Last Updated on March 5, 2023 by Woody Pet

Can rabbits eat spinach – A Guide to feeding spinach to your bunny to your rabbit 

Spinach is a healthy leafy green that any rabbit would gladly enjoy munching when you serve him. This may almost seems harmless and natural when feeding your bunny. The question you should ask yourself even before serving him is, can rabbits eat spinach without major outcomes? Can rabbits eat spinach? Yes, rabbits can indeed eat spinach as a treat. Spinach is very rich in fiber and vitamin C, which are very crucial to his health. However, you should give spinach sparingly because the amount of oxalates is high.

These toxins are very natural but your rabbit sensitive digestive system would not know how to cope, and may end up hindering the function of urinary tract and cause itching of the skin. You may offer spinach to your rabbit once or twice a week. During introduction of any vegetable, offer your bunny a small portion of spinach to test his tolerance and observe any changes. Here is a guide to feeding spinach to your rabbit.

Let us begin!

Why are oxalates bad for rabbit?

Can rabbits eat spinach? Yes, they do ,but how harmful can they be? Spinach is very rich in beta-carotene that is important for body development, Vitamin C, E and K and minerals like potassium, iron, magnesium, folic acid and calcium, which are essential for your rabbit’s healthy life. However, despite the great benefits associated with spinach, it has its downfalls as it contains oxalates that are harmful in significant quantities.

So why are oxalates bad for rabbits? Oxalates are organic acids not poisonous substances like pesticides. When you serve spinach in large portions to your rabbits, the oxalates can hinder his urinary tract and cause itchiness of the skin or the mouth. Still, do not avoid serving him spinach, but rather stick to a healthy moderate amount and all will be well. Spinach benefits are greater than the cons though, so if you serve your rabbit spinach regularly, know that oxalates become more toxic. Other foods like parsley contain oxalates and you should not serve together with spinach.

The best feeding recommendations are:

• As a rabbit owner, feed him 3 – 5 leafs per day and consider changing and mixing his vegetables all the time during the week.
• An appropriate amount of greens to feed your rabbit should be around 1 cup of greens for 2lbs body weight in a day or divided into multiple feedings a day.
• If you feed him too much in a day, avoid serving him for the next period.

Feeding your rabbit once or twice per week at most is enough, and in fall rather than spring or summer, is a better maneuver if you want to avoid oxalates. In addition, the oxalate acid content depends on the type of soil too.

How do you feed spinach to your rabbit?

Canned or cooked spinach

Rabbits are not capable of properly digesting cooked food and it is a guarantee that oxalate acid content would low in the processing of cooking. Canned spinach is also another form of cooked spinach with salt and water. You should opt for raw spinach and you will see how great they will enjoy.

Frozen spinach

Frozen spinach is not recommendable and other leafy greens too except kale. You may want to consider planting spinach in the garden. If you dint have spinach in the house, consider skipping it and offer him his usual diet that usually contains, hay, pellets and water. The fresher the spinach, the better and your bunny will appreciate a fresh small portion of spinach not yellowish or molded. Spinach sored in a pile together is not recommendable for your bunny.

Adult rabbits and Young rabbits

The best advisable time to introduce veggies is when your rabbit is two months old. Before introducing any type of fresh food to your rabbit, make sure he eats fresh hay for at least two weeks first.

Can wild rabbits eat spinach?

Can rabbits eat spinach? Yes, all rabbits whether pets or wild eat spinach. Be careful when serving wild rabbit spinach or other vegetables, since they are not used to vegies like this; with lots of nutrients and when given in significant quantities can cause diarrhea.

How do you feed your rabbit spinach? Now you know the answer to that question. However, when it comes to plants, they vary with how they are planted, grown or harvested. 

Benefits derived from spinach to your rabbit

Did you know that there are only 23 calories in 100grams of spinach? It has many benefits other than being tasty. Spinach is rich in fiber in their diet aids rabbits in proper digestion that is crucial for a rabbit because the process of peristalsis does not occur.  Fiber is essential for your rabbits and without it, they develop GI stasis, where generally, the digestive tract slows down, leading to death. The stalks and stems of spinach are the most fibrous parts while the roots have high sugar content than the other parts of the plant.

Therefore, if you are worried about their fiber consumption, consider cutting spinach stalks and stems and feed them to your rabbit. Another benefit derived from spinach to your rabbit, is that it has high water content that helps your bunny to stay hydrated. In addition, spinach is very high in beta-carotene and vitamin A, which is essential for your rabbit’s body development. Moreover, spinach has many vitamins and minerals including, vitamin C, E, K and calcium and potassium and many more.

Conclusion

Can rabbits eat spinach? Yes, and by now you know the answer to that question, and on how to feed your bunny and am sure you are aware of crucial details you turned a blind eye before. You should limit the amount of spinach you give to your bunny; serve him in moderate portions. Do not replace his staple diet that contains hay supplemented with few pellets and other vegetable with spinach leafs. There are benefits derived from spinach leafs and they include, full of fiber, high water content, full of beta-carotene and vitamin A and rich in irons and minerals.

There are some risks associated with feeding rabbit’s spinach like, high in oxalate acids that prevent the absorption of iron and calcium hence leading to an upset stomach if piled for long period. I hope you learnt a thing or two about feeding spinach to your bunny. Thank you!