Grasshoppers are insects that belong to the suborder Caelifera that has over 18,000 different species and they should be distinguished from crickets that belong to the suborder Ensifera.
These herbivorous insects (except some omnivorous ones that feed on animal feces and tissues) are commonly found on vegetations especially on grasses and cereal plants.
Many animals prey on them including birds, rodents, snakes, skunks, lizards, frogs, coyote among others. What about rabbits? Do they munch them too?
Do bunnies eat them?
No. Rabbits do not eat grasshoppers or any other bug including crickets, fleas, beetles, moths, spiders, mites, aphids, and so on. Why?
1. They are herbivores (vegetarian)
Bunnies are herbivores whose hindgut digestive system can handle well safe plant materials. Therefore, they rely on plants only as a source of their energy and their ideal diets are high in fiber but low in energy.
On the other hand, grasshoppers are high in proteins with considerable amounts of fats and carbohydrates while they have low amounts of fiber. This makes them unhealthy for these pets and they may cause gastrointestinal problems.
2. They don’t have hunting skills
Unlike cats and dogs which have hunting skills, bunnies depend on stationary foods since they do not have the ability to pursue, capture and devour their preys. On the contrary, they are prey animals.
Furthermore, these pets are not interested in moving things and such things can easily scare them. Try rolling a toy such as a chew toy and your bunny will ignore it until it stops moving completely.
Therefore, should they see a grasshopper or any other moving bug, they will tend to ignore it or even get scared.
Conclusion
Unless it occurs accidentally while eating or foraging, under normal circumstances, rabbits do not capture and eat grasshoppers.
However, if given, especially dead ones, they will chomp them since these animals eat almost anything given to them. Always avoid giving them these insects, even the dead ones since they are not healthy.