Our hobby farm bunnies love it when we offer them apple slices. They enjoy chowing down on this crunchy and healthy sweet treat.
Yes, mature rabbits can eat apples! As long as you follow some basic guidelines, and understand the health benefits and risks of offering your rabbits apples, you can feel free to incorporate this fruit treat into their diets.
Fortunately, we will go over our best and personally practiced guidelines when it comes to apples for rabbits, as well as all the benefits and risks associated with this fruit, so read on!
How Much Apple Can I Give My Rabbit
Across the board, it is best to stick to offering your rabbit no more than 1 teaspoon of sweet fruit per 2lbs of your mature rabbit’s weight.
For example, we offer our 5lb rabbit named Louie 2.5 teaspoons of sweet fruit treats per week, or about 1 good slice of yummy apple.
Apples As Rabbit Treats: Nutritional Benefits
Apples are fruits of the apple tree and are botanically classified as pomes, which means they have a hard core with seeds and are surrounded by a thin skin.
We have a few apple trees in our fields and have enjoyed learning about their nutritional value. Apple pomes offer a surprising number of nutrients for their size, although it is worth it to note that the exact content of an apple depends on the type of apple (fuji vs. gala vs. granny smith):
- Copper
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Zinc
- Vitamin C
Either way, many of these minerals are micronutrients that are essential for a rabbit’s bodily function and immune maintenance. For example, rabbits require copper to avoid bone marrow problems and support a healthy cardiovascular system. And without at least 0.3mg of manganese per day, a rabbit’s body cannot grow or develop properly.
However, the apple’s low fiber content of only 3g per apple means they fall short of offering the most essential dietary component to your rabbits.
In addition, an apple’s high sugar content, up to 19g per apple, regulates this sweet fruit as a treat food, never to be a main part of your rabbits’ healthy diets!
The Importance of High Fiber For Rabbits
The unique gastrointestinal system of rabbits has evolved and developed to flourish off of course, high fiber foods.
Learn more about your rabbit’s high fiber needs and the importance of quality hay here.
Without unlimited amounts of high fiber hay, your rabbits can suffer from:
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Overgrown teeth
- Weak immune systems
- Bad eating habits
- Obesity
- Deadly GI Stasis
The same goes if you feed your bunny too many sweet fruits or low-fiber veggies. Being aware of just how much fiber your rabbit ingests is key to raising healthy and happy bunnies.
The Best Way To Prepare Apples For Your Bunny: Our Best Practices
Apples, unless picked from your own untreated trees or organic farms, are one of the most pesticide heavy fruits out there, so we always prepare them for our rabbits like so:
- Wash All Apples Before Offering Them To Your Rabbits
You must always wash all apples in cool water before offering them to your rabbits.
Feel free to add in a bit of soap or fruit wash drops, as this will help remove any residual pesticides as well as grime, waxes, or dirt. We do this step even with our home grown apples, to get clean and gleaming apples!
- Examine The Apple Well
In addition, we always examine the apple well to ensure there are no worms or bugs in it, checking the skin for puncture or eaten holes, before offering it to our bunnies.
- Cut The Apple Up For Your Rabbits
We highly recommend cutting the apple into slices and removing the core. This ensures you can measure just how much apple your happy rabbit ingests and makes it easy to provide a yummy treat to all of your adult bunnies.
Are Apples or Apple Seeds Toxic To Rabbits
Apple seeds do contain a compound called amygdalin (Vitamin B-17), which breaks down into toxic hydrogen cyanide within the body after digestion.
However, the quantity of this toxin within the apple seed, and the amount of hydrogen cyanide it produces, is quite low if just a few seeds are ingested. And there have not been records of rabbits having adverse reactions or becoming sick from ingesting a few apple seeds.
So while it’s not a good practice to purposefully offer apples seeds to your bunnies, if your rabbits eat a few apple seeds here and there they will be just fine.
Can Rabbits Have Apple Leaves and Twigs
Yes, the leaves and twigs from apple trees are safe for your adult rabbits to consume.
Leaves and twigs are going to be much higher in fibers than the apple fruit, so you do not have to limit your bunny’s access to them as much.
In addion, we sometimes place the fresh apple fruit stem along with the apple slice, as our rabbits seem to like this fiberous, tough part of the apple fruit!
Can Rabbits Have Apple Branches
Yes, the branches of apple trees can be gnawed on and chewed by your rabbits.
In fact, placing apple branches in your rabbit’s space is a great thought, as the woody, fibrous branches will help to dull and wear your rabbits perpetually growing front teeth.
Can Rabbits Have Apple Juice
We have never offered our bunnies apple juice and do not suggest offering your rabbits it either.
Why shouldn’t rabbits have apple juice? Because apple juice is naturally very high in sugars, usually contains added sugars, and offers zero fiber per serving.
We feel there is no nutritional value for our rabbits in apple juice and for this reason we stick to raw, fresh apples instead!
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Apples
No, do not feed your baby rabbits apples.
Rabbits that are younger than 12 weeks have a stomach pH and bacteria that is only suited for mothers milk. Feeding your baby or unweaned rabbit apples can cause them significant stomach and digestional issues.
| Age of Your Rabbit | Amount of Apples |
| Less than 12 weeks | None |
| More than 12 weeks | 1 teaspoon per 2 lb body weight |
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Rabbits Have Apples
Can Rabbits Eat Apples With Skin?
Yes, the skin of apples is a-okay to offer to your rabbits as long as it has been washed.
In fact, apple skin contains fibers that help balance out the high sugar intake of the yummy apple flesh!
What Fruits Do Bunnies Eat?
Rabbits can actually eat a wide range of different fruits, and we love providing our rabbits with a diverse mix of these delicious dietary supplements.
To learn more about just what fruit bunnies eat, check out our post on Fruits For Rabbits.
Final Thoughts On Can Rabbits Eat Apples
Apples are a great healthy treat for your adult rabbits, but don’t let your bunnies’ enthusiasm for eating them lead you to offer them too much.
Apples are high in sugars and low in fibers, which means ingesting too much will put your rabbit at risk of serious gastrointestinal and nutritional imbalances.
If your rabbit eats too many apples, instead of keeping the doctor away, you’ll have to give your local vet a call!