Can Rabbits Eat Spinach

Can Rabbits Eat Spinach: All You Should Know

One of our favorite things here at Hobby Farm Heaven is to offer our rabbits healthy greens and vegetables as a boost to their high fiber hay and pellet diet. However, we know it can be tricky to know which greens and veggies are rabbit-safe. 

For example, spinach is highly recommended for humans due to its many nutrients and minerals, but due to some unique components, it may be the wrong green to offer bunnies!  

Can bunnies have spinach? 

Yes, mature rabbits can eat spinach. It will not cause immediate harm and can be beneficial in very small amounts. However, due to some questionable contents like Oxalates, you must be very wary when offering spinach to your bunnies. 

To Learn More About
Why Spinach May Be Dangerous To Rabbits,
Read Below!

Things To Know Before Feeding Your Rabbit Spinach

As Healthline points out, spinach is a leafy green well known for its power packed punch of B vitamins as well as pre-vitamin A, vitamins C, K and E. Moreover, it is a strong choice as a food that is high in iron and calcium. Spinach is also rich in potassium and fiber

Almost all of these vitamins and minerals are essential for rabbits’ daily and long term health. So far, spinach is sounding pretty great right?  

Well, not so fast. Here are some important things to know before feeding your rabbits spinach:

  • Spinach contains high amounts of oxalate, which can aggregate and be very harmful to your rabbits in large quantities. 
  • High levels of Oxalates can lead to harmful Bladder Sludge in Rabbits.
  • The affects of bladder sludge can be tremendously harmful, including Sore Hocks, Rabbit Wet Tail and Fly Strike For Rabbits.
  • Bunnies need much more daily fibers than other herbivorous mammals, which is why quality hay for rabbits is so important and low-in fiber greens should never be offered in access. 
  • Rabbits host gut bacteria that are incredibly sensitive and quick to react negatively to exotic or complex foods; an unbalanced diet or indigestible foods can cause deadly GI stasis in bunnies. 

Rabbits are very particular when it comes to food and digestion and it is always better to err on the side of caution when offering them new or unique greens and veggies. Moreover, while oxalate is a component found in many plant foods, the higher concentrations of it in spinach make this green a third (or fourth) choice option when thinking about safely diversifying your rabbit’s diet. 

Rabbit-safe herbs to choose from are listed in our Herbs Rabbits Can Eat Post, be sure to check that out for best greens for rabbits! 

Can Rabbits Have Spinach

Is Spinach Bad For Rabbits?

Spinach is not necessarily bad for rabbits. Spinach does offer essential vitamins and minerals to your furry friends. However, the high concentration of oxalates it contains will cause kidney damage, which makes it a potentially dangerous green for rabbits. 

How Much Spinach Can Rabbits Eat?

When it comes to offering your rabbit any type of leafy green, remember the best diet consists of: 

  • Hay (75% to 80%)
  • Quality pellets (10% to 15%) 
  • Greens and vegetables (5-10%)

This balance will ensure your bunny maintains happy gut bacteria while receiving all the high fibers he needs and offering tasty and nutritious green supplements as treats. 

That said, the general rule when offering your bunny leafy greens is one cup of greens per 2lbs of body weight. 

However, we recommend keeping the amount of spinach your rabbit ingest even less than this because of its high oxalate content. For example, we usually offer no more than a cup of spinach to our rabbits once every two days. 

Can Rabbits Eat Spinach Everyday?

Yes, mature rabbits can eat a bit of spinach as often as everyday. The House Rabbit Society sets a great example by suggesting that you mix up greens daily and weekly to create a rich and diverse diet for your bunnies. 

Just remember to err on the side of caution when deciding how much spinach to feed your bunny rabbits. We don’t want rabbit kidney failure or other related health issues developing!

Can Rabbits Eat Spinach Leaves?

We have already established that mature rabbits can eat spinach in moderation. So, just what part and form of spinach is best for your bunnies? 

Can Bunnies Eat Spinach Leaves?

Yes, mature bunnies can eat spinach leaves as well as stems and flowers. Be sure to wash all plant parts in cool water before offering them to your rabbit. This will remove residual pesticides and any lingering insects or slugs from the green leaves. 

Can Rabbits Eat Fresh Spinach?

Fresh spinach leaves and stems is the best form of spinach rabbits can eat. Never feed cooked or canned spinach to your rabbits as this will greatly disrupt their stomachs and digestive system thanks to chemical changes that occur in the food when heated. 

Can Rabbits Have Raw Spinach?

Raw spinach is any spinach that has not been cooked or otherwise heat processed. If you’re wondering “Can Bunnies Eat Raw Spinach?

The answer is yes, mature rabbits can enjoy moderate amounts of raw spinach without issue. This excludes frozen spinach, as it may cause digestive issues. 

Can Rabbits Eat Baby Spinach?

Yes, your mature rabbits can eat baby spinach. Baby spinach is simply the young leaves of the spinach plant, which are more tender than older leaves. Your rabbits are sure to enjoy these greens as much as any other!

Can Bunnies Eat Spinach

What Type Of Spinach Can Rabbits Eat?

Can Rabbits Eat Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach has thicker, greener leaves than regular spinach and can be eaten by mature rabbits. 

Can Rabbits Eat Water Spinach

Yes, mature rabbits can enjoy water spinach, which is a plant that is actually unrelated to spinach but is rabbit-safe in moderate amounts. 

Do Rabbits Eat Perpetual Spinach

Perpetual spinach is another name for chard. Chard is a high in calcium green that can be offered in limited quantities to mature rabbits. 

Can Baby Rabbits Have Spinach?

No, we never recommend feeding baby rabbits spinach.

While this leafy green is a nice treat and diet diversifier for mature rabbits, all baby rabbits have stomachs and digestive systems that are extremely sensitive and cannot properly digest complex leafy greens or handle the high oxalate content of spinach. 

To save your baby rabbits potential kidney failure and digestive issues, wait until they reach 12 weeks of age before offering them spinach.

Even then, begin by offering just a leaf or two with lots of observations to see what their reaction is to this new food. If they seem to like it and don’t exhibit negative effects within 24hrs, you can slowly add spinach as part of their diet’s 5-10% leafy green component. 

If your newly mature rabbit refuses to eat the spinach or reacts abnormally to it, remove it from their diet immediately and wait another three weeks before offering it to them again. 

Slow food introduction is the best way to diversify your rabbit’s diet safely! 

This little Popeye Loves Spinach
This young Popeye The Sailor Man loves Spinach!

Can Pet Rabbits Eat Spinach?

Yes, your mature pet, farm or homestead rabbits can all enjoy a bit of spinach in their diet without issue. 

Can Rabbits Eat Spinach And Rocket?

Rocket is also known as arugula, a common salad or cooking green. Mature rabbits can eat both spinach and rocket in moderation; be sure that more than 1 cup of greens per 2lb of rabbit body weight is ingested. 

Here’s a video about the Nutritional Pros and Cons of Spinach!

Final Thoughts on Can Rabbits Eat Spinach

Spinach is a tricky leafy green to add to your rabbit’s diet: it has a load of benefits like pre-vitamin A and iron but can easily tip the scale to be dangerous, causing kidney failure in rabbits due to its high levels of oxalate. 

We suggest highly monitoring the amounts of spinach that you offer your mature rabbits, always ensuring it is washed and raw (uncooked). 

Remember to never offer spinach to baby or immature rabbits as their digestive systems cannot yet handle this leafy green properly. Finally, don’t limit yourself to spinach!

There is a wide range of beneficial and rabbit-safe leafy greens that you can choose from to boost the diet and health of your bunnies. Check out our post on Parsley and Oregano for more leafy green inspiration!

Want to know more about vegetables for rabbits and what vegetables can rabbits have daily?  
Click on this link:  Vegetables for Rabbits     

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