A healthy rabbit should get fresh fruits and vegetables as part of its daily diet. Fresh foods not only give your rabbit the right vitamins and minerals, but they can be used as a great training tool and treat. While there are plenty of fruits that are unsafe for your rabbit, dragon fruit is not one of them.
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Dragon fruit (also known as dragonfruit, pitaya, and pitahaya) is an excellent option for your rabbit as long as you limit the amount your rabbit receives. Ensure your rabbit is old enough to start eating fresh fruit before giving it dragon fruit. Rabbits over the age of 7 months can usually tolerate small portions (about the size of a rabbit paw) once per week. If you notice any digestive issues, like diarrhea, scale back the amount of dragon fruit you give your rabbit, or stop using this fruit entirely.
What is a Healthy Diet For a Rabbit?
Keeping a balanced diet for your rabbit is essential for overall health and wellness. The majority of your rabbit’s diet should come from hays and grasses. While fresh grass is always preferred, dried grass can provide as many vitamins and nutrients and is often easier for pet owners to buy and store. Hay and grass are rich in Vitamin A and D and have plenty of calcium to promote a healthy life.
About 75% of your rabbit’s diet should come from hay and grass, and your rabbit should be fed an unlimited supply. Some great hay options for your rabbit include timothy hay, wheatgrass, alfalfa, orchard grass, oat hay, and brome. If you allow your rabbit to eat fresh grass, ensure the grass has not been treated with pesticides or insecticides, which could be toxic for a rabbit.
Another 15% of your rabbit’s diet should come from dark green leafy vegetables. Rabbits love to eat spinach, broccoli, and kale, giving them the necessary vitamins to stay healthy. Try to avoid pale leafy lettuces like romaine (see also ‘Do Rabbits Eat Romaine Lettuce?‘) and lettuce, which are too high in moisture content to provide much nutritional value.
The remaining 5% of your rabbit’s diet should consist of high-quality pellets that are rich in fiber and the occasional treat. Rabbits enjoy fresh and dried fruits about once per week. Limit the amount of dried fruit you give your rabbit because these are generally higher in sugar content. If possible, try to avoid giving your rabbit commercially sold rabbit treats because these are high in sugar and carbohydrates.
How Much Should I Feed My Rabbit?
Related: Can Rabbits Eat Pineapple?
Keeping your rabbit a suitable weight is one of the best ways to keep your rabbit healthy. Rabbits should always have a continuous supply of hay and grass, never moderated or limited. Hay and grass are a staple of a rabbit’s diet and provide fiber, calcium, and vitamin A.
For every two pounds your rabbit weighs, give your rabbit one cup of greens each day. Suitable green vegetables can include spinach, kale, and broccoli. To help keep your rabbit healthy, space out their green intake throughout the day, breaking one cup into several quarter-cup portions. Not only will your rabbit appreciate the tasty treat throughout the day, but portioning the greens will keep your rabbit’s digestive tract healthier.
If you give your rabbit too many sugary foods, like fruit, your pet rabbit will likely become obese and develop digestive tract issues. Obesity in rabbits is extremely dangerous and can lead to other potentially deadly diseases, like diabetes, kidney disease, and fatty liver disease. Always keep fruit in moderation, and if you notice your rabbit is putting on weight, remove access treats and fruit first from your rabbit’s diet.
Do Baby Rabbits Need a Special Diet?
When rabbits are babies, they will rely on their mother’s milk until about six to eight weeks of age. However, when baby rabbits are about four weeks old, they will start to eat some of the same solid foods their mother will eat. A baby rabbit’s digestive system will not fully transition to accept solid food until eight weeks old. It is essential to provide the right quality foods and the right types of nutrition for your baby rabbit, so it grows into a strong and healthy adult.
Hay
Even if a baby rabbit will not eat hay, it is a good idea to introduce hay at an early age, even while the rabbit is still nursing. Hay is very gentle, and the baby will need fiber to develop its digestive system. Giving your rabbit finely chopped alfalfa, rich in valuable calcium and protein, can help a growing rabbit develop strong bones and muscles.
Pellets
Although only a portion of your adult rabbit’s diet will consist of pellets, it is a good idea to give a baby rabbit pellets because they have more nutritional requirements. Find pellets around 16% protein, compared to the typical 12% protein generally used for adult rabbits. While a baby rabbit can certainly tolerate an unlimited pellet supply, this feeding technique can form bad eating habits as an adult, creating an adult rabbit that is too reliant on unhealthy pellets.
Fruit
Fruit can be hard on a rabbit’s digestive system, so use caution before giving a baby rabbit fresh fruit. Usually, a rabbit should not have fruit until at least six months of age. However, there are exceptions to giving fresh fruit to a baby rabbit. If the mother rabbit has been eating fresh fruit, even while nursing her young babies, chances are the baby rabbits have had some fresh fruit as they grow and transition to solid foods. In this case, giving your baby rabbit small amounts of fruit is acceptable. If you are unsure if the mother rabbit was eating fresh fruit while her babies were nursing, be sure to ask the breeder before assuming a baby rabbit can eat fruit. Your breeder should be able to tell you what the mother rabbit was eating, so you can mimic the same diet at home.
What Other Fruits Are Safe for Rabbits?
Fruits are a healthy way to give your rabbit some additional vitamins and minerals, but they can also be high in sugar and carbohydrates. A rabbit’s diet should never include more than 5% fruit. For a rabbit, fruit should make up about one teaspoon for every two pounds of body weight, given daily. Always be sure to give your rabbit organic fruit if possible, and thoroughly wash any fruit purchased from the grocery store.
Some great fruit options for your rabbit include:
- Apples
- Pears
- Kiwi
- Papaya (when available)
- Cherries (Pits must be removed first)
- Apricot
- Mango
- Melons (Remove seeds before giving them to your rabbit)
- Bananas
- Nectarines
Final Thoughts
Like people, rabbits need a healthy diet that provides the necessary vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong. Rabbits rely on a steady stream of hay and grass, combined with leafy green vegetables, minimal high-quality pellets, and the occasional treat of fresh fruit. Giving your adult rabbit small portions of dragon fruit is perfectly healthy and safe for your pet rabbit. Continuously monitor the amount of fruit your rabbit eats because it can be high in sugar content and carbohydrates. Fruit should never make up more than 5% of your rabbit’s total diet.