Finding healthy and natural treats for your rabbits is important, as many petstore options are loaded with unnecessary and even dangerous ingredients.
On our hobby farm, we only offer our bunnies natural, rabbit-safe fruits as treats.
That’s right, our rabbits eat oranges, apples and even blueberries!
Yes, adult rabbits can have cantaloupe as this fruit is non-toxic to bunnies. However, cantaloupe is sugary and must be offered to your rabbits in moderation! Too much cantaloupe can spell out some serious health risks for your bunnies.
That is why in this post we will go over the ins and outs of the question: can rabbits have cantaloupe?
Cantaloupe For Rabbits: Nutritional Information
Cantaloupes are part of the Cucurbitaceae family, along with honeydew melons, watermelons, and cucumbers. They are 90% water by weight. Regardless of their high sugar content, they offer a number of beneficial vitamins, minerals and antioxidants including:
- selenium
- beta carotene
- lutein
- zeaxanthin
- choline
- vitamins A, C, and E
- B vitamins
- folate
- iron
- zinc
Cantaloupe fruit is very low in fiber and this is one of the reasons why you must be aware just how much cantaloupe you offer your bunnies (more on that later!).
However, the cantaloupe rind provides fiber and nibbling on the rind will help keep those ever growing rabbit teeth appropriately worn down.
Can Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe
Is Cantaloupe Good For A Rabbit?
Without a doubt, cantaloupe is a powerful nutritional treat for mature rabbits.
Your bunnies will benefit from the essential vitamins and antioxidant components of these fruits, but only if eaten in moderation!
Is Cantaloupe Bad For A Rabbit?
Due to the high sugar and water content of cantaloupe, alongside their low fiber content, cantaloupe should only ever be offered to bunnies as a small treat.
Treat foods are rabbit-safe foods that fall outside the range of providing rabbits with the high fiber and low sugar diet that is natural, and necessary, for their health.
Remember, rabbits are highly functionable on a high fiber diet, but if low fiber and/or high sugar foods are eaten too often, your bunny can suffer from:
- Imbalanced Gut Bacteria
- Soft Stool
- Teeth Decay
- Overall Malnutrition and Bad Habits
As such, we highly recommend that cantaloupe and other treat foods make up no more than 5% percent of your rabbit’s diet.
How Much Cantaloupe Can Rabbits Eat
A general rule to follow is no more than 1 teaspoon of sweet fruit per 2lbs of your mature rabbit’s weight per day.
Augmenting hay with rabbit pellets is a great way to provide essential minerals and vitamins to your bunnies, while rabbit-safe fruits, veggies, and nutritious herbs should be treated as dietary supplements.
For example, we offer our mature bunnies a few cubes of cantaloupe, once every week.
Clearly, we would not cut into a cantaloupe just to feed a few teaspoons to our rabbit; we cut into the cantaloupe to prepare it for our family meal and then carve out a few pieces for our rabbits.
Feeding your rabbits high quality hay is the most important step in providing them with a good diet.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe
No, do not feed your baby rabbits cantaloupe or melons.
Rabbits that are younger than 12 weeks have a stomach pH and digestive system that is even more sensitive than adult rabbits. Therefore, baby bunnies’ bellies are extremely ill-suited to digest sweet fruits or other treat foods.
Instead, wait until your rabbit reaches 12 weeks of age and then slowly introduce fruits and supplemental food items like blueberries.
Even then, begin by offering just 1 small chunk of cantaloupe and observe your rabbit closely.
If they don’t exhibit negative effects or strange behaviors within 24hrs, you can slowly incorporate this fruit as a once-a-week or once-in-a-while treat.
As we always say: slow and measured new food introduction is the best way to diversify your rabbit’s diet safely!
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Rabbits Have Cantaloupe
Can Rabbits Eat Frozen Cantaloupe?
Yes, mature rabbits can eat frozen chunks of cantaloupe, especially on a hot summer day!
Frozen cantaloupe for your rabbits is an especially good option when this fruit is out of season, as other sweetened options such as canned, cooked, or juiced cantaloupes are not safe for rabbits to ingest.
However, it is important that you allow the frozen cantaloupe chunks to thaw a bit before offering them to your bunny to avoid hurting their teeth.
Do Rabbits Eat Cantaloupes In The Wild ?
There are not many species of cantaloupes growing wild in North America. Cantaloupe is a “domesticated” fruit and the cantaloupes we buy at market are mostly hybrids. Rabbits do not come across cantaloupes in the wild.
However, if they did meet up with a cantaloupe in the wild, they may very likely nibble on it!
Can Wild Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe?
Yes, wild rabbits can eat cantaloupe, in moderation, just like domesticated pet rabbits.
In fact, wild rabbits know not to eat too much cantaloupe; their instincts tell them that too many would cause stomach pain and indigestion.
However, the instincts of your domestic rabbit are not always as strong as their wild cousins, which is why it is important to monitor and limit the amount of cantaloupe offered to them.
Can Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe Seeds?
We do not recommend feeding cantaloupe seeds to your rabbits. There is no value in feeding the seeds and they may cause issues with your rabbit’s digestive tract.
Can Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe Rind?
Yes, rabbits can nibble on clean cantaloupe rind. Always wash the rind to remove dirt and debris, including bacteria that may be harmful to your rabbit.
Note that the rind should always be washed before cutting into the cantaloupe or melon. If the cantaloupe rind is not clean, then cutting into it and then into the fruity flesh, may expose the fruity flesh to dirt, debris and harmful bacteria.
The rind is actually sweet, so again, provide only a small amount for your rabbit to nibble.
Here is a youtube video of two rabbits choosing between cantaloupe and watermelon!!!
Final Thoughts on Can Rabbits Eat Cantaloupe?
As a refreshing sweet treat in the heat, Rabbits can eat small quantities of cantaloupe and clean cantaloupe rind.
Too much sweet cantaloupe will lead to digestive issues and also displaces staples in the rabbit diet, such as high fiber hay.
Cantaloupes contain some very beneficial minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and can be a nice way to diversify and augment your rabbit’s diets.
Cantaloupe is a lot like watermelon. It’s a nice treat for your rabbit, but it should not displace the basics of a good rabbit diet. To learn more about Rabbits eating watermelon you can click here:
Can Rabbits Eat Watermelon?
And for more about this topic you can click on:
Fruits Rabbits Can Eat!