Feeding rabbits is a fun activity for both the pet and its doting owner. Rabbits love to nibble on as much food as they can get.
The ideal food for rabbits should be a diet that consists of hay, fiber, and enough veggies. But, rabbits, much like humans, love to get treats all the time.
Peaches happen to be one of these treats. As a concerned owner, you’re likely to be curious about whether or not your pet can have an unregulated amount of peaches without consequences.
In this article, we’ll clear that skepticism. We’ll also tell you what peaches offer to your rabbits. You’ll also get to learn a few tips and tricks for feeding peaches to your rabbits.
Can Rabbits Eat Peaches?
Yes, rabbits can have peaches. However, it would be best if you only served peaches to rabbits as an occasional treat, rather than a sole meal. You can add slices of peaches to their dessert or snacks.
Peaches contain a high amount of nutrients and compounds that are beneficial to a rabbit’s overall health. But, these nutrients, if given in excess, can become a health threat for your rabbits. You should always feed your rabbits with moderation.
Furthermore, rabbits cannot eat every part of a peach. So, for their safety, you should not just let them have the entire fruit. Further in this article, we’ll discuss the edible and inedible parts.
Nutritional Benefits Of Peaches
As we mentioned earlier, peaches contain a high amount of nutrients and compounds that can benefit rabbits. One medium-sized peach fruit of 100 grams contains an average of 3g of fiber, 6g of protein, 3g of carbohydrates, and 3 calories.
In addition to these, the fruit also contains minimal amounts of the following nutrients:
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin A
- Phosphorus
- Niacin
- Cooper
- Vitamin K
- Pantothenic acid
- Riboflavin
- Carbohydrate
- Protein
Each of these nutrients provides a distinct flavor and health benefit to both humans and bunnies. Due to the long list of component nutrients, it is self-evident that one single peach contains a sufficient amount of nutrients for your bunny.
How Are Peaches Healthy For Bunnies?
An appropriate amount of peach for your rabbit is the perfect health boost it needs to stay alive. Peaches have fiber content. These fibrous nutrients serve as powerful antioxidants.
These antioxidants help to safeguard and strengthen the rabbit’s immunity system. Carotenoids and phenols, which primarily constitute a peach’s composition, will eliminate the possibility of cancer and tumors in your rabbit’s system.
Furthermore, this fibrous content will help with gut and digestion. This eliminates all existing GI stasis within the rabbit’s system.
The nutrients in peaches will serve as protective elements for your rabbit’s liver and kidney.
Peaches are an excellent option if you’d like your rabbit’s vision and skin condition enhanced.
The vitamins that these peaches contain help in no little way to balance and maintain the rabbit’s overall health.
Why Do Rabbits Love Peaches?
Rabbits love peaches because of their high level of sugar. A medium-sized peach can contain as much as 12 grams of sugar.
Peaches are like candy to rabbits. Sugar is an addictive substance, for both humans and animals alike.
Offering your rabbit as many peaches as they like will cause them to develop an addiction to them and a distaste for other foods.
This high sugar level is the primary reason rabbits should only consume peaches in moderate amounts. If you let your rabbits consume it in excess, they could develop obesity and other such
The acidic content of peaches is another reason rabbits love them. But, when they consume it excessively, this acidity can also cause mouth sores and further problems.
Can Pregnant Bunnies Eat Peaches?
Peaches are a healthy meal for rabbits. However, you should keep it away from your pregnant bunny. The rabbit’s stomach at this point is extremely sensitive even to little amounts of peaches. You may unknowingly expose your pregnant rabbit to gestational diabetes if you as much as give them a little peach treat.
If you allow them to consume an excessive amount of it, you risk harming the babies that they carry.
When a rabbit is pregnant, you should stick to a strict diet of hay, pellets, vegetables, and a sufficient amount of water. Also, at this point, you should prioritize fresh food over canned or preserved food.
Can Peaches Be Poisonous To Bunnies?
Yes, they can. But only if you feed it to your rabbits excessively. There are gut bacteria that are responsible for food digestion. These bacteria will be disturbed if too many peaches are sent into the stomach at once.
By extension, too much sugar can increase their chances of digestive problems. These digestive problems also have fatal consequences for the rabbits.
Once your peach-loving rabbit begins to show symptoms such as diarrhea and stomach bloating, you can be sure they have consumed an excess of it behind your back.
A single peach fruit contains a high amount of sugar. Taking more than one increases the likelihood of diabetes and gastrointestinal issues.
Tips For Feeding Peaches To A Bunny
Can Rabbits Eat Peaches? Here are some helpful tips for feeding peaches to a rabbit.
- If you’re introducing your rabbits to peaches, start with tiny amounts. There’s a high possibility that they would like it and wag their tails for more. But, most times, a change in diet can cause stomach upset and diarrhea for most rabbits.
- After the first time, observe how the rabbits respond to the peaches. This would aid in your decision regarding whether to continue giving it to them or quit.
- You should not keep the peaches where the rabbits can find them.
- These peach treats should best come once a week.
- Only feed organically-grown peaches to your rabbits.
- Prepare the peaches before you hand them over to the rabbits.
- If you want to treat them more than once a week, serve the peaches alongside some healthy food. Ensure that they are in small quantities too.
- Do not serve peaches to your rabbits alongside other sweet food.
- Don’t introduce more than one food at a time to your rabbit. You can start with peaches, and give them time to adapt before introducing another.
Before you feed peaches to rabbits, you should ensure they are properly washed and free of chemicals. Use a knife to cut it into sizable pieces before you let your rabbits have it. This way, you can ensure your rabbit is eating safely, and eating healthily.
Which Rabbits Should Not Eat Peaches?
Peaches are especially harmful to the following categories of rabbits:
Baby rabbits
The young digestive system of a bunny might not be able to eat the portions of peaches that you let it consume. The health issues that would arise as a result of excessive sugar intake can be fatal for your baby rabbit.
You should be careful about the rabbit’s diet at this stage of its life. Do not feed them any form of artificial sugar or too many vegetables. If possible, consult a vet to draft a good diet plan for you.
Overweight rabbits
Sugar is a causative factor for obesity in rabbits. So, it makes no sense to keep giving them peaches when they are overweight. The high protein and fat content of peaches can cause more fat accumulation. This can put the life of the rabbit at risk.
Sick rabbits
Put the treats on hold when your rabbit is sick. Only stick to healthy food until it recovers fully. If your rabbit has no appetite, you could mix a very small slice of peach in its meal as an appetite stimulant.
Old rabbits
As your rabbits get older, you should reduce the amount of sugary food you let them consume. The rabbit’s diet at this point should only consist of healthy natural foods and supplements. This can elongate its lifespan, and give you both more time together.
Parts Of Peaches Rabbits Can Eat
One of the tips for feeding peaches to your rabbits states that you should prepare peaches before you let your rabbits have them. This is because not every part of a peach is healthy for your rabbit.
Rabbits can eat the skins and flesh of peach fruit. These parts contain all the necessary nutrients rabbits need and are completely safe for them.
Don’t allow them anywhere near the:
- Stem: The stem of a peach plant contains cyanide. Cyanide is a poisonous chemical that can cause damage to the heart, brain, and body cells of anything that consumes it. Acute cyanide poisoning can be fatal. Asides from the poison, these stems can also choke your rabbits to death.
- Pits: The rabbits would not even consume the pits on their own. These pits have a taste that most rabbits find unfavorable. Asides from this, the pits are poisonous and can also be a choking factor for these rabbits.
- Leaves: Peach leaves are toxic for your rabbits. Never mistake them for an edible vegetable else you may lose your beloved rabbit.
Moderate Peach Levels For Rabbits
The size of your rabbit is a deciding factor for how many peaches it should get. As a general rule, you should only give a rabbit one teaspoon of peaches for every 2 pounds it weighs. Do not give your rabbit more than this quota daily.
On days when rabbits get these peach treats, you should make sure they also get healthy complementary food that can balance the effect of the sugar in their system.
Rabbits love to hoard food. If you find a peach fruit in its cage after 12-24 hours, you should dispose of it. It is no longer healthy for the rabbit’s consumption.
If you overfeed them, you’ll bear the consequences. Cleaning up and treating rabbits for diarrhea is not the most pleasant experience.
Asides from diarrhea, they also stand a risk of stomach upset and obesity
What Goes Well With Peaches?
It’s been established that a peach-only diet is fatal to the health and well-being of rabbits. So, here are some healthy alternatives that you can complement peaches with:
| Fruits | Vegetables | Herbs |
| Grapes | Bok choy | Yarrows |
| Apple | Eggplants | Borage |
| Carrots | Brussel sprouts | Lavender |
| Tomatoes | Fennel | Basil |
| Star fruit | Pumpkin | Oregano |
| Currents | Radish tops | Thyme |
| Apricot | Rocket | Dill |
| Pear | Cauliflower | Shepherd’s purse |
| Papaya | Raspberry | Chamomile |
| Peach | Beets | Parsley |
| Berries | Turnip | Clover |
| Plum | Mustard green | Rosemary |
Can You Preserve Peaches For Your Rabbit?
Fresh fruits and vegetables are the ideal foods for rabbits. You should not try to preserve peaches for your rabbits. Once the water is dried off, the calories and the sugar become concentrated. This poses a higher health risk for any rabbit that consumes it.
Asides from the health risks involved, it would be difficult for you to get a peach fruit to last long without causing discomfort to the other items in your fridge.
Besides, when you try to freeze peaches, they become quite solid. Rabbits that consume frozen peaches risk choking.
Furthermore, when peaches are dried, they lose a large number of nutrients and compounds that make them healthy and desirable. There’s a chance that your rabbits may no longer fancy these peaches if you try to dry them.
Pros And Cons To Consider
Here are some of the pros and cons that should help you decide whether or not you should feed your rabbits some peaches:
Pros
- They make your rabbits happy
- They are easily accessible
- They have all the necessary vitamins your rabbit needs to stay healthy and alive.
- They have nutritional constituents that keep your rabbit’s organs and systems intact.
Cons
- You may unknowingly allow an excessive intake.
- Some side effects can be fatal for your rabbit.
- Your rabbits can become addicted and want nothing else.
- You always have to be cautious every time you feed them.
Canned Peaches For Rabbits: Yes Or No?
No!
There are so many reasons why your pet rabbit should not be allowed to consume canned peaches or processed food of any kind.
The natural sugar content of peaches poses enough threats to the rabbit’s organs. When they are processed with extra chemicals, this sugar content is bound to rise. One can of processed peaches causes as much damage as 5 fresh fruits.
Dried peaches are a better option compared to canned peaches, yet even these dried peaches are hazardous enough.
Final Thoughts
Can Rabbits Eat Peaches? Peaches are the right choice if you’re looking for a healthy treat to keep your bunnies happy. However, they can also pose severe health benefits.
But, you can keep your rabbit healthy if you only allow moderate consumption. You can serve the peaches as a sole treatment. But, it’s always best to include other healthy supplements to balance the diet.
Can Rabbits Eat Peaches? Peaches should not be everyday treats. No matter how much your bunny looks at you with the most loving eyes, learn to hold your ground. It’s for their good.