Can Rabbits Eat Chives?

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a common herb found in home gardens. They are related to garlic and onion and can be used in their place on many occasions.

This simple herb has also been used medicinally to rid parasites and help prevent cancer. Now you may think of offering this potentially beneficial leafy green to your rabbits to spice up their bland daily diet, but first, we must know… Can bunnies or rabbits eat chives?

Generally speaking, yes, mature rabbits can eat very small quantities of chives, but they are not the best option for your bunny for various reasons. We avoid offering chives to our rabbits, and we will go over all the reasons why below. 

Will Rabbits Eat Chives

Many rabbits, in fact, will not eat chives. They do not find the pungent herb appealing and will refuse to eat it. 

Read On To Learn About The Risks Of Feeding Your Rabbits Chives

Nutritional Value: Chives for Rabbits

To better understand why chives are a risky option for your furry friends, let’s take a look at their nutritional content. First, some potential benefits: 

  • This spicy herb contains Vitamins A and C which are both important natural antioxidants and essential nutrients.
  • In addition, chives are very high in Vitamin K, which is essential to developing good bone density. 

And now, the undeniable downside:

  • Chives have an acidic pH of 5.75, which means that this green herb is not ideal for sensitive stomachs and can encourage digestive disorders. 
  • Chives contain calcium and rabbits do not have well regulated calcium absorption, so if chives are fed in access rabbits can easily develop hard calcifications in their kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra.  Excess calcium can lead to urination problems and urine scald. 
  • Chives contain sulfur which can be rough on digestive systems and has been found to result in toxicosis in cats and dogs.

An important fact to remember when considering these downsides is that rabbits’ stomachs and digestive systems are incredibly sensitive, more so than other farm or pet animals’, and especially more so than humans’.

So a little bit can go a long way, in the negative sense, when thinking about offering your bunnies chives. 

Can Rabbits Have Chives

Are Chives Safe For Rabbits

Let’s be honest, very small, irregular amounts of chives are not likely to bring your mature rabbits to severe health issues, but continued, normal feeding is sure to result in digestive issues and potentially toxic side effects. 

Here at Hobby Farm Heaven, we have never offered chives to our rabbits. Instead, we opt for safer and more beneficial leafy green such as Chamomile, Thyme, and Rosemary

How Much Chives Can Rabbit Eat

If you do choose to offer your mature rabbits a bit of chives, keep in mind the best daily diet for rabbits:

  • Unlimited hay (75% to 80%)
  • Quality pellets (10% to 15%)
  • Leafy green vegetables (5% to 10%)

This particular diet is ideal for rabbits because they have highly specialized and delicate GI systems which host specific gut bacteria accustomed to high fiber foods.

Ensuring that high fiber hay and quality pellets are the majority of your rabbit’s diet will support the long term health of your rabbits.

That said, it is good to mix in leafy greens as 5-10% of your rabbits’ diet. Leafy greens afford health boosting vitamins and minerals that hay and pellets do not supply. However, while green herbs are high in vitamins and minerals, they are usually very low in fibers. This is why only 5-10% of your rabbit’s diet should consist of leafy greens.  

And strictly speaking, while chives are a riskier option, your mature rabbits should be able to handle just a bit of chives if offered once-in-a-blue-moon.

Overall, we strongly suggest that you forgo chives. Don’t risk the potential digestive issues and/or toxicity they can bring to your rabbits, instead, choose more enjoyable and safe herbs that your rabbit will benefit from and gobble up happily. 

Can Baby Rabbits Eat Chives

No, never feed baby rabbits chives.

Baby rabbits have stomachs and digestive systems that are extremely sensitive and offering them pungent and acidic chives will result in extreme digestive issues.

In addition, immature rabbits are more likely to suffer from the potential toxicity of chives due to their sulfur content. As a rule of thumb, never offer any rabbit that is less than 12 weeks old exotic and/or complex leafy greens. 

Chives For Rabbits - better to pass on the Chives

Do Rabbits Eat Chives?

Many rabbits refuse to eat this pungent, onion and garlic related herb. 

Do Rabbits Eat Chives In The Garden?

Farm, homestead, pet, and wild rabbits are likely to ignore chives if found in a garden and go for a tastier herb treat. The strong, spicy aroma and flavor of chives make it an easy option to skip. 

Are Chives Poisonous To Rabbits?

While chives do not contain an identified poisonous compound, they can be potentially toxic to rabbits because of the natural sulfur they contain. 

Why Can’t Rabbits Eat Chives?

It is not good practice to offer chives to rabbits because the risk of disrupting their digestive systems, having them develop calcifications, and exposing them to too much sulfur is greater than the few health benefits chives can offer.  

Here is a video about beneficial herbs for rabbits!

Final Thoughts on Can Rabbits Eat Chives

We highly recommend NOT feeding your mature rabbits chives.

Although adult rabbits can technically handle a small amount of chives without issue, too much of this green herb can result in serious digestive and other health issues due to the chive’s high acidity and natural sulfur component.

As a rabbit raiser or pet owner, it is a much better practice to supplement your rabbit’s high-fiber diet with completely safe and more vitamin and nutrient packed herbs. 

Here at Hobby Farm Heaven we believe in the natural benefits of herbs. 

We do our best to practice “the herb of the week” plan.  

What is The Herb of the Week plan?

The herb of the week plan is where we feed a different herb to our rabbits each week. 

How do we do this?  Most often we mix a few sprigs of the Herb of the Week in with the rabbits’ hay, whenever we feed hay.  This is easy and hassle free. 

Want to know more about the benefits of feeding herbs to your rabbits?   

Go to this post:  Herbs That Rabbits Can Eat

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