A rabbit's diet will mostly consist of hay, grass, and leafy plants but sometimes, they'll go for whatever else is available. Wild rabbits for example will nibble away at flowers, fruits, twigs, seeds and even strip down some bark from various trees to complete their diet. Domesticated rabbits might choose your laptop cord or something similar and any other plants and flowers they might find in your house.
But is it ok to leave your furry hopping friend gnaw on anything he can find in your home? We don't mean the various cords and electric cables - that's a clear no, but the flowers you might have. We know they can eat plants but can rabbits eat flowers too? Let's find out.
Can Rabbits Eat Flowers
The appropriate answer here is yes and no. Yes, rabbits can eat flowers in general - they actually love them - and by flowers we mean the petals, and no because they can't eat all the flowers, as some of them are not edible and considered poisonous or can cause them serious digestive problems.
As we mentioned earlier, wild rabbits will choose flowers to supplement their dietary needs depending on what territory they find themselves in and what's generally available as food there. Usually, wild rabbits can choose between healthy and toxic foods, but with domesticated rabbits, you can't know for sure. Some of them don't differentiate good from bad foods anymore, and partly because they don't have the diversity they would have into the wild.
Also, rabbits' teeth grow continuously, so they need to chew on things to keep them at optimal length, which is why our pet rabbits might choose to chew on things they're not supposed to, like cords, furniture or the various flowers we might have in our homes and gardens.
So, in general rabbits can and will eat flowers, as long as they are edible. While wild rabbits will know what petals to choose and what not to touch, your indoor rabbit might not know that, so it's important you have an idea about the matter.
What Flowers Can Rabbits Eat
Usually, the flowers and petals we humans can eat, are also good for your pet rabbit as well, but we'll try to provide you with a list of common flowers rabbits can eat without any problems.
So here they are some of the most common edible plants for rabbits:
- Common Daisy
- Lilly
- Pot Marigold
- Yarrow
- Dill
- Daisy
- Sunflower
- Lavender
- Primrose
- Jasmine
- Rose
- Hibiscus
- Dandelion
- Rosemary
- Chamomile
- Clover
- Coriander
- Wild Pansy
Sure, the list isn't exhaustive, so if you encounter a flower that you don't know if it's safe for your bunny or not, it's recommended you do a little bit of research before feeding it to him.
One other important thing to keep in mind when buying flowers specifically to feed to your rabbit is to make sure they are not treated with chemicals or other pesticides. Only buy the ones which are tagged edible or which the vendor can guarantee for.
