When rabbit’s favorite diets are grass and hay, can rabbits have cucumbers?
Cucumbers are a pretty beneficial food item. They are cool and their inner temperature is lower than the outer temperature which measures about 20 degrees less. It mostly contains water around 96% and water stay safely inside the smooth green skin. It also includes silica, an essential nutrient for animals.
Cucumbers have many things to offer, but can rabbits eat cucumbers?
Do Rabbits Eat Cucumbers?
Pet rabbits eat cucumber, its skin or peel. Cucumbers can be added in the rabbit’s nutrition but in a small and controlled quantity. As a pet owner, you should give bunnies various healthy meals and treats. To ensure a healthy diet, add a small amount of cucumbers in their meals.
Avoid feeding them in a larger extent, giving a fewer slice of cucumber can be a fun and healthful snack. If you give excessive cucumbers, bunnies can experience digestive issues that finally lead to diarrhea or at least runny stools.
Why and How to Feed Rabbits Cucumbers?
Cucumbers do not have sufficient nutrition that your bunnies need. But it can bring a change in rabbit s diet and a few of necessary nutrients.
The silica, an important element of cucumber is essential for sturdy connective tissues. Bone, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments are some of the connective tissues that need necessary silica and water contents for healthy growth. Cucumber is also recommended for skin health. To make the skin shine, cucumber’s high water content provides natural hydration.
Already mentioned, adding a small portion is recommended. But if you notice gas, runny stools, or diarrhea in your pet rabbits – stop feeding cucumbers. Do not add this in the rabbit’s diet again. You have certainly more fruit and vegetable options for your pet’s diet.
There are lots of good bacteria in the rabbit’s gut. They are naturally adapted to ferment the hay and grass. The foods like cucumbers that can be fermented easily procreate bad bacteria. These bad bacteria reduce the number of good bacteria and produce gas as well as other uncomfortable conditions in your bunnies.
Things to Consider
Bunnies survive largely on hay, grass, and leafy greens. Giving them treats could be ideal if you can select the best items that can be supportive of bunny’s health. Choosing quality food and proper quantity is definitely an important part of the bunny’s healthy diet.
When feeding your rabbit cucumbers, you should start with a small portion. Notice if there is any problem with your pet’s health. Add this with other food combinations so that the bunny can get everything possible for expected nutrition. You can also read Can Bunny Eat Grapes?