If you are interested in rabbits, you may be wondering what do rabbits eat in the winter?
And by asking that question, you really mean: What do Wild rabbits eat in the winter? Your homestead and hobby farm rabbits are going to eat what you feed them. Again, the real question is what do Wild rabbits eat in the winter.
In the winter months, when there is no green grass and access to hay is often reduced due to snow cover, wild rabbits primarily forage for twigs, tree bark, and pine needles. Secondly, they continue to produce and eat their cecotropes, which allows them to pull even more nutrients out of their food.
What do wild bunnies eat in the winter? And what can you feed to wild rabbits in the winter? Both of these questions are addressed here and in the video embedded below.
What Do Rabbits Eat In The Winter
When the ground is covered with snow, wild rabbits forage for twigs, tree bark, and pine needles. Rabbits do not hibernate in winter. They find shelter in underground dens or warrens, in hollowed logs and in heavy brush.
The key effective elements for a rabbit shelter are: adequate windbreak and keeping the rabbit dry from precipitation.
A rabbit living in the mid and high latitudes experiences the full cycle of seasonal weather. That annual weather cycle includes a wide range of temperatures, precipitation and wind as the seasons rotate.
A wild rabbit eats what it can find in season. It’s as simple as that.
Your Domestic Rabbit Does Not Eat Meat
Rabbits do not eat meat. Rabbits are herbivores, not omnivores. You should not feed meat to your domestic rabbits.
Rabbits’ digestive tracts, body chemistry and eating habits are designed for plant matter, not meat. There are however, some interesting exceptions to this general rule. We elaborate on these exceptions below!
The digestive tract of the domestic rabbit is designed to process grass, hay, and other plant materials that are high in fiber and generally low in protein. The enzymes and flora in the rabbit’s gut are designed to digest plant material.
The rabbit’s digestive tract is not designed to digest meats which are relatively high in protein, compared to grass and plants. Similarly, the enzymes and flora found in the rabbit’s gut are not designed to digest meat of any kind. Further, the rabbit’s digestive tract is not designed for processing animal fat.
A rabbit that eats a significant amount of meat or animal fat will get ill and perhaps die, particularly if a digestive blockage forms.
Wild Hares May Eat Some Meat to Survive – A Freak Of Nature
The scientific research article referenced here, shows that hares may adopt a scavenger role and eat some meat to stay alive, particularly in the harsh winter environment of northern Canada. Scientists have also used trail cams to record rabbits scavenging on carrion to augment their scarce winter food supplies.
This interesting scientific research on wild rabbits and hares was picked up by National Geographic as well.
Our Do Rabbits Eat Meat post provides more information about the question, Do Wild Rabbits Eat Meat In The Winter?
What Can I Feed Wild Rabbits In Winter
If you wish to put some food out for wild rabbits around your homestead or hobby farm, then here are a few ideas to consider.
A caution about feeding stations: A “feeding station” will attract multiple species of animals foraging for food. A common feeding station becomes a food source for many animals and therefore may become a hot site for spreading disease among various animals and species.
Instead of deliberately creating one or more centralized feeding stations, you can consider leaving some natural food sources for rabbits.
For example, you can leave various, small piles of branches and twigs on the ground for rabbits to eat during the winter. You can prepare several of these piles around your property with the intent to provide some additional food resources for the winter rabbits near your homestead.
If you are having an extremely harsh winter, then you can put out some piles of hay. However, please understand hay with grains will attract mice, rats and other hungry animals.
Additionally, during a very harsh winter, you can put out several bowls of water for your local wild rabbits; realizing that the water will freeze and to provide effective relief for the rabbits, you will need to tend to the bowls (as often as you desire).
What Can I Feed Wild Rabbits In The Winter
If you are not experiencing an overly harsh winter (relative to your area and local climate) then professionals urge people to Not feed the wild rabbits.
During a “normal” winter in your area of the world, some rabbits will be prey for predators, some rabbits will die due to a combination of exposure and lack of food, and other rabbits will survive the winter and continue to reproduce.
This is nature, this is how nature finds a balance among all the animals competing for limited winter resources.
This argument for the thousands of years of natural balance of nature can also be made for feeding the birds. Some birds will fall prey to predators, some will die due to a combination of exposure and lack of food, and others will survive the winter to continue to reproduce.
Here at Hobby Farm Heaven we do put out birdseed, in birdfeeders, during the winter. However, our motivation is more along the lines of being able to watch the birds from our bay window and less about helping them survive the winter.
For the deliberate winter feeding of rabbits, the situation is a bit different then feeding the birds. As noted above, a pile of feed on the ground is available to mice, rats, squirrels, racoons, etc. as well as rabbits and can become a pathway for the spread of disease.
A well designed bird feeder limits the food to birds. The rabbits are prey animals and are not likely to congregate at a pile of feed on the ground. Rabbits, being crepuscular, are more likely to visit the pile of feed during the low light of morning or evening twilight and will be quick about visiting anything out in the open where they can be seen and more easily preyed upon by predators.
What is A Wild Rabbit’s Favorite Food
The wild rabbit’s favorite food may vary from rabbit to rabbit. Just as I like pizza and you like cheeseburgers, one rabbit may prefer wild strawberries while another prefers blueberries.
The best food for a wild rabbit is high quality hay. Hay provides the fiber that the rabbit needs to keep its digestive system moving properly. Without adequate fiber, the rabbit’s digestive system shuts down (aka GI Stasis) and the rabbit quickly becomes sick and will die.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To What Do Wild Rabbits Eat In Winter
Do Wild Rabbits Hibernate In The Winter?
No, wild rabbits do not hibernate in the winter. In the winter, rabbits forage more, but move around less. They forage more because in most winter climates food is relatively scarce. They move less because they prefer to stay warm in their shelters and try to conserve energy.
Where Do Wild Rabbits Live In The Winter?
In the winter, wild rabbits may live in underground burrows or warrens.
Additionally, they may live in a hollowed out tree trunk or in a thicket that provides them with shelter from the wind and rain.
Sometimes rabbits will spend a great deal of the winter at the base of a large pine tree, one where the large limbs of evergreen pine needles stretch to the ground and provide an excellent wind break as well as shelter from precipitation.
Rabbits grow a thicker coat in the winter. As long as the rabbit can stay dry and find a windbreak, it can stay warm through the winter in its local habitat.
If we take an Alabama rabbit to Minnesota for the winter, the Alabama rabbit will die.
Where Do Wild Rabbits Get Water In The Winter?
In the winter, wild rabbits get water from puddles, small springs, snow and morning frost or dew.
Can I Feed A Wild Rabbit?
You can feed a wild rabbit. If choosing to do so, then hay and water are the best things to feed the wild rabbit. However, please be mindful of the points made in this article; the unintended consequence of feeding the wild rabbits may be that you facilitate the spread of disease among the animals that visit your feeding station.
Can Wild Rabbits Eat Bird Food In The Winter
Wild rabbits may scurry by the birdfeeder and, mostly out of curiosity, nibble on a few seeds that have fallen on the ground or in the snow. A few seeds is not likely to hurt a wild rabbit. However, if the rabbit eats a belly full of seeds, then it is likely to be in trouble.
A rabbit’s sensitive digestive system is not built to digest a belly full of seeds. Wild rabbits should not regularly feed on bird food.
Final Thoughts on What Do Rabbits Eat In The Winter
Here is the reader’s digest version:
Domestic or Pet rabbits eat whatever we give them to eat! We can safely feed the same rabbit diet year round, with some tweaks for a healthy variety of hay and vegetables. Note that we do want to deliberately increase calcium for pregnant and nursing does, and young rabbits.
Wild Rabbits will eat whatever plant material they can forage. Usually this means some hay from nearby pastures and meadows. When the snow covers the hay, then the rabbits forage for twigs, bark and conifer needles.
Feeding the wild rabbits in the winter is usually not necessary. Over the many, many years, rabbit species have survived and adapted to their local winter climates. The long running balance of nature is that some rabbits will be taken by winter predators, others will die due to over exposure and lack of food and others will survive to reproduce in the spring.
Deliberately placing winter rabbit feeding stations on your homestead will typically invite other animals such as mice, rats, racoons, squirrels, etc. The common feeding station is likely to become a hot spot for the spread of disease; and do more harm than good for your local animals.