Have you ever brought in the groceries and left the bag on the floor for a minute, and when you return, you find that your cute bunny has discovered the grapes? Your first instinct will be to get the grapes away from your bun as you aren’t sure if they are toxic for rabbits.
So can rabbits eat grapes, and more importantly, should they?
Pet rabbits can eat grapes in moderation, and preferably as a treat. There is no evidence to suggest that grapes are toxic for rabbits, but eating too many can cause an upset stomach and lead to diarrhea. The high sugar content can also cause a rabbit to put on weight or develop diabetes.
Are you looking for some natural, yummy treats for your bun? Are you considering giving them some juicy grapes?
Yes? Great.
This detailed guide has all the pros and cons you will need regarding feeding grapes to your bunny.
Are Grapes OK for Rabbits to Eat?
Did you know that your bun has a sweet tooth and rabbits love munching on sweet fruit or vegetables? Curbing your floppy-eared friend’s craving by giving them grapes as an occasional treat is a healthy and safe option.
Any color grape – red, white, black, pink, green, dark blue, yellow, or orange – is safe for your bun to eat.
Another great thing about grapes is your bun can safely eat the stems, leaves, and seeds. Make sure to wash the grapes well before giving them to your rabbit, as you don’t want them to ingest any pesticide residue.
Never feed dried grapes (raisins) to your rabbit, as they contain even more sugar than fresh grapes and have no water content (which makes the grapes so much sweeter).
Raisins can also disrupt your buns’ healthy gut flora because of the high sugar content.
Benefits of Feeding Grapes to Rabbits
Besides being sweet and tasty, grapes have some great health benefits for rabbits.
Let’s take a look at some of these natural health benefits:
- Contains essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and vitamin C
- Provides a great source of fiber to your bun’s diet
- Contains calcium
- Improves your bun’s eye health, brain health, and the health of their skin and fur
- Natural sugars provide healthy energy
- Contains antioxidants, which are great for the immune system
Risks of Feeding a Rabbit Too Many Grapes
Your bun has a very sensitive digestive system, and eating anything in excess is never a good idea.
Here are some of the risks of feeding your bun too many grapes:
- High levels of natural sugar in grapes can lead to weight gain and diabetes.
- It can cause digestive issues such as diarrhea, vomiting, and bloating. In the worst-case scenario, if this is left untreated, your bun will experience dehydration and liver failure, which can lead to death.
- Overeating sugar and carbs can lead to gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis). This will slow down your rabbit’s digestion and cause gas, pain, and lethargy.
- Rabbits can become picky eaters, and if they have grapes too often, they may refuse to eat their regular food.
- Seeds are not toxic for rabbits, but they do pose a choking risk if they eat too many too quickly.
- In severe cases, your rabbit will vomit if they have eaten too many grapes.
How Many Grapes Can I Give My Rabbit?
When feeding grapes to your rabbit as a treat, it’s vital to remember that fruits and vegetables should only make up about 5% of your rabbit’s diet.
Hay should make up the largest part of your bun’s diet (75-80%), with 10% being fresh leafy greens and 5% being good-quality high-fiber pellets.
Remember, each rabbit is different. Therefore, each breed and size will consume a different quantity of grapes.
As a guideline, don’t give your rabbit more than 1 to 2 grapes per 6 pounds of their weight. You shouldn’t exceed more than 1 to 2 grapes for larger rabbits.
For bunnies under 6 pounds, you should cut the grapes in half and provide them with small slices of grapes.
Basically, grapes should only be fed to your floppy-eared friend as an occasional treat and mustn’t be part of their everyday diet.
When feeding fruit as a treat or snack to your bunny, you should also provide them with a variety of fruit such as:
- Peeled banana
- Cherries (remove the seeds)
- Tomatoes (remove seeds, stems, flowers, and seeds)
- Peeled orange
- Nectarine
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Melon
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Grapes?
You should never let your baby rabbits (kits) eat grapes. A baby rabbit’s digestive system is far more sensitive than a young or adult rabbit’s digestive system.
The best diet for a baby rabbit (under 11 weeks old) is their mother’s milk.
They get all the nutrients, proteins, and healthy fats that they need from the milk. Besides the addition of grapes to a kit’s diet being totally unnecessary, it can also be dangerous for them.
Grapes are high in sugar, which can be very hard on a baby rabbit’s fragile digestive system.
Once a baby rabbit is over 12 weeks old, you can slowly start adding fruits, leafy greens, and Timothy hay to their diet. This will, however, have to be done gradually.
My Last Bunny Thoughts
Even though you may want to spoil your floppy-eared friend with sweet and tasty treats, it’s of utmost importance that you avoid feeding them any store-bought human sweets or homemade treats.
These treats are jam-packed and full of sugar. Likewise, grapes also pack some serious natural sugar levels.
So yes, grapes are the better option of the two, but you need to give grapes to your bun in moderation to avoid any nasty symptoms from overeating grapes.
When you first introduce grapes to your bun, make sure to wash the grapes thoroughly and introduce them slowly.
Monitor your bun over the next 24 hours to ensure they don’t react badly to this sugary sweet fruit.
Grapes are excellent rewards when training your bun to use the potty.
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