If you one of the people who cannot resist the characteristic taste, sweetness, and juice texture of strawberries, you may want to know if it is good or bad to share these bright red fruits with your rabbit. Can rabbits eat strawberries and strawberry plants?
What are they?
Strawberries, garden strawberries, or Fragaria × ananassa are hybrid fruit belonging to the genus Fragaria in the family Rosaceae. They are not actual botanical berries but aggregate accessory fruits and their whose fruits are eaten fresh, dried, frozen, and juiced pies, jams, chocolates.
They are also popular in various dairy products like strawberry milkshakes, ice creams, milk, smoothies, and yogurt. However, some candies, perfumes, lip gloss, shampoos, and so on don’t have this fruit but artificial strawberry flavoring.
Finally, various cultivars of this fruit may vary in shape, flavor, color, size, ripening season, and they include Cambridge, Favorite, Symphony, Pegasus, Honeoye, among others. Some cultivars have white fruits, making them useful to people allergic to these fruits.
Are they ok for rabbits?
Yes. Strawberries are safe for rabbits to eat in moderation as a treat twice or three times a week. Most rabbits love them, and they may want more. However, keep the amount to 1-2 small to medium-sized strawberries, or you can give them an equivalent of one teaspoon per two pounds of their body weight.
A quick peek at their nutritional profile reveals that per 100g, they have 33 calories, 7.68g of carbohydrates, of which 4.89g is sugar and 2.0 dietary fibers. Furthermore, they have 0.67g protein, 0.3g fats, and 90.95g water.
Besides the above, these fruits are rich in vitamin C and manganese. They have some folate, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, and many other vitamins and minerals in smaller quantities.
Finally, strawberries are a powerhouse of various phytochemicals like fisetin, flavonoids like flavanols, flavonols, and anthocyanins, phenolic acids such as hydroxycinnamic acid and hydroxybenzoic acid, as well as achenes such as ellagitannins, ellagic acid glycosides, and ellagic acid.
Why are strawberries good for rabbits?
Fruits are not a typical part of a rabbit’s diet. However, they are not without some benefits, and for strawberries, they include:
1. They are nutritious, and rabbits love strawberries
Like humans, rabbits have a tooth for sweet things, and they will find these fruits quite a delicacy. Also, as seen, strawberries are nutritious, and your pets will benefit from manganese, folate, potassium, and magnesium.
However, while they also have vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, don’t feed these fruits because of this vitamin. Rabbits can make their vitamin C. Also, note that excessive amounts may cause kidney damage.
However, during stress, illnesses, or nursing, they may not make enough of this vitamin, and dietary sources may be vital.
2. Boost hydration
Since they are very high in water (91%), they will help boost hydration, especially if your bunny isn’t particularly fond of drinking a lot of water.
3. Have vital phytonutrients
The various phytonutrients, most antioxidants, will significantly benefit your rabbit by neutralizing free radicals and preventing some chronic illnesses such as cancer or heart diseases.
Otherwise, the free radicals generated by metabolism, environmental pressures, and other factors may “damage to the cell structures, including proteins, lipids, and DNA, and induce physiological and pathological changes in the animal resulting in poor performance.” (1)
4. Dietary fiber
Rabbits need both soluble and insoluble fiber, and these fruits are a good source of soluble fibers that will nourish cecum bacteria and promote a healthy gut, among other benefits.
Don’t overdo
For these benefits and the fact that rabbits love them, don’t overdo, i.e., rabbits should never be allowed to eat many strawberries. Instead, keep the amount to what we have recommended and keep varying the various fruits and other fresh foods that your furry critters have.
Since they are relatively high in sugars, excessive amounts may result in diarrhea, gas, and bloating. These pets eat foods that are very high in fiber and very low in sugar or energy.
Besides diarrhea, bunnies fed on a lot of strawberries may become overweight. Their typical food, which is hay, is lower in calories as opposed to these fruits.
Feed them properly
You know how much of these fruits your rabbits can have. However, here are some of the things you need to observe:
- Ensure they are pesticide-free – Always go for organically grown fruits as they are free of any harmful farm chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides, or even fertilizers.
- Introduce slowly – If you are giving your rabbits strawberries for the first time, start with a tiny piece and gradually increase the amount if they don’t cause any gastrointestinal upsets for about a week. Also, introduce only one new food at a time.
- Slice them – If you need to make eating much more manageable, you can slice them into small dices.
Avoid dried fruits
Even for the safe fruits, we don’t recommend dried ones since they tend to be higher in sugar. However, if you insist on dried strawberries, keep the amount to be much smaller and make them a rare treat.
Strawberry seeds and leaves are ok
It is always recommended to remove seeds from your watermelon, apples, oranges, peaches, plums, nectarines, and so on as some are a toxic and most present choking hazard. However, for strawberries, seeds are safe for rabbits, and it would be impossible to remove them.
Similarly, rabbits can eat strawberry leaves or tops, and they love them so much. They join other plants such as peas, lettuce, grapes, carrot tops, petunia, zinnias, beets, raspberries, and so on that bunnies show preference, especially their young leaves and tender shoots.
If you intend to give them strawberry leaves, make them one of the 5-6 leafy greens they eat at a rate of one cupful for every two pounds of rabbit weight.
If your rabbits happen to have access to your garden, find ways to keep these pets away since they are likely to damage your strawberries. Things like fencing, using repellents, deterrents, having plants they dislike like lavender, gaillardia, hyssop, sage, mint, and so on may help keep bunnies from your garden.
No to strawberry jams, smoothies, pie, and so on
Only let your bunnies eat fresh strawberries. Avoid their jam, smoothie, juices, etc. since they tend to be higher in sugar and have other additives that are unhealthy to these animals.
Conclusion
Strawberries, seeds, and leaves (plants) are safe for rabbits, and these animals love them much. However, ensure they have only a small amount as a treat. All treats that your bunny eats in a day shouldn’t exceed 5% of their food intake, and they include all fruits, non-leafy vegetables, herbs, flowers, and store-bought treats.
Let them have unlimited grassy hay, 10-15% fresh plant materials, 5% high fiber pellets. Don’t forget to give them fresh water too.