Peaches make a healthy, yummy snack. If you enjoy sharing your favorite fruits and vegetables with your bunnies, then you may be wondering, can rabbits eat peaches?
The simple answer is yes! Your rabbits will enjoy peaches almost as much as you. However, there are a few things to consider when feeding your pet peaches. These include the type of peach, quantity, and frequency.
Table of contents
Before tossing your rabbit a bit of peach from your plate, keep reading this guide to learn everything you need to know about feeding peaches to your furry companion.
Peach Nutritional Facts
While peaches may be sweet, they surprisingly don’t contain a lot of calories. So you and your rabbit can eat them guilt-free!
One large peach contains:
- 3 calories
- 3g fiber
- 3g carbohydrates
- 0.4g fat
- 6g protein
Similar to other fruits and vegetables, peaches offer a range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep your bunny healthy and happy.
These include:
- 333mg potassium
- 570iu vitamin A
- 7mcg folate
- 6mg vitamin C
- 7mg magnesium
- 0.1mg manganese
- 0.1mg cooper
- 0.3mg pantothenic acid
- 0.4mg iron
- 5mg copper
- 35mg phosphorus
- 6mcg vitamin K
So, Can Rabbits Have Peaches?
Absolutely! In fact, rabbits love peaches.
Although, there are a few things to remember when feeding your rabbits peaches. For one, when using fresh peaches, make sure to remove the pits as these contain small amounts of cyanide that is toxic for rabbits. Likewise, when preparing the peach, it’s a good idea to remove the skin.
On the other hand, peaches that are preserved, canned, or frozen are not suitable for your rabbits. Typically, fresh peaches contain a high level of sugars and these peaches mentioned generally contain added sugars – which should be avoided when feeding your rabbit.
Are Peaches Good For Rabbits?
Yes! Perches are good for rabbits. However, it’s a general rule that too much of a good thing can be bad for your rabbit. When introducing peaches to your rabbit’s diet, make sure to feed them a little at a time; while sticking to their feeding guidelines.
Moreover, too much sugar could upset your rabbit’s delicate digestive systems and lead to serious problems.
Do Rabbits Like Peaches?
As previously mentioned, rabbits love peaches! If offered a slice of peach, they are very unlikely to turn their noses to it.
One way to see if your rabbit likes peaches is by offering them small pieces at a time, then seeing how they respond to them. If they wiggle their whiskers in appreciation, you’ll know they’re enjoying it!
How Much Is Too Much?
Too many peaches are bad for your bunny. So, how much is ok?
If you have a baby bunny, you should avoid feeding them peaches at all costs. However, if you have an adult rabbit, 1 teaspoon of peach per 2 pounds of their body weight will suffice.
Any rabbits that have never tried fruits before should only have one-quarter of a teaspoon.
Whereas, rabbits with more experience with fruits can have half the recommended serving of peach when first introduced to it.
If it is your rabbit’s first time eating a peach, then you’ll need to keep an eye on them for the next 24 hours. Especially looking for signs of bloating, diarrhea, and indigestion. Any of these signs means you should stop feeding your rabbit peaches.
If your rabbit continues to poop and eat as normal and isn’t showing any of the mentioned signs, then you can continue offering small amounts of peach to your furry friend. Gradually work your way into offering a full serving.
See also: Can Rabbits Eat Pomegranate?
How Often Is It OK?
Once or twice a week is a general rule. However, make sure not too many sweet fruits on the same day as too much sugar can lead to serious health problems for your rabbit.
The Correct Diet Is Important
Rabbits need a varied diet to remain happy and healthy. While feeding them a few sweet treats a week is perfectly acceptable, this should always be accompanied by their regular diets of hay and pellets.
If you feed your rabbit too many treats, they may get full and not want to eat their necessary foods.
Below, you will find the recommended diet to keep your rabbit fit and healthy. This includes:
- Fresh water – To remain healthy, all animals need fresh, clean water. Therefore, make sure your bunny is always supplied with water. Moreover, at least once a day, make sure you rinse and clean your rabbit’s drinking bottle – nobody enjoys drinking dirty water!
- Rabbit pellets – When choosing what pellets to purchase for your rabbit, make sure to look at the age recommendation and the description to make sure it matches your bunnies’ requirements.
- Fresh hay – Eighty percent of your rabbit’s diet could be composed of hay. This ensures your rabbit’s digestive system is moving smoothly and helps to wear their sharp teeth down.
- Greens – You should feed your rabbit around one cup of leafy green vegetables per two pounds of your rabbit’s weight, as well as a few crunchy vegetables.
- Seeds – Around one tablespoon of unsalted seeds including sunflower seeds, pepitas, and pumpkin seeds (see also ‘Can Rabbits Eat Pumpkin?‘). However, these can be left out if already included in their feed.
- Vegetables and fruits – Small amounts of fruit and vegetables. You want to offer them no more than a teaspoon per two pounds of their body weight.
Lastly, you should keep your rabbits supplied with various chewable toys including untreated softwood sticks, unbleached loofahs, hay cubes, and other toys that your rabbit can easily chew on.
These are important as your rabbit’s teeth are constantly growing, these help to prevent their teeth from being overgrown which leads to painful or even infected teeth.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to provide your rabbit with a well-balanced, nutritious diet. Peaches make a delicious treat for a bunny, although; only in small amounts. Hopefully, this guide has informed you on whether or not rabbits eat peaches.