At Hobby Farm Heaven we love eating parsnips and eat them often, but this does not mean that we feed parsnips often to our rabbits! We may feed parsnips to our rabbits as a treat, but never as part of their primary diet. If you’ve been wondering ‘Can bunnies eat parsnips?‘ you’ve found the right place.
Yes, mature rabbits can eat parsnips in moderation. Conversely, parsnip greens, leaves, or tops are not healthy for your rabbits. Parsnips should be provided to rabbits only as an occasional treat, never as a core part of their diet.
Now, let’s address some of the specifics such as how much parsnips you can feed to your rabbit and why to not feed parsnip greens or tops to your rabbits.
Do Parsnips Have Nutritional Value?
Healthline confirms that parsnips are about 80% water and provide a tremendous amount of nutrients. One cup (133 grams) of parsnips provides the following:
- Calories: 100
- Carbs: 24 grams
- Fiber: 6.5 grams
- Protein: 1.5 grams
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Vitamin C: 25% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Vitamin K: 25% of the RDI
- Folate: 22% of the RDI
- Vitamin E: 13% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 10% of the RDI
- Thiamine: 10% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 8% of the RDI
- Zinc: 7% of the RDI
- Vitamin B6: 7% of the RDI
In addition to the nutrients listed above, parsnips contain a small amount of calcium, iron, and riboflavin. All these nutrients and antioxidants can help keep your rabbit healthy and your rabbit’s immune system in top shape.
Can Rabbits Eat Parsnip Greens or Parsnip Tops?
Rabbits should NOT EVER eat Parsnip greens or parsnip tops
This Techline article discusses that tops are very dangerous for humans and most animals, including rabbits.
The sap of wild parsnip and giant hogweed contains toxic compounds called furanocoumarins.2 These compounds can cause serious rashes, burns, or blisters to skin exposed to the sap and then sunlight. Scars on skin from contact with the plants can last from a few months to two or more years. Blindness can occur if sap comes into contact with the eyes.
https://update-techline.squarespace.com/articles/identification-and-management-of-three-toxic-plants-in-the-carrot-family
Why Too Many Parsnips May Be Harmful to Rabbits
Parnips have many good nutrients but they contain more water and carbohydrates or sugar than the rabbit’s digestive tract is used to. As such, parsnips are not part of the rabbit’s natural diet and they should be considered a sweet treat for your rabbit to have once-in-a-while.
While parsnips do provide some fiber, rabbits get most of their fiber from their core diet of hay, grasses, and green leafy vegetables. Even manufactured rabbit pellets provide more fiber than an equal amount of pumpkin!
Another fact to realize is that rabbits have very sensitive digestive systems. New foods that are not part of their regular, healthy diet must be slowly introduced into the rabbit’s diet. So be attentive when introducing parsnips to your bunny. Too much may aggravate your rabbit’s digestive system, causing diarrhea and other harmful impacts.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Parsnips?
No, Baby rabbits, known as Kittens or Kits, should NOT eat parsnips. Kits should only ingest their mother’s milk. A baby rabbit’s digestive system is still developing and is not ready to process parsnips, hay, or other vegetables.
Baby rabbits should not eat parsnips until they are almost fully weaned off their mother’s milk. Kits will become very sick and perhaps die if they eat parsnips before weaning!
How to Feed Parsnips to Your Rabbit
First and foremost be sure to wash the parnsips thoroughly to remove dirt, grime or residual pesticides. Then, cut the parsnips into thin slices or small cubes. It is easier to control and manage how much the rabbit eats when you use these smaller pieces of parsnips.
You can then place the cut parsnips in the rabbit feeder or in a bowl. Remember, we recommend keeping treats to no more than 5-10% of your rabbit’s diet.
A best practice is to give your rabbits just a little bit of parsnips over the first few days. As their digestive system adjusts, you can work your way up to several one-inch cubes of parsnips each week!
Why are Parsnips Good for Rabbits?
As shown above, parsnips are chock full of nutrients from vitamins anda minerals to valuabale compounds that strengthen immune systems. Additionally, parsnips have some fiber content.
Why Can Parsnips be Harmful or Risky to My Rabbit’s Health?
Diarrhea, Stress, Weight Loss, Weakened Immune System
The rabbit digestive tract is small and can be senstive to new foods. It is not used to parsnips. In the wild, the rabbit may find and eat some parsnips, but only seasonally.
Eating too many parsnips on a continued basis may lead to diarrhea or some other painful and potentially debilitating condition in the digestive tract. These situations create stress for the rabbit and over time they weaken the rabbit’s immune system.
Additionally, eating too many parsnips could aggravate a rabbit’s delicate digestive system that is not used to the high-water content found in parsnips. This may cause diarrhea which may also lead to weight loss and a weaker immune system.
Your rabbits should eat a balanced diet of grasses and various leafy greens, some vegetables, and some fruits. Additionally, most manufactured rabbit pellets include a healthy and balanced nutrition package for your rabbits.
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Parsnips?
We never recommend feeding rabbits cooked foods. The rabbit’s digestive system is designed for raw foods, not cooked foods. There is no good reason to stress your rabbit’s system with cooked food.
Here is nice one minute video that promotes moderation in feeding parsnips to rabbits.
Final Thoughts
We’ve published a very helpful Guide to The Best Foods for Rabbits. This guide discusses the best diet for your rabbit and suggests healthy vegetable and fruits treats for rabbits. Additionally, it provides examples of foods that are healthy for rabbits and foods that you should not feed your rabbits.
As we discussed throughout this article, rabbits may eat a small amount of fresh, raw parsnips each week, but parsnips should always be considered an infrequent treat.
Overfeeding parsnips to your rabbit may lead to digestive issues such as diarrhea, weight loss, bad eating habits and a compromised immune system.
Remember: Parsnip tops or greens are dangerous for rabbits and should NEVER be ingested!
We hope you have learned all you need to know about feeding parsnips to your rabbits. Want to know more about vegetables for rabbits and what vegetables can rabbits have daily?
Click on this link: Vegetables for Rabbits