As a pet rabbit owner, it is always important that you provide your pet bunny with the right meals so they remain strong and healthy. A rabbit’s diet is predominately made up of hay and fresh greens. But you must be mindful of the kind of greens your rabbit. Always ask important questions like: Are all types of greens good for my bunny? Can pet bunnies eat celery?
The reason for this is, not all greens are good for rabbits. For instance, the two vegetables mentioned above are known to cause health challenges for pet bunnies. Broccoli for instance is known to cause gas build-up in the gut of rabbits. In this article, however, our main focus would be on celery.
In the course of answering the question “Can Pet Rabbits Eat Celery,” we will discuss the following topics as they relate to whether you can add celery to your rabbit’s diet:
- Can celery kill a rabbit?
- How much celery can I give my rabbit?
- What foods are toxic to rabbits?
- When can rabbits eat celery?
Read on…
Can Celery Kill A Rabbit?
Rabbit meals consist of a wide range of vegetables and dry grass popularly known as hay. Greens are particularly good for rabbits because of their high water content. So on a hot day vegetables go well as both a nutrient boost as well as a way of getting your rabbits hydrated.
Celery for one is a popular vegetable staple among humans. It is a vegetable that is high in water content, crunchy to eat, low on calories, and generally satisfying to eat, but is this vegetable suited for rabbit gut? Before we answer this question, let us try talking about the health benefits of celery.
Constituents of Celery
A bowl of diced celery is known to contain the following:
- Two calories
- Five grams of carbohydrates
- 6 grams of fiber
- 0.7 grams of protein
- 0.2 grams of fat
- 453 IU vitamin A
- 263 mg potassium
- 1 mg of Vit C
- 5 mcg folate
- 0.1 mg of Vit B6
- 1 mg magnesium
- 0.1 mg riboflavin
- 24 mg phosphorus
- 0.1 mg manganese
- Four mg calcium
From all the constituents mentioned above, it is clear that celery is power-packed with all the right balanced nutrients which are great for humans. Rabbits stand to gain all the aforementioned, but we may still need to ask this question: can celery kill a rabbit?
The answer is yes and no.
Yes, because rabbits enjoy the same nutritional value present in celery just like humans. But before you run off to feed your rabbit some celery, there are a few things you may need to consider.
Celery when eaten in excess can cause bloating in rabbits. This results from gas build-up in their guts from certain compounds found in the stalk of celery. And if this is not handled properly, it can result in GI stasis infection which can ultimately lead to its death. But before you get scared and start ruling it off your rabbit’s menu, celery is still a tasty snack that can make up part of your pet bunny’s food. It should in any case be given in tiny proportion preferably as a treat and not a whole meal.
How Much Celery Can I Give My Rabbit?
Indeed, your pet rabbits eat celery. But before we discuss just how much celery you can give your pet bunny, we need to first understand its importance in the life and health of your rabbit. Aside from the obvious nutritional advantages of celery, rabbits also benefit from celery in two ways as outlined below:
- Asides from the obvious nutritional value, celery are a great boredom killer since rabbits occupy their time chewing on these crunchy snacks
- It helps keep their teeth in great shape. This is because rabbit teeth continue to grow wild and out of alignment throughout their lives. Chewing on the hard stalk helps to keep teeth growth in check.
So you can see that rabbits stand to gain a lot from eating celery. But like we pointed out earlier, celery has both its ups and downs for rabbits. The downsides are that celery contains a compound known to cause bloating in bunnies. Where this bloating isn’t handled properly, your rabbit can develop GI stasis.
So having understood this, will it then be wise to feed your pet bunny with celery? The answer is YES. You can add celery to your pet rabbit’s diet. But you must do this moderately and occasionally. Before you give your pet bunny celery, make sure it is washed properly and then chop it into tiny bits of about one inch in length.
The recommended quantity shouldn’t be more than half of a full-grown celery stalk.
Things To Keep in Mind When Feeding Your Rabbit With Celery
- Make sure you get rid of the fibrous strands completely. They can cause serious stomach upset in your rabbit which can result in complications.
- You must introduce celery mildly into your rabbit’s diet. Mix it up with other rabbit-friendly vegetables to counter any adverse effects.
- You should not make feeding your rabbits celery a daily affair. Maybe once or twice a week at most.
- If you observe that your rabbit’s poop is watery instead of the normal firm pellets, then you should stop with celery immediately. It could be its has started developing digestive issues.
What Foods Are Toxic To Rabbits?
You must always be mindful of the kind of food you feed your rabbit. Some foods are very toxic to your rabbit’s system and can ultimately kill it. To help you have an idea, here are eight foods that are toxic to your pet bunny:
- Yogurt: Yogurts are carriers of harmful bacteria that can serious infections in the gut of a rabbit.
- Bread: Don’t be tempted to give your pet bunny left-over bread. It is not suitable for its sensitive stomach and can lead to indigestion.
- Avocado: Avocado contains heavy fat which is hard for a rabbit’s sensitive stomach to digest
- Cereal: Cereals can be added to pellets but never as a whole meal. It is high in carbohydrates which is heavy for rabbits.
- Silverbeet: Siverbeets can lead to bloating in your pet rabbits.
- Walnuts: Never feed your walnuts. They contain a lot of saturated fat.
- Iceberg Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is composed of harmful compounds that can have serious adverse effects on a bunny’s digestive system.
- Oatmeal: Although oatmeal can form part of a rabbit’s diet, it should be mixed with other food supplements. Oatmeal is heavy and high in carbohydrates.
The vegetables listed below are toxic to rabbits:
- Cauliflower
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Perennial salvia ‘East Friesland’ (Salvia x superba)
- Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
- Wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum)
- Bulbs
- Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
- Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa)
- Peony (Paeonia hybrids)
- Four o’clock flower (Mirabilis jalapa)
- Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina)
- Persian onion (Allium giganteum)
- Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum)
- Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis)
- Spiderflower (Cleome hasslerana)
- Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
- Meadow rue (Thalictrum rochebrunianum)
- Primrose (Primula x polyantha)
- Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Sedum)
- Speedwell (Veronica spp.)
- Vegetables and Herbs
- Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
- Hyacinth (Hyacinth orientalis)
- Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum)
- Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
How Often Can A Rabbit Eat Celery?
Celery is a good source of the following nutrients:
- Carbohydrates
- Fiber
- Protein
- Fat
- Magnesium
- Riboflavin
- Phosphorus
- Manganese
- Vitamin A
- potassium
- Vitamin C
- Folate
- Vitamin B6
- Calcium
So, Can pet rabbits eat celery? It is obvious that celery is highly nutritious and can go a long way in boosting the health and lifespan of your pet bunny. But is celery always good for rabbits? We may need to reiterate for the umpteenth time; no it is not. Celery has compounds that cause bloating to a rabbit’s digestive system which can have adverse effects in the long run.
Nonetheless, one should not shy away from giving his or her pet bunny a small meal of celery. Aside from obvious nutritional benefits, celery crunch helps to keep your rabbit’s teeth well-trimmed. It also can serve as a tasty treat and its high-water content is great for keeping your pet bunny hydrated especially on a hot summer afternoon.
But just how much of this vegetable should you give to your rabbit? Or more specifically: how often can a rabbit eat celery? Well, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to that question. Rabbits all have unique personalities so what can work for one may not for the other. But there are full general rules you can consider when you want to feed your rabbit with celery.
So, pet rabbits eat celery but always see celery more as treat than as a whole meal. Secondly, always feed your rabbits tiny quantities of celery at a time, eg half of a stalk. And lastly, it is better to give them occasionally to avoid complications. This can be done once or twice a week to be on the safe side.