When it comes to feeding your furry friend healthy foods, you may have been left wondering, “can rabbits eat arugula?” Well yes, indeed! Rabbits can eat arugula or, as the leaves are called, rocket leaves. There are no toxic parts in any of the arugula plants, so rabbits can eat the leaves, stems, and flowers as well. As with all things for rabbit consumption, you need to feed it to your rabbit in moderation so they don’t get digestive upset, as their tummies are very sensitive.
Table of contents
- What is in a Rabbit’s Diet?
- What Exactly is “Rocket” Arugula?
- Do Rabbits like Arugula?
- Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Arugula?
- What Greens Not to Mix with Arugula?
- How Often Can I Feed Arugula to My Bunny?
- Health Benefits of Arugula for Rabbits
- How to Feed Arugula to Rabbits
- What Are Other Good Greens To Mix with Arugula?
- What is the Best Healthy Diet for a Rabbit?
- Conclusion
Arugula contains Vitamins A, C, K, Calcium, and other minerals that are good for your bunny. You should realize that it contains a lot of calcium, so it can’t be overfed to your furry friend or it can cause digestive tract upset and kidney stones. But feeding your rabbit the right amount of rocket arugula in moderation won’t harm him.
What is in a Rabbit’s Diet?
Your rabbit should have a diet of 80 to 90 percent hay every day. Grass hays such as timothy work well and rabbits love it too. It helps to keep their teeth in good shape as well as the entire body. Your bunny should eat about 1/4 cup of rabbit pellets per day and then supplement the diet with nice fresh veggies and fruits, of which rocket arugula is a great choice.
What Exactly is “Rocket” Arugula?
Rocket arugula is the same as arugula. “Rocket” is derived from the French “Roquette”, which is simiply Arugula.
Rocket arugula is in the Brassicaceae or the mustard family and is much like mustard greens. It has many other names in different areas, such as rocket, roquette, and rucola, among others. It has a peppery taste and is great in salads for humans. It’s native for its medicinal purposes in the Mediterranean. The leaves have a sweet but peppery taste and they are very tender.
Rocket arugula has a lot of vitamin A in it that helps to maintain your rabbit’s organ function and vitamin C for strengthening the immune system and reducing inflammation. Calcium is also found in this dark green vegetable and it protects your rabbit’s teeth. It does have a lower amount of minerals as well, such as iron, vitamin K, copper, zinc, folate, and magnesium for good health. Rocket arugula is rich in antioxidants to protect against cell damage and cancers and to reduce inflammation.
Do Rabbits like Arugula?
Most rabbits enjoy the flavor of arugula because it is a dark green leafy vegetable with a tender texture and just a bit of a crunch to it. You can try your rabbit on a tiny portion of it as a dietary treat and see if he likes it. Remember to only introduce one new food at a time and watch your rabbit for 24 hours for any signs of digestive upset or diarrhea. If your rabbit doesn’t care about the flavor, then it’s okay because there are lots of other choices in fresh veggies for your bunny.
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Arugula?
Any time you cook a food, the natural nutrition, and vitamins leach out of it, making it not as healthy. You should only feed your furry friend raw arugula. When you buy it at the grocery store, wash it thoroughly with water and a vegetable brush. This will remove any wax or pesticides that are on it from growing in a field. You can add other tasty greens to your rabbit too, as long as he’s had them with no adverse reactions in the past. Try your bunny on kale (see also ‘Can Rabbits Eat Kale?‘), bok choy, basil, mint, and spring greens to name a few that rabbits usually like.
What Greens Not to Mix with Arugula?
Rocket arugula is considered a high oxalic acid green food and it shouldn’t be mixed with other high oxalic greens for your bunny in the same meal or on the same day. Other greens to avoid mixing together with rocket arugula are spinach, beet greens, parsley, and radishes. Avoid doing this to keep your rabbit’s urinary tract in line and to avoid giving him calcium kidney stones which are extremely painful.
How Often Can I Feed Arugula to My Bunny?
When provided in the correct portions and on the right schedule, rocket arugula can be a great dietary supplement for your four-legged family member. However, overfeeding it just as with any other food can cause gastrointestinal distress and lead to several severe health issues.
An adult rabbit can have 2 to 3 small leaves of rocket arugula and it’s best to mix with several other types of greens as well. You should aim for about 1 cup of chopped leafy greens for every 2 pounds of your rabbit’s weight. He can have rocket arugula 2 to 3 times a week if he is not sensitive to it.
Health Benefits of Arugula for Rabbits
Rocket arugula is a good and nutritious leafy green for both humans and rabbits as well. It is low in calories to help your rabbit maintain a healthy body weight. Rocket Arugula is made up of 90% water to help your bunny hydrate through his foods. It also has vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, calcium, potassium, folate, zinc, thiamine, manganese, copper, and phosphorus.
ROcket arugula provides your rabbit with calcium to help the blood to clot normally in the case of a cut or nick and it promotes healthy bone growth, healthy teeth, and muscle functions. The potassium found in rocket arugula helps to maintain heart function and control the blood pressure level.
Vitamin C in rocket arugula helps with muscle development and helps to maintain a healthy blood system. It also acts as an antioxidant to help connective tissues, bones, and skin be healthy.
Vitamin K in rocket arugula helps with blood coagulation and it raises the immune system of your rabbit. It provides vitamin E as an antioxidant and fiber for the digestive system. Vitamin A in rocket arugula provides good night vision and it protects eye health.
How to Feed Arugula to Rabbits
Purchase your rocket arugula when it looks dark green and fresh. If you wish, you can purchase organic arugula. Be sure to wash it thoroughly with water to remove wax and chemicals. Cut the arugula into small pieces when you offer it to your rabbit for the first time. You can mix other greens with it and always make sure your bouncing bunny has plenty of clean water.
Don’t feed any greens to baby bunnies that are less than 12 weeks old because their digestive systems haven’t fully developed yet.
What Are Other Good Greens To Mix with Arugula?
Adult rabbits can eat about 2 cups of leafy greens per day for good health benefits. Other great choices to offer your bunny are cilantro (see also ‘Can Rabbits Eat Cilantro?‘), endive, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, fennel, bok choy, basil, Brussels sprouts, and parsley.
Rabbits should also have some fresh fruit served only about one to two times a week. Many rabbit owners reserve the fruits for high-quality treats for their bunnies, especially when they are training them. Some great examples of fruits for rabbits include oranges, pineapples, papapya, plums, pears, peaches, melons of any type, berries of any type, bananas, grapes (see also ‘Can Rabbits Eat Grapes?‘), and watermelon.
To offer the fruits as a treat, you should wash them first and then cut them into small pieces for your rabbit. You should only feed about 3 to 4 small pieces of fruit to your rabbit at one time. Overfeeding fruits, just like any other food, can cause digestive upset.
What is the Best Healthy Diet for a Rabbit?
The best healthy diet to keep your bunny in tip-top shape consists of several items. First and foremost, you should choose a good quality grass hay such as Timothy hay, orchard grass, or meadow fescue. This is the main food supply for your rabbit, so you want it to be a quality product. Examine the hay to make sure it is fresh and it doesn’t have mold on it, which can harm your rabbit.
Always supply a bottle of fresh water for your rabbit. Eating all that hay requires hydration, so your rabbit will drink more water than you would expect. When you go to feed your rabbit every morning, you should pour out the water in the bottle and rinse it, then put fresh water in it.
Good quality leafy greens are needed daily with 5 to 6 different types of safe greens that are washed. They can eat green vegetables, herbs, and weeds, but you need to remember to add only one new type at a time and in small portions.
Fresh fruits are great for rabbit treats. The maximum per day of fresh fruits should be limited to about 2 tablespoons per day.
Your rabbit pellets should also be of a good quality so they are healthy. The pellets should be a size that is not too big or too small and they should be easy for your rabbit to swallow. Choose a balanced rabbit pellet with multiple vitamins and minerals and without any seeds or sweet fruits in them.
Conclusion
Now you know that your rabbit can eat rocket arugula and all abou the heath benefits it carries as well. It’s great to ad new foods to your rabbits diet so he can have a smorgasboard of flavors to tempt his tastebuds.