Veggies For Rabbits
Rabbits are natural herbivores that rely on 100% plant food material for growth, development, and health. That goes for homestead, pet and farm bunnies!
And you may already know that, if offered to them, rabbits will happily chow down on fresh vegetables. In fact, fresh veggies are one of the best ways to diversify and supplement your rabbits’ diets.
However, knowing the best veggies for rabbits is trickier than you might think! Fortunately, this post will go over all the ins and outs of veggies rabbits can eat, provide a list of veggies for rabbits, as well as answer and address important questions and topics such as:
- What is a vegetable?
- Vegetables for rabbits daily
- What are the best veggies for rabbits?
- What veggies rabbits can’t eat?
- Can baby rabbits have veggies?
Veggies For Bunnies
Many people identify vegetables by their most basic definition, which is shared by Oxford English Dictionary as: a plant or part of a plant used as food.
However, this definition can lead rabbit owners astray because it blends fruits and veggies for rabbits together.
A more exact definition of a vegetable that we propose is: any part of a plant that is eaten as food and is not a product of a pollinated flower (aka a fruit).
Better yet, veggies (some green, some not!) are known for being chock full of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
So what does this mean for rabbits?
Well, while many veggies are nontoxic to rabbits there are a particular few that pose minimal to serious health threats if ingested by your bunny.
In addition, veggies can get more tricky when thinking of raising happy and healthy rabbits.
Because while it is true that most veggies can and do boost the health of your rabbits, almost all veggies lack the necessary high-fibers and low-sugars to be considered a primary part of a healthy bunny’s diet.
Can Rabbits Eat Veggies?
Yes, mature rabbits can eat veggies. But one thing to keep in mind is that rabbits require lots of daily high-in-fiber and low-in-sugar plant materials.
This is due to the highly specialized digestive process rabbits have evolved. Rabbits host sensitive gut bacterias that work symbiotically to help in the breakdown of their high-fiber diet.
These bacterias will flare up and become unbalanced (which leads to pain, digestive issues, diarrhea and defecation problems, and even deadly GI stasis) if high-sugars, gaseous foods, or otherwise reactive nutrients are introduced.
For this reason, rabbit owners must be sure that their rabbits are on a high-fiber diet and that what they feed their bunnies as treats and supplements are a-okay.
In fact, a high fiber diet not only keeps rabbits’ gut bacterias happy but it also works to wear down rabbits’ ever growing teeth!
Therefore, the best diet for rabbits consists of the following:
- Unlimited high quality hay (75% to 80% hay)
- Quality pellets (10% to 15%)
- vegetables, leafy greens, and natural treats (5% to 10%)
Unlimited hay affords them all the high-fibers they need, quality pellets ensure proper nutrition, and infrequent veggies and other natural treats act as valuable vitamin and mineral boosts.

Do Rabbits Need Fresh Vegetables Every Day
A mature rabbit will greatly benefit from a small amount of rabbit-safe veggies daily. Without the essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients gained from eating veggies, you will find your rabbits’ long term health lacking.
Benefits of Daily Veggies For Rabbits
- Helps to develop strong immune systems
- Assists with growing strong limbs
- Ensures healthy hair, teeth, and nails.
- Encourages older rabbits to remain fit and at a healthy weight
How Much Veggies Per Day For Rabbits
Ensuring that veggies comprise no more than 5-10% of your rabbit’s diet means offering them 1-2 veggie options per week or incorporating a small amount of any given vegetable daily.
The best rule to follow is no more than 1 teaspoon of fresh veggie per 2lbs of your mature rabbit’s weight per day.
What Vegetables Can Rabbits Have Daily?
There are many veggies to choose from when looking for veggies rabbits can eat daily.
What’s important to know is that not all veggies are rabbit-safe due to rabbits’ increased system sensitivity and the large range of natural (but sometimes harmful) compounds that are found within plant foods.
To make sure you offer your bunnies only the best veggies, we will go through rabbit-safe vegetable options as well as veggies you should be wary of or avoid completely.
Good Veggies For Rabbits
The best veggies for rabbits are those without questionable or poisonous parts. These veggies are chock full of great vitamins, minerals, and compounds that strengthen the health of your rabbit when offered in moderation.
Asparagus
Although asparagus is part of the Lily plant family, which often contains plants that are toxic to rabbits, it does not contain any toxic or harmful substances! Rather, asparagus is full of Vitamins C, A, E, and K.
So go ahead and offer this crunchy and high-in-vitamin veggie to all of your mature rabbits.

Wheat Grass
The essential nutrients and amino acids in wheatgrass make it a perfect green treat for your mature bunnies.
In fact, it is very simple to grow wheatgrass for rabbits! Just be sure to balance the wheat grass you offer your bunnies with high fiber hay and quality pellets, if not, you will find them with runny feces and upset stomachs.

Cabbage
Another great veggie for rabbits is cabbage. This green veggie is rabbit-safe and can offer unique nutrition such as calcium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin A to your mature bunnies.
But with only 2.2g of fiber and almost 3g of sugar per serving, you must be aware that cabbage is not an ideal primary food for your bunnies.
Arugula or Rocket
Arugula, also called Rocket, is a leafy green that can be offered to adult bunnies.
This famously spicy green contains more than six essential nutrients, including Vitamin C. While some rabbit owners worry about the vitamin C content of arugula, the amount of vitamin C that rocket contains is nowhere near dangerous as long as arugula is only offered as a treat or supplement alongside a balanced rabbit diet.
Finally, don’t be suprised if your bunny refuses to eat this green, some rabbits find the spicy intense flavor disagreeable!

Celery
Celery is a great veggie option for your mature rabbits because it contains flavonoids. Flavonoids naturally reduce inflammation and help to keep your rabbit’s immune system healthy. Best yet, rabbits can eat any and all parts of the celery plant! Half a stick a day, about 4 or 5 inches long, is plenty as part of a balanced diet.

Other Veggies For Rabbits
Sweet Potato
Can bunnies have sweet potatoes? Yes, mature rabbits can eat sweet potatoes, as they are nontoxic to rabbits. However, sweet potatoes are high in sugar and starch and are not a natural, nor ideal, food option for your bunnies.
While rabbits can eat sweet potatoes as a treat, it should not be offered to them regularly.
Carrots
Carrots contain natural antioxidants and vitamins that can boost the health of your bunny. Do rabbits really eat carrots? Yes, Rabbits really do eat carrots! However, carrots are very high in sugar and should not be offered as a regular part of your rabbit’s diet.
Instead, keep these sweet bits as infrequent treats.
Unsafe Veggies For Rabbits
Spinach
If you are looking for a veggie with lots of iron, calcium, and vitamins, pick Spinach. But note that spinach also contains high amounts of oxalate, which can aggregate and be very harmful to your rabbit in large quantities.
So while spinach is not inherently bad for rabbits, the high concentration of oxalates in this veggie can cause kidney damage, which makes it a potentially dangerous green for rabbits.

Broccoli
The natural characteristics of broccoli make it a questionable veggie for your bunnies. While it does contain nutrients such as potassium and iron, if it is offered just a little too much, then your rabbit will suffer from serious bloating, unbalanced gut bacterias, and other health issues.
For this reason, we do not recommend making broccoli a regular veggie offered to your bunnies.

Parsnips
Parsnips contain many good nutrients, such as zinc and vitamin B6, but they contain more water and sugar than a rabbit’s digestive tract is used to. What does this mean? Simply offer this nutritious food to your rabbits as an infrequent treat!
It is most important to note that parsnip greens, leaves, or tops are not healthy for your rabbits and should never be offered to them.
Green Beans
Green beans are crunchy, juicy veggies that many rabbits love. In fact, they contain over 9 essential nutrients!
However, raw green beans contain lectin, a carbohydrate binding protein that is resistant to digestion.
As such, it is important that rabbits are only offered small amounts of green beans on infrequent occasions in order to avoid serious indigestion.
Radish Greens
Although your rabbit will probably love eating radishes, they are high in starch. Rabbits do not need much starch in their diet, which causes indigestion or diarrhea.
Furthermore, the radish greens (or tops) contain oxalic acid which can build up in rabbit systems and cause kidney issues.
So, while radishes are not technically toxic to rabbits, both radishes and radish tops must be offered to your mature rabbits in moderation.
Beets
Are beets healthy for rabbits? They sure are, as they provide a large amount of folate and manganese, nutrients that play key roles in growth and development as well as bone and brain health.
However, beets and beet greens are relatively high in oxalates, or oxalic acid, which can lead to health problems for some rabbits. It is very important to offer beets as an infrequent treat/dietary supplement for your mature rabbits.

Corn
We will treat corn as a vegetable. Can Rabbits Eat Corn? Most rabbits love corn because it is very high in sugar. It is also very starchy. Sugar and starch are not good for your rabbit’s daily diet.
Additionally, rabbits struggle to digest the husk that surrounds each kernel of corn. These husks may cause blockages and other digestive problems.
We advise you to steer clear of corn when feeding your bunnies.
How To Feed Veggies To Rabbits
Now that you have a general understanding of safe and unsafe vegetables for bunnies, let’s go over the best way to prepare and feed veggies to rabbits.
Follow these steps when preparing veggies for your mature bunnies:
- Choose only fully ripe, whole vegetables. Avoid aging or insect-eaten veggies.
- Inspect the vegetable well and wash it in cool water, removing any residual dirt and potential pesticides.
- Cut large, bulky vegetables up into small, bite size pieces. If it is a leafy green veggie you do not need to cut it up.
How to feed veggies to rabbits:
- Place 2-3 pieces of cut veggies or 2-3 leaves of washed veggie greens into a clean bowl.
- Place this bowl in the hutch or house of your rabbit.
- Allow your rabbit to enjoy the nutritious treat.
- Be sure to remove the feeding bowl and any excess veggies later in the day.
What Vegetables Do Rabbits Like?
Rabbits are not usually picky eaters and are usually happy with any plant material that is fresh and crunchy. However, some rabbits tend not to like stronger flavors, like those found in asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, and beets to name a few.
So if your bunny refuses to eat these veggies when offered them, don’t worry! This simply means they don’t find these vegetables appealing. Simply opt for a different veggie or rabbit-safe herbs and rabbit-safe fruits instead!
Veggies For Rabbits: Concerns
Parasites
Any veggie can host parasites, so it is extremely important to:
- Inspect the vegetable well and remove any bugs, slugs, or insect eggs on the outer skin and/or on leafy green parts.
- Inspect the vegetable to make sure there are no bite or bore marks going into the flesh or leaves before offering it to your rabbits.
Pesticides
Unless you offer your rabbit your own home-grown pesticide free veggies, it is very important to wash all veggies well in cool water before offering them to your bunny to remove any residual pesticides.
Over Ripened Veggies
An over ripped vegetable is one that is starting to smell abnormal, wilt, change color abnormally, or is rotted. Avoid giving your bunnies over ripened veggies as they can cause illnesses and digestive issues.
Overfeeding Your Rabbit Veggies
Remember, your mature rabbits require a high-in-fiber diet due to their highly specialized stomach and digestive system.
It is important to remember to feed your rabbits vegetables as a treat and/or dietary supplement only, ensuring these types of foods remain within 5-10% of their diet.
Too much starchy, sugary, or complex veggies will negate their benefits and instead cause harmful imbalances and stomach upsets in your bunnies.
What Veggies Are Best For Rabbits: Fresh, Frozen or Canned?
Without a doubt, fresh vegetables are the BEST form of veggies that you can offer your mature rabbits. Fresh vegetables are in their natural state, unaltered by temperature, and usually contain the most potent form and quantity of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients.
As such, fresh veggies should be your go-to when thinking of healthy rabbit treats and snacks.
We do not suggest feeding your rabbit frozen veggies or canned veggies.
Veggies can freeze very hard due to their higher water content and starchy or fibery characteristics. This can easily result in serious teeth damage as rabbits try to nibble on the icy pieces.
In addition, canned veggies are slightly heated in the process and may contain added sugars. This not only changes the chemical composition of the vegetable and its nutritional value, but also poses a threat to rabbits’ digestive system as they are not able to digest high-sugar or cooked foods.

Can Baby Rabbits Have Veggies
No, we never recommend feeding baby rabbits veggies. This may seem counterintuitive after praising the value of veggies in your rabbit’s diet and mentioning a host of different vegetables that can boost the growth and development of healthy rabbits.
Why can’t baby rabbits have veggies? Because any rabbit less than 12 weeks old is in a critical period of internal development. The GI tract of immature/baby rabbits is extremely sensitive and cannot properly digest or metabolize veggies because of the starches, sugars, and other complex components within.
As such, it is very important to wait until your rabbit reaches at least 12 weeks of age before offering them any vegetables. Even then, it is a best practice to start with one or two pieces of any given rabbit-safe vegetable within a 24 hour period. This allows you to observe your rabbit’s behavior and reaction to each veggie.
This is a failsafe method because it allows you to introduce all new dietary items slowly while also learning which vegetables your rabbits like and which they don’t!
The ultimate result will be a smooth integration of veggies with little to no digestive upset, and a very happy bunny rabbit.
Excellent Video Discussing Proper Rabbit Diet
Final Thoughts On Best Veggies For Rabbits
Offering your mature rabbits vegetables is one of the best ways to enrich their diet with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that they don’t normally get in hay, pellets, and other foods for rabbits to eat.
But remember, you must always check that a given veggie is rabbit-safe, as many contain hard to digest components like starches and sugars, as well as natural (but sometimes harmful) components that can pose a threat to the health of your bunny if ingested in access.
We want your rabbit raising experience to be enjoyable and safe, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any rabbit related questions about rabbit nutrition and how to successfully raise rabbits!
Finally, for the big picture on what rabbits and bunnies can eat and should not eat, you can refer to this post: What Can Rabbits Eat?