Can Rabbits Eat Sage

Can Rabbits Eat Sage?

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a unique herb that many farm and homestead gardeners enjoy growing. It is a highly recognizable plant with beautiful, slightly fuzzy leaves and a strong scent. Sage is often used to add flavor to dishes and is an essential ingredient in some recipes.  

Rabbits are natural vegetarians and enjoy many types of leafy greens. You may be wondering ‘Can Bunnies Have Sage?’, which is a good question to ask, for rabbits have delicate digestive systems that can be easily thrown out of balance by certain foods.

Can Rabbits Have Sage?

Yes, mature rabbits can eat small amounts of sage as it is a comestible herb. However, there are a number of best practices to follow while offering your bunnies this herb, especially because it can be toxic to rabbits in high doses.

Before Feeding Your Rabbit Sage, Read Up On The Important Information Below!

Do Rabbits Eat Sage

Yes, most rabbits eat sage. It is a very aromatic herb that, in small doses, can offer some nutritional benefits to your rabbits.   

Will Rabbits Eat Sage

Although sage is a generally safe herb for rabbits its strong flavor may deter many rabbits from eating it. Don’t be surprised or worried if your rabbit refuses sage, bunnies only eat what appeals to them! 

Nutritional Value of Sage For Rabbits

Sage is a leafy herb that is very low in protein, calories, and fiber. However,  WebMd tells us that Sage herb contains a number of vitamins and minerals  including: 

  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin B6
  • Iron
  • Manganese 
  • Calcium

These are all important for your rabbits overall health. For example, Healthline tells us that Vitamin B6 is an essential vitamin needed for the creation of neurotransmitters while manganese is an important mineral that aids in protein metabolism. Moreover, the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine fills us in on some traditional and medicinal uses of sage including:

  • Pain relief
  • Control of bacterial and viral infections
  • Anti-inflammation 

However, common sage also contains a compound called thujone, which has been found to be toxic to animals in large doses. The amount of thujone in sage is very variable based on type, and harvest time.

Is Sage Safe For Rabbits

Sage contains a handful of beneficial components that can support the long term health of your rabbits.

However, we do not recommend offering sage to your rabbits often as it contains thujone, which is toxic to animals in high doses. 

You never know when one of your bunnies may be hyper-sensitive to thujone!

Can Rabbits Have Sage

How Much Sage Can Rabbit Eat

Before talking about how much sage rabbits can safely eat, lets review the best daily diet that your rabbit can have:

  • 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 that are 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 to your rabbits’ diet. They enjoy tender greens and will benefit from the vitamins and minerals within these plants.

Sage, with its strong flavor, may not be your rabbit’s preferred herb but it is okay to offer your rabbit 2-3 sage leaves at a time, once a week

How Often Can Rabbits Eat Sage

Given the fact that common sage contains the potentially toxic thujone compound, we do not recommend feeding your mature rabbit sage more than once a week.

However, we do recommend enriching your rabbits’ diet with leafy greens, and suggest a completely nontoxic herb like Dill for more daily use. 

Can Rabbits Eat Sage Everyday

No, we do not recommend offering your mature rabbits sage everyday.

With daily sage ingestion, you risk injuring your rabbit through the toxic buildup of the thujone compound found within common sage.

In addition, it is important to follow certain best practices when offering sage to rabbits that we will discuss below.

How To Feed Sage To Rabbits

When it comes to offering your rabbits sage we recommend the following steps:

  • Choose only fresh and green sage. Avoid wilted, yellowed, or spotty, sick looking plants. 
  • Inspect the sage well to remove any insects or slugs that can cause digestive issues or sickness to your rabbits. 
  • Wash the sage well with cool water, removing any residual dirt and potential pesticides.

Once you’ve completed these steps, move forward with the following:

  • Place 2-3 leaves of washed sage into a clean bowl.
  • Place this bowl in the hutch or house of your rabbit. 
  • Allow your rabbit to enjoy the nutritious greens.
  • Be sure to remove the feeding bowl and any excess sage later in the day

Don’t worry if your rabbit doesn’t touch the sage! Again, this herb has a strong smell and flavor that lots of rabbits don’t find appetizing. 

Another great option, if your rabbit likes sage, is to mix a bit of this herb in with the unlimited hay that your rabbits enjoy daily.

This method allows your bunnies to enjoy sage while ensuring that they’re ingesting high fibers. 

Sage For Sage Rabbits 2

Can Rabbits Eat Fresh Sage

Yes, mature rabbits can eat fresh sage. In fact, fresh sage is the best and most nutritious form of sage for rabbits. 

Can Rabbits Eat Dried Sage

Dried sage contains less and/or different nutritional values than fresh sage (this includes dry sage flakes).

So while mature rabbits can technically eat dried sage, this form of the herb may be more difficult to eat and won’t contain as many nutritional benefits. 

Can Rabbits Eat Sage Leaves

Yes, mature rabbits can eat sage leaves. Sage leaves are the most common part of the sage plant eaten by both humans and animals. 

Can Rabbits Eat Sage Flowers

Yes, mature rabbits can eat sage flowers. There is no need to remove sage flowers before offering sage to your rabbit. Just be sure to remove any potential pollinators within the flowers.  

Can Rabbits Eat Sage Stems

Sage stems turn woody with age. These woody sage stems won’t be enjoyable for your rabbits, but new growth stems are green and can be eaten by mature rabbits

Do Rabbits Eat Sage Plants

While the whole sage plant can be eaten by rabbits we highly recommend closely supervising how much sage your rabbits eat, as this plant contains the potentially toxic thujone compound. 

Can Rabbits Have Sage Oil

Sage essential oils are most commonly used topically by humans to combat swelling or bacterial infections.

It is not a good idea to use these oils with your bunnies as the oils are very concentrated forms of the plant. As such, even small doses can cause serious negative health effects in your rabbits. 

Is Sage Oil Safe For Rabbits

We never recommend using sage oils with your rabbits.

There are much safer and less risky ways that your local vet can share with you to naturally help your rabbit suffering from swelling, infections, or other ailments. 

Can Rabbits Eat Sage Variations

There are a large number of sage variations out there and you may be wondering if your rabbits can safely enjoy them.

Below, we’ll answer whether or not rabbits can eat these sage variations. 

Can Rabbits Eat Russian Sage

Russian Sage is more of a decorative plant than a culinary herb. However, the flowers can be safely consumed by your mature rabbits. 

Can Rabbits Eat Pineapple Sage

Pineapple Sage is named due to the slightly fruity flavor of its leaves. Both the leaves and flowers of pineapple sage can be enjoyed by your mature rabbits. 

Can Rabbits Eat Mexican Sage

Mexican Sage is like Russian Sage, more of a decorative plant than an edible herb.

There isn’t much information about ingesting Mexican Sage so we recommend sticking to better known sage variations for your rabbits. 

Can rabbits Eat Purple Sage

Yes, mature rabbits can eat Purple Sage. This type of sage is highly flavorful, which your rabbits may find extra enjoyable. 

Can Rabbits Eat Texas Sage

Yes, just like common sage, Texas Sage can be safely enjoyed by your mature bunnies. 

Do Wild Rabbits Eat Sage

Due to its strong aroma and flavor, wild rabbits sometimes actually avoid eating sage. This herb is a toss-up for wild rabbits, just like Basil

Sage Rabbits Hobby Farm Harvest

Do Bunnies Like Sage

Your farmstead or homestead bunnies, just like wild rabbits, may or may not like sage. Simply offer small bits of sage to your mature bunnies to know for sure!

Concerns of Feeding Sage to Rabbits

Parasites

Any herb can contain parasites. Therefore, it is extremely important to inspect sage well and remove any bugs, slugs, or insect eggs before offering it to your rabbits. 

Pesticides

Commercially and locally grown sage can have residual pesticides on leaves, stems and flowers.

Before feeding your rabbit sage, wash it well in cool water to remove these residual pesticides that could harm your rabbit if ingested.

Over Ripened Sage

Over ripened sage refers to sage that is starting to wilt, yellow in color, or is wet and rotted. Never give your rabbit over ripened sage as it can cause immediate digestive issues. 

Over Feeding Sage to Your Rabbits

What happens if you give too much sage to your rabbits? Well, there are two factors to think about.

First, because your rabbit requires a high fiber diet and sage contains almost no fiber, it is important to only offer your rabbits sage as a treat and/or dietary supplement.

If not, your rabbit can suffer from stomach bloating, upset, and constipation.

Second, due to the toxicity of sage’s thujone compound, too much sage can cause serious health issues and even death of your rabbit.

It is very important not to overfeed sage to your rabbits and stick to very low amounts. 

Can Baby Rabbits Eat Sage

No, we never recommend feeding your baby rabbits sage. ‘Baby rabbit’ refers to any immature rabbit that has yet to reach 12 weeks of age.

Baby rabbits have stomachs and digestive systems that are extremely sensitive and offering complex herbs like sage can result in a number of health issues.

Wait until your rabbit reaches 12 weeks of age and, even then, only offer a leaf of sage to start.

What Does Sage Do For Rabbits?

The vitamins and minerals within sage can offer the following benefits for rabbits:

  • Support immune system 
  • Support healthy metabolism
  • Act as an anti-inflammatory

However, because of the toxic thujone compound within sage, we suggest offering sage as a once-in-a-blue-moon leafy green supplement for your bunnies. 

Does Sage Keep Rabbits Away?

Yes, sage can repel rabbits. The strong aroma and flavor isn’t always appreciated and can deter them from further exploring an area planted heavily with sage.   

Will Sage Give My Rabbit Diarrhea?

Yes, if you feed your mature rabbit too much sage it may suffer from soft stool. Feeding sage to immature rabbits (less than 7 months old) can also result in abnormal defecation.

If this happens, stop feeding your rabbit sage and other leafy greens and get them on the standard unlimited hay and high quality pellet diet. 

Final Thoughts on Do Rabbits Eat Sage

Sage is a potentially beneficial, but also slightly dangerous, herb to offer your mature rabbits. Not all rabbits like sage, but if yours do, follow the best practice of keeping it well below 5-10% of your rabbits’ total food intake.

Stop offering your rabbit sage if it shows any abnormal signs. Remember to inspect and wash fresh sage well before giving it to your bunnies, as this will ensure they are eating “clean”. 

Finally, avoid offering sage to baby or immature rabbits as their digestive systems cannot yet digest this herb safely. 

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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