We often see small, wild rabbits hopping and darting about in the fields on our hobby farm. My younger kids always ask about them, wondering all the similarities and differences between wild rabbits and our domesticated, homestead rabbits.
One question that always comes up as we refill our bunny’s hay feeders or offer them yummy, nutritious green is “But, just what do wild rabbits eat?”. What is food for wild rabbits?
Rabbits, whether wild or domestic, are strict herbivores that sport an intricate digestive system equally accustomed to and dependent on highly fibrous plant materials.
Rabbits cannot properly digest lots of sugars, loads of fat or protein, cooked, canned, or pickled foodstuff, meat, or any other animal protein.
While our domesticated rabbits are sometimes exposed to a more varied diet, wild rabbits must forage and sustain themselves off of plant stuff within their habitat, territory, and range.
Wild Rabbit Diet vs. Domestic Rabbit Diet
Let’s take a look at the initial differences between a wild rabbit’s diet and a domesticated rabbit’s diet.
We feed our bunnies a tried and true balance of high quality hay, rabbit pellets, and leafy greens, herbs, and veggies as supplements and fruits as treats in the following quantities:
Unlimited hay (75-80% of total diet)
Non-alfalfa pellets (20% of total diet)
Leafy green vegetables (5-15% of total diet)
Fruit or other treats (0-5% of total diet)
Learn more about hay for rabbits in our post on How Much Hay To Feed A Rabbit.
In general, our domestic rabbits are intaking lots of high fibers, small quantities of sugars, and highly digestible fats and proteins from plant sources.
Adding in select leafy greens, herbs, and veggies to your domestic rabbit’s diet can offer them tons of essential nutrients and vitamins to keep them happy and healthy!
But wild rabbits don’t have a direct, human caretaker and as a result, their diet is not as measured or regulated.
However, wild rabbits have stronger instincts than domestic rabbits, which helps them naturally arrive at a balanced diet.
In fact, the essential components of our domestic rabbits’ diet listed above are directly translatable to the dietary needs and intake of a wild rabbit; although wild rabbits are more likely to be deficient in certain nutrients or vitamins throughout the year.
What Plants Will Wild Rabbits Eat
Wild rabbits rely heavily on greens growing in meadows, fields, and the forest floor. This usually includes:
- Clover
- Grasses
- Weedy Plants
- Sedges
- Wild Flower tops
Wild bunnies will even eat dried and dead grasses, as these contain just as much fiber as harvested hay!
In addition, wild rabbits are not shy about finding other food sources, especially in the winter months, such as:
- Twigs
- Tree Bark
- Shrubs
- Seeds
- Berries
In fact, the higher tannin content in some of these more woody plant parts can help fight off stomach worms and other parasites during the cold months.
Do Wild Rabbits Eat Veggies and Greens
Yes, wild rabbits will and do eat veggies and greens, and any gardener knows what it’s like to find little bites taken out of ripe garden goods.
Rabbits are social animals and wild rabbits live in groups; they are likely to share the location of yummy garden veggies and greens with others.
A word to the wise: if you see one wild rabbit around your garden there is soon to be many more!
Thanks to their instincts and learned behavior while growing up, wild rabbits are pretty good about avoiding toxic or otherwise harmful veggies, greens, and fruits; which is a skill that domestic rabbits don’t really exercise, so be aware of what your pet or homestead rabbits are nibbling on when they are outside!
Do Wild Rabbits Eat Berries and Fruits
Wild rabbits love to eat berries and other plant fruits.
And most wild and garden plants fruit in the fall, just in time for a pre-winter treat of sugary sweetness with a whole bunch of the supportive antioxidants, vitamins, and necessary minerals found in many berries.
Wild rabbits are also capable of monitoring just how much sugary berries and fruits they are ingesting, thanks to their sharp instincts, as too much sugar can result in serious stomach upset, diarrhea, and bacterial flare-ups.
Feeding A Wild Rabbit: Is It A Good Idea?
Whether or not you want to feed a wild animal is ultimately up to you, however we feel it is important to highlight the fact that all wild animals act on instinct and are perfectly equipped for handling the climate, habitat, and nature of their environment.
A wild animal is not tame and should never be treated as a well-behaved, trusted domestic animal; even a small wild rabbit!
In addition, wild animals usually live in groups, and feeding one can result in a whole pack/group returning for more food; which builds unhealthy reliance on humans and starts to deplete the use and value of wild animals’ instincts.
That said, if you’d like to offer assistance to a wild rabbit during a particularly harsh season, we encourage you to do it in a very removed, non-personal way, such as placing plant food sources far away from the house, garage, or other human spaces and simply allowing the wild rabbit to happen upon it on their own.
What Do You Feed Wild Rabbits In The Winter?
Rabbits, wild and domestic, do not hibernate; they are active all year round through every season!
This means that even in snowy, wintery places, wild rabbits are out foraging and feeding themselves during the coldest months.
Usually, the amount of fresh, green plant material is severely lacking in winter months and wild rabbits must get a bit creative in order to have their nutritional needs met.
In winter, wild rabbits will eat:
- Evergreen tree needles
- Tree Bark
- Evergreen shrubs
- Any grasses or herbs left over and not covered by snow
Learn more about what wild rabbits do during winter months here.
And if food availability were to get really bad, wild rabbits would actually re-ingest their poop to glean more nutrients from it (this is different than when they eat cecotropes).
If you’d like to leave out some appropriate foodstuff for wild rabbits during the coldest days, we suggest the following:
- Any leftover twigs, buds, or small branches from fall pruning
- Handfuls of high quality hay
- Unsalted and unspiced raw sunflower seeds
- Clearing snow off of the bottom of nearby evergreens bushes or trees
Remember, when it comes to wild rabbits and other wild animals, a non-personal or contact-free way of assistance is most beneficial.
What To Feed A Wild Baby Rabbit If Found
Rabbits are mammals and baby rabbits, wild and domestic, rely solely on their mothers milk for at least the first month of their life; ingesting any other food during this time will result in serious harm and even death!
If you happen upon a baby wild rabbit and want to offer it some foodstuff, try to determine how old it is using some key clues and get in contact with a local vet or animal rescue hotline before placing any food within its reach.
Weaned baby rabbits and adolescent rabbits are growing rapidly and will thrive off of coarse plant material such as hay and nutrient rich foods such as alfalfa pellets and other non-alfalfa rabbit pellets.
Note that not all baby rabbits that are found alone are abandoned, they may just be waiting for mom or dad to come back and are happily sitting tight!
Never disturb a wild rabbit’s nest or intrude on a rabbit’s warren; rabbits are highly territorial and value their private, personal spaces.
How Much Water Do Rabbits Need?
Rabbits are about 73% water and, just like us, water is essential for all the bodily functions of these small mammals.
However, the amount and frequency of water drinking does depend on the habitat, diet, and health of each rabbit.
Learn more about how much water wild rabbits need in our post on Do Wild Rabbits Drink Water?
Frequently Asked Questions Related to Food For Wild Rabbits
Do Wild Rabbits Eat Birdseed?
Yes, wild rabbits do and will eat bird seed.
Bird seed is a mix of seeds, nuts, oats, corn, and dried fruits that can be spread upon the ground for birds to enjoy. If wild rabbits happen upon bird seed they will surely enjoy some, although some of the ingredients, such as corn, can upset their stomach in large quantities.
Where Do Wild Rabbits Sleep?
During summer and winter months rabbits sleep in underground dens called warrens.
Digging warrens help rabbits stay cool in summer and warmer in winter, and one warren may house a number of rabbits as these social animals enjoy sharing space with their loved ones.
In this video, an individual offers a range of foodstuffs to local wild rabbits. Note the proximity of the food to the house and human living areas, something we do not recommend!
Final Thoughts On What Do Wild Rabbits Eat
Wild rabbits share the same exact dietary needs and limitations as your domestic bunnies, and true to their wild nature, they use their sharp instincts and learned skills to forage and provide for themselves and their groups.
One last tip: if you are questioning whether or not a wild rabbit can eat something, think if you would offer it to your homestead or pet bunny, if the answer is ‘no’, don’t offer it to a wild rabbit either!
Food for Wild Rabbits: Human food is not always Rabbit Food!