Is it good to feed rabbits carrots?

Question

i feed my rabbit about 3 carrots a day, but I heard that can make rabbits sick. I just want to make sure my rabbit stays healthy and happy. (by the way its a young dwarf rabbit)

Answer 1

Diet essentials

Pellets: Pellets are most important in the younger stages of rabbit development because they are highly concentrated in nutrients, helping to ensure proper weight gain. A quality pelleted food should be high in fiber (18% minimum) and nutritionally balanced. As a rabbit reaches maturity, however, pellets should make up less of the diet – replaced with higher quantities of hay and vegetables. Overfeeding pellets in mature rabbits can lead to obesity and other medical conditions.

Hay: Rabbits should have fresh hay available 24 hours a day. Rabbits less than 7 months old may have alfalfa hay, but older rabbits should have grass hays such as timothy or oat hay. Hay is essential to a rabbit's good health, providing the roughage that helps reduce the danger of hairballs and other blockages.

Water: Fresh water should be available to your pet around the clock, as well. Each day, change the water in the dish or water bottle with fresh water. On a weekly basis, sanitize the water dish/bottle with a mild dish detergent and rinse thoroughly before adding drinking water.

Vegetables: Vegetables provide valuable roughage, as well as essential vitamins. As early as 3 months of age, you can begin to offer vegetables. Introduce new vegetables one at a time. This way, if a digestive upset occurs, you will know which food may be the culprit. Eliminate those that cause soft stools or diarrhea. Continue to add new varieties, including both dark leafy vegetables and root vegetables, and serve vegetables of different colors. Once your rabbit is used to several vegetables, feed him or her at least three different kinds daily for a mix of nutrients.

A Good Rabbit Diet Should Include Daily Fresh Vegetables
Include a variety of vegetables from the list below.
(Those containing a high level of Vitamin A are indicated by an *. Feed at least one of these each day.)
Alfalfa, radish, and clover sprouts
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Bok choy
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*
Brussels sprouts
Carrots and carrot tops*
Celery
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens*
Dandelion greens (NO pesticides)*
Endive*
Escarole
Green peppers
Kale*
Mint
Mustard greens*
Parsley*
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
Peppermint leaves
Radicchio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Romaine lettuce (NO iceberg or light
colored leaf lettuce)*
Spinach*
Watercress*
Wheat grass




Kale, mustard greens, and spinach contain high levels of oxalates (the salts of oxalic acid), which can accumulate in the system and cause toxicity over time. Rather than eliminating these veggies from your list (because they are highly nutritious and loved by most rabbits), limit your use of them to 1 or 2 meals per week.

Chewing items: In addition to nutrition, hay and vegetables are also important to your rabbit's dental health. A diet that requires little chewing produces uneven tooth wear, causing enamel to grow on the sides of the teeth. These spikes can cause severe oral pain and excessive salivation (often called "slobbers"). They also cause reluctance to chew, inability to close the mouth, and reduced food intake. The situation deteriorates as the teeth continue to grow, and, if it is not treated, results in severe malnutrition. In addition to hay and vegetables, you will want to provide your rabbit with chew sticks or gnaw "bones" of untreated wood of various sizes and shapes. Cardboard tubes and untreated wicker can also be used.

Treats: Treats, including fresh fruits, should be given sparingly because of their calorie content. Rabbits can digest small quantities of oats and barley, but again, they generally provide more calories than necessary. And, too much carbohydrate has been associated with enteritis in rabbits.

Answer 2

Three whole carrots a day for a dwarf rabbit is probably way too much. Carrots are a nice treat, but they aren't something you should be feeding them in large quantties all the time. Give a few small pieces to your rabbit daily as a treat. The majority of your bunny's diet should be hay, followed by veggies, with a small amount of pellets. Treats like carrots are a distant fourth.

Answer 3

3 carrots a day? Hmmm...I might suggest feeding those chopped up and with a Rabbit Food. And make sure those 3 carrots a day are like at seperate times. Like morning, afternoon, evening, you know what I mean?

Answer 4

yea, you can feed rabbits carrots. Rabbits actually enjoy this tasty treat. And just for the care of rabbits make sure it ALWAYS has plenty of food and water and make sure that you don't leave it out in the sun for to long because the poor rabbits are not very good at controling there body heat very well!

Answer 5

You should feed your rabbit about 2 carrots a day. 3 is too much. Having to much can make them feel sick. I give my rabbits 2 a day and it always keeps the vet away!

Answer 6

Carrots can be good treats. Just make sure he's eating other food too (ie store-bought rabbit food and other veggies), because carrots aren't a complete diet.

Answer 7

Hello Carrots is very good for rabbits, cabbage is also when you buy your rabbit normally you will get an stared kit for the rabbit when you first get it celery is also good. But Rabbits have an very small tummy so they dont eat much try half an carrot an day and cabbage

Answer 8

Its fine as long as its used as a treat, carrots are usually better than leafy veggies because many time, these are sprayed with pesticides and can make your rabbit gassy... try celery if you are looking for variance in his diet.
The only other problem with feeding them fresh veggies is that it can make their poop turn runny... their poop SHOULD be like little dry pellets...
Make sure you're giving him/her plenty of dry food as well as hay (alfafa is good, timothy hay is better and cleaner) to help digest the raw veggies and your rabbit should be happy to have the treat...


BTW hay is often overlooked by many rabbit owners, you can buy it in most pet stores (try petsmart)... they seem to do fine without it but it actually helps them digest food much better.

Answer 9

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html#veggies

I would feed more of a variety of vegetables daily, not just carrots. That is a lot of carrots for one rabbit. He may eat them instead of his hay, which should be the number one most important part of the diet. 1/4 cup of pellets per 5 lbs is also recommended, and 2 cups of chopped vegies per 6 lbs.

Answer 10

Yes But they also need other foods like Rabbit Feed Or healthy veggies.....I have always wanted a rabbit :)

Answer 11

Three might be too many, but carrots should not make your rabbit sick as long as the rabbit gets pellets as well as carrots. Lettuce, however, CAN make rabbits sick, so that should be fed in moderation.