Can Rabbits Eat Celery?

Celery is the cousin of carrots and parsley, and they all live in a vegetable family called Apiaceae. If you’re familiar with the Bugs Bunny character that’s always munching on a carrot, and if celery is related to carrots, you must assume that this vegetable is safe for your little one.

And it is. And it’s also not.

Whether rabbits can eat celery is a more complex question. Sure, celery is filled with water, fiver, and it’s delicious. But it can also prove dangerous. 

Read this article to find out why.

PROS

  • Your rabbit needs to eat about a cup of vegetables per day. Rabbits require especially dark, green veggies that most closely resemble the grass, plants, and weeds they eat in the wild. Luckily, celery is a delicious veggie and chances are your rabbit will love it.
  • Celery is packed with important micronutrients. Your rabbit needs to stay healthy, and just like humans, its body works on vitamin and minerals. Celery contains a good mix of calcium, folate, iron, phosphorus, zinc, folic acid, choline, magnesium, and potassium, plus all the alphabet of vitamins.
  • Celery is rich in fibre. Rabbits are herbivores and their intestines have evolved to digest foods that are rich in fibre, low in protein and with no fat content. Celery fits the bill perfectly, thus helping your rabbit’s immune system thrive.
  • Celery is crunchy. You probably already know that rabbits’ teeth grow throughout their lives, but eating crunchy foods trims their teeth naturally. Celery fits the bill again, saving your bunny against dental problems.

CONS

can rabbits eat celery leaves

1. Celery strings are dangerous. Celery strings can get blocked either in your bunny’s stomach or in its teeth. In the first case, the blockage can lead to death. In second, it can lead to infection and dental problems.

What to do about it: To avoid the dangers of celery strings, cut your celery in small sections of approximately one inch.

2. Celery can cause GI problems. Rabbits are prone to stomach upsets whenever they eat new food items, or when they eat too much of something.

What to do about it: To avoid causing your rabbit an upset stomach, introduce celery gradually into his diet. Start with a small 1-inch bit and watch for adverse reactions like gas or diarrhea. 

3. Celery packs a lot of sugar for rabbits. Although celery’s sugar content is negligible for humans, it’s quite a lot for rabbits to take. Of course, there are other fruits and veggies that are richer in sugar than celery, but that doesn’t mean you should overdo it with this particular vegetable.

How Much Celery Should I Feed My Rabbit? Tips And Tricks 

The rule of thumb is to give your rabbit a maximum of half a celery stick per day.

This rule is flexible, though.

  • One adult, big rabbit such as the Flemish Giant can eat two celery stalks per day. Dwarf breeds need probably just a third of celery stalk per day.
  • It’s not mandatory to give your rabbit half a celery stalk each day. You can mix half a celery stalk with other veggies, or you can give him a whole celery stalk one day and no celery for the next two days.

Remember to cut your celery stalk in small pieces and to start with a small, 1-inch piece in case your bunny doesn’t tolerate this vegetable.

Here are other things to remember:

  • Wash the celery carefully before offering it to your bunny in case it has pesticides.
  • Don’t offer celery to baby rabbits. Your bunny should be at least 12 weeks old before receiving any veggies in its diet.
  • You can allow your rabbit to munch on celery leaves too, which have similar properties to the stalks.
  • You can give your bunny both raw and cooked celery, but raw celery has more nutrients and it’s crunchier, therefore better for your rabbit.

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