’t try celery usually, so don’t force your rabbits to eat celery. And follow the tips you have informed to feed them in the correct way.
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