Have you ever wonder can rabbits eat peanut butter? No, peanut butter is one of the bad treats you can include in your rabbits treat or give to it as a delicacy. Handling my bunnies require great insight as to what you can feed them, what are toxic to their health and why you need careful before introducing new fruits or meal to bunnies.
So, why is it unsafe to feed rabbits peanut butter? We have cover all of these in the subsequent paragraph, you can read on to get more information on peanut butter and bunnies diets.
Can Rabbits Eat Peanut Butter?
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Rabbits should not be given peanut butter. Rabbits cannot be poisoned by peanut butter, but it is an unsuitable meal for their fragile digestive system. A serving of peanut butter contains a lot of fat. Bunnies, whose diets must be low in fat and rich in fiber, can get GI stasis from ingesting too much peanut butter.
Read Also: Is It Safe To Include Cheese In Rabbits Diet? [Vet Review]
The Nutritional Explanation Of Why Peanut Butter Is Harmful To Rabbits
Humans love peanut butter as a spread, but rabbits don’t like it. According to the information in the following table, peanut butter does not provide rabbits with the nutrients they require, and it also contains nutrients that they do not require in excess and that are harmful to them.
Nutritional Value Of Peanut To Rabbit
Ingredient | Peanut butter per 100g | Rabbit daily nutritional requirements per 100g of feed | Comments |
Energy | 598 kcal | Peanut butter is high in calories. Just like humans, rabbits need to watch their weight. High energy foods like this don’t help. | |
Protein | 22.2 g | 12-17 g | Peanut butter is high in proteins. You might think that this is a good thing, but the higher concentration of proteins in the rabbit gut could cause problems, upsetting the balance of bacteria inside the rabbit intestinal system. |
Fat | 51.4 g | 2.5-5 g | Peanut butter is much too high in fat for rabbits. This can create short term problems in the gut, and longer term issues over rabbits becoming overweight. This is a major concern for peanut butter as part of the diet. |
Fibre | 5 g | 14-25 g | Rabbits need a lot of fibre in their diets to keep food moving through their digestive system. Without fibre, it all blocks up and creates problems. Peanut butter doesn’t provide much fibre. |
Carbohydrates | 22.3 g | < 20 g | Rabbits need a relatively low carbohydrate diet. Peanut butter is high in carbohydrates (including sugars). |
Calcium | 49 mg | 500 mg | It doesn’t contain too much calcium. Rabbits need a low calcium diet, as they are prone to developing extremely painful kidney stones. |
Sodium | 426 mg | 100 mg | Peanut butter has way too much sodium for rabbits (because of the salt). Just like too much salt is bad for us, so too much salt is not good for rabbits. |
Iron | 1.74 mg | 30-400 mg | Peanut butter only provides a little of the iron that rabbits need in their diets. |
Phosphorus | 335 mg | 400 mg | Peanut butter does provide an appropriate amount of phosophorus for a healthy rabbit diet. |
Potassium | 558 mg | 6,000 mg | Peanut butter can contribute a bit to the potassium that rabbits need each day. |
Vitamin A | None | 1,000-1,200 IU | It provides none of the vitamin A that rabbits need. |
Vitamin C | None | None | Rabbits don’t need any (their bodies make vitamin C). |
Vitamin E | 9.1 mg | 5-16 mg | Peanut butter does provide an appropriate amount of vitamin E for rabbits. |
Vitamin D | None | 80-100 IU | Peanut butter provides none of the vitamin D that rabbits need. |
Vitamin B complex | 78 mg | None | Rabbits don’t need vitamin B complex. Their bodies make all that they need. |
Zinc | 2.51 mg | 5-15 mg | Peanut butter is OK on the amount of zinc. |
Selenium | 0.004 mg | 0.005-0.032 mg | Peanut butter provides an appropriate amount of the selenium that rabbits need. |
Peanut butter, as seen in the following table, contains far too much fat (over 50 percent of peanut butter is fats). As a result of this design, rabbits are able to eat a diet that is high in fiber and low in fat. The digestive systems of wild rabbits haven’t evolved to handle high levels of fat because they don’t eat a lot of fatty foods.
Read Also: Is Avocado Safe For Rabbits? [Vet Review]
Why You Should Avoid Peanut Butter In Rabbits Meal?
Rabbits’ digestive systems must deal with far more fat than they were intended to deal with if they consume too much peanut butter. The caecum is a digestive system component. Fiber is digested in this section. The growth of harmful bacteria is aided if the caecum is free of excess fat. Gas and diarrhea follow as a result of this.
Rabbits, on the other hand, are at risk from indigestion, which is more than just a nuisance. Large amounts of dietary fiber are essential to the rabbit’s digestive system, which must keep food moving. GI stasis can occur if a rabbit develops stomach problems (gastro-intestinal stasis). Constipation can cause the rabbit to stop eating.
Read Also: Is It Safe To Feed Rabbits With Pears? [Vet Review]
GI stasis can be fatal for rabbits, so seek medical attention right away if you suspect it in your pet.
Can Rabbits Eat Peanut?
No! feeding peanuts to rabbits is a bad diet or treat for your pets. This feed contain high level of fats which can cause trouble in your bunnies tract and other factors we will be writing on shortly.
Can Bunnies Eat Peanut Butter?
No! Additionally, peanut butter’s high calorie count is a drawback. The amount of energy in even the tiniest serving is substantial. On a regular basis, feeding your rabbit high-calorie foods like these could lead to obesity. Your rabbit’s health may suffer as a result.
Furthermore, the salt content of most peanut butters is considerable. Too much salt can harm bunnies as well.
Rabbits Should Avoid These Other Dangerous Foods
Avoid giving your rabbit any of these items to eat. These substances can be hazardous to rabbits and cause significant health issues.
- Cookies
- Bread
- Avocado
- Yogurt drops
- Cereal
- Silverbeet
- Walnuts
- Chocolate
- Oatmeal
- Meat
- Peanut Butter
- Rhubarb
- Potatoes
Can Rabbits Have Peanut Butter?
No! Rabbit’s diet should mainly be covered with quality hay and grass. In addition, we can provide a small portion of vegetables and fruits. We recommend giving two cups of fresh vegetables to adult rabbits daily.
Read Also: [Nutritional Guide] Is Grape Safe For Rabbits?
Top 20 Veggies And Fruits Safe For Rabbits
Following are vegies and fruits you can include in your rabbits diets as treat;
- Bok choy
- Basil
- Bell peppers
- Red leaf
- Brussels sprouts
- Endive
- Parsley
- Fennel
- Peach
- Cilantro
- Green leaf
- Berries
- Grapes
- Banana
- Plum
- Melon
- Watermelon
- Orange
- Pineapple
- Pear
- Papaya
Best Feed To Give Your Rabbit
We need to come up with a good rabbit food plan. We have a responsibility to feed them well. Ensure that fresh food is safe for rabbits before feeding them.
As a responsible Rabbit owner, make sure you follow each and every one of the suggestions listed below. Rabbits might use it as a broad reference for what to feed themselves.
My recommendation is for high-quality grass hay. All-in-one Timothy hay is your rabbits’ best bet for an infinite supply of hay.
Rabbits love orchardgrass and meadow fescues. Hay is the primary source of nutrition for the animals. A robust digestive system and a healthy immune system are two things that hay may provide for your rabbits.
A constant supply of fresh water for the rabbits should be made available at all times. Water bows are the most prevalent method of providing rabbits with water.
Leafy Greens of the Highest Quality – A variety of safe, washed and dried green vegetables, weeds and herbs should be provided to them each day (arugula, basil, kale, cabbage, etc.). You can try adding new greens to your diet in modest doses.
Treats and fresh fruits should be limited to 1-2 tablespoons per day for the protection of rabbits. Make sure to give your pet fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apples, and blueberries.
Supply High-Quality Pellets — A limited number of nutritious pellets per day is preferable. Many goods are available, but keep in mind that rabbits need only the best and healthiest foods.
Can Rabbits Eat Peanut Butter Crackers?
Providing rabbits with peanut butter is not a smart idea, and you should avoid doing so. It has too many calories and salt. Rabbits’ fragile digestive systems can be harmed by eating too much peanut butter.
Final Remark
Peanuts are a bad idea for our bunnies to eat. Protein, fat, and calories abound in peanuts. These substances will only cause health problems for your rabbits. Weight gain is possible due to the high fat and carbohydrate levels.
Peanuts, for example, are incompatible with the rabbit’s digestive tract because of their high fat content. The gastrointestinal and choking hazards of feeding peanuts should be considered.
It should not be included in the rabbit’s diet at all. Despite the fact that peanuts are a good source of nutrition for humans, they have the opposite effect on rabbits.
The digestive systems of rabbits and humans are completely different. Peanuts are better for you than peanut butter. Rabbits require high-fiber, low-fat, and sugar-free foods to thrive.
As rabbit enthusiasts, we should be aware of both the bad and good foods that rabbits should avoid. This article, I believe, provides a comprehensive overview of Peanuts.