Can rabbits eat celery stalks and leaves? The answer is a resounding yes. Celery is a delicious, nutritious snack that you can give to your rabbit in moderation. The vegetable is high in fiber and nutrients that are great for your rabbit.
Even though celery is beneficial to rabbits, there are certain risks included. In this article, we will discuss those risks as well as what the benefits are for your rabbit. We will also look into whether your bunnies can eat celery leaves and their roots.
Can Rabbits Eat Celery Safely?
Celery is definitely safe for your rabbits to eat, but like most vegetables, in moderation. In fact, it makes an excellent addition to your rabbit’s diet. Celery is packed with nutrients like vitamins C, A, and B6, iron, and fiber.
Celery is also quite fibrous, which is beneficial to the dental health of your rabbit. Rabbits’ teeth are constantly growing and celery can help wear down their teeth which is essential.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Celery?
The digestive systems of baby rabbits are quite sensitive. It takes kits months to acquire the gastrointestinal flora needed to digest fruits and vegetables. Young rabbits should only be fed hay and water.
Diarrhea is a common ailment in baby rabbits. When their gut can’t effectively digest what they’ve eaten, it occurs and can be quite severe.
As a result, rabbits above the age of 12 weeks can eat celery and other vegetables. Any new fruit or vegetable should be introduced gradually. Keep a watch out for any signs of diarrhea. Stop giving celery to your rabbit until its stomach is feeling better.
How Often Can Rabbits Eat Celery?
Celery has a high water content, which can upset your rabbit’s stomach. Because celery is not a leafy green, it is recommended that the amount of celery to feed your rabbit should be one tablespoon per 2 pounds of body weight per day. If your rabbit has never eaten celery before, start with a little piece and wait 24 hours to see how they react.
How To Prepare Celery
If at all possible, buy organic celery to avoid toxic pesticides that can be harmful to rabbits. Pesticides can cause severe neurological impairment and cancer in rabbits if consumed in large amounts.
Before chopping, celery should be thoroughly washed and rinsed with clean water.
Once your celery has been thoroughly cleaned, cut it into half-inch pieces. It’s essential to cut it up in small pieces as celery strings can be a choking hazard to your rabbit.
What Are the Benefits of Celery?
Celery is a nutritious green vegetable that’s high in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for rabbits. Vitamins E, C, and K, calcium, fiber, phosphorus, folic acid, and potassium are just a few of the nutrients that are beneficial to your rabbit’s health.
High in Fiber
Fiber and phosphorus are essential for your rabbit. Rabbits’ digestive systems require a high level of fiber in their diet to function properly. Rabbits have a low protein and low-calorie diet by nature, so they require a lot of fiber to aid digestion. A fiber-deficient diet in rabbits can lead to a range of health problems, including GI stasis and obesity.
Promotes Healthy Bones
Phosphorus, along with calcium and vitamin D, is required for rabbits to keep their bones strong. Rickets can be caused by a lack of any of these nutrients in rabbits. The most serious issue with rickets is that they can lead to brittle bones that can easily be fractured.
Can Aid in Weight-Loss
Celery is high in nutrients but low in calories, making it healthy for overweight rabbits to eat. Celery won’t cause your rabbit to gain weight, but because of its high sugar content, it should only be given as a treat.
Dental Health
Celery is a tough vegetable to chew and is quite crunchy. However, it can both strengthen and wear down a rabbit’s teeth. Rabbits’ teeth continue to grow for the rest of their lives; therefore, they require frequent dental examinations to ensure that their teeth are not obstructing their ability to chew or causing them any discomfort or pain.
Offers Hydration
Celery has a high water content which can help keep your furry pet rabbit hydrated. On a hot summer’s day, you can keep your rabbit cool by giving him a bag of chilled celery sticks.
What Are the Risks of Celery?
Celery Contain Oxalates
Celery also contains oxalates, often known as oxalic acid. If oxalic acid-rich meals are ingested in excess, it can build up in your pet rabbit’s body. In rabbits, this build-up damages their kidneys and causes painful bladder stones.
Choking Hazard
Celery strings are a choking hazard. They can become entangled in a rabbit’s teeth and lodged in its throat. There’s also the possibility of developing blockages in a rabbit’s digestive tract. Always ensure that celery is cut up before feeding your rabbit.
Digestive Issues
Because of the high water content, this vegetable can sometimes cause diarrhea. Extra water intake is beneficial most of the time to keep your rabbit’s digestive system running smoothly, but too much water might cause diarrhea.
Celery contains just under 2 grams of sugar, despite the fact that it’s largely made up of water. Celery’s sugar content, when consumed in excess, can induce digestive issues such as diarrhea and gastrointestinal stasis. It can also cause your rabbit to become obese and potentially diabetic.
Uneaten Cecotropes
When rabbits eat a lot of celery instead of the recommended amount of daily hay, they can get soft cecotropes which they’ll leave uneaten. Due to the lack of fiber, this could result in softer cecotropes.
Can Celery Kill a Rabbit?
If you feed your pet rabbit too much celery or if you don’t cut it up, it could be fatal. This is why it’s essential that you prepare the celery correctly and feed your rabbit the recommended amount.
What Part of Celery Can Rabbits Eat?
Besides the stalk of the celery, the celery root, often known as celeriac, is perfectly safe for rabbits to eat. Because it’s a root vegetable like carrots and turnips, it should be given to your pet rabbit in moderation.
Root vegetables are high in starch and sugar, both of which are harmful to your rabbit if consumed in large quantities. A diet high in carbohydrates and sugar can upset your rabbit’s digestive system and induce diarrhea. Rabbits on high-sugar diets are more prone to gastrointestinal stasis, obesity, and dental issues.
Celery root can be given to your rabbit as a treat on occasion—one or two little bits should suffice. Make sure to peel the root’s outer skin and chop the center into little pieces.
Can Rabbits Eat Celery Leaves?
Celery leaves resemble parsley leaves in appearance. They are also safe for your rabbit to eat; in fact, it’s better for rabbits than the rest of the vegetable. Celery leaves have less sugar and water than the stalks and are high in fiber and nutrients like vitamin C and vitamin E.
Celery leaves do contain oxalates and should be fed to your rabbit on occasion. To ensure that your rabbit gets a diverse mix of nutrients, rotate celery leaves with other leafy greens on a regular basis. Also, make sure you carefully wash the leaves before feeding them to your rabbit.
Can Rabbits Eat the Flowers and Seeds From Celery?
If you grow your own celery, although the celery flowers are edible, do not feed them to your rabbit. There is not sufficient research done to confirm whether the flowers from your celery plants are safe for your rabbit to eat.
The same can be said for the celery seeds. Celery flowers will not sprout unless you grow your own celery. If fertilized and not removed from the plant, celery blooms will turn into seeds.
FAQs
What Is the Best Way To Feed My Rabbit Celery?
For your rabbit’s enjoyment, add the recommended amount of celery to a mixture of vegetables and leafy greens. To keep your rabbit engaged, rotate celery and other veggies as frequently as possible.
Can I Feed My Rabbit Celery That Has Been Cooked?
Never feed cooked or processed celery to your rabbit. Raw vegetables and leafy greens are important sources of nourishment for your pet rabbit.
Final Word
There you have it; celery is considered one of the healthiest snacks for a pet rabbit. However, celery should be fed to rabbits in moderation and according to the recommended feeding. Always prepare celery by carefully cleaning it and cutting it up into smaller pieces.
Avoid overfeeding your pet rabbit with celery. When they eat too much, rabbits risk developing digestive problems like diarrhea and gastrointestinal stasis. Before giving your young rabbit celery as a treat, make sure it is at least 12 weeks old. If done correctly, your rabbit will enjoy this wonderful crunchy vegetable.