Bunnies look adorable when they eat, especially if you watch a rabbit eat fruit like strawberries or watermelon. The cute bunny gets a red color all around its mouth, and it is the most adorable thing you will ever see. Rabbits are herbivores and love to eat all things that grow in the soil.
These furry animals are unaware of what is healthy and unhealthy for them. Pet rabbits rely on their owners to ensure that the bunny eats suitable food. High-sugar content is not good for your rabbitâs health. It makes us wonder if a rabbit can have apple juice.
Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems that can break down light items. Apple juice contains a high sugar content, which can be difficult for a rabbit to digest but is not life-threatening. However, there are certain circumstances where rabbits can drink apple juice.
Rabbits have ever-growing teeth. So it is best to feed your rabbit solid food for natural teeth-trimming. Apple juice will be good for your rabbit if it feels low or requires sugar. Apple juice has plenty of benefits for your rabbit in exceptional circumstances, but it also has its cons. Keep reading to learn more about how apple juice can affect your bunny.Â
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Do Not Give Your Rabbit Apple Juice As A Daily Item
Apple juice has plenty of sugar in it, which can be harmful to your rabbitâs health. The high sugar level can cause your rabbit to suffer weight issues, digestive trouble, and dental problems.
Apple juice can be a great thing sometimes in very particular scenarios. If you give your bunny apple juice every day, it will experience the following medical conditions:
GI Stasis
Apple juice contains complex elements for your precious furry friend to digest. The pressure on your rabbitâs gut can cause blockage and extremely painful gas. If your rabbitâs digestion is not happening correctly, it will experience GI stasis.
GI stasis might not look like a severe condition from the outside, but it can be fatal. Blocking your poor bunnyâs digestive tract means losing its appetite and having difficulty defecating. The piled-up digested food inside your rabbit will cause pain and discomfort to your pet that can be life-threatening.
Here are a few symptoms of GI stasis to remember to avoid fatality:
- Bloating
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Soft fecal pellets
Obesity
A high intake of complex sugars can increase your rabbitâs weight. A chubby bunny is an unhealthy rabbit as it will face many difficulties in doing routine things that maintain the animalâs health.
Obesity can lead to a lack of physical activity in your rabbit. It will make it lazy and strain its bones to lift the excessive weight. If your rabbit does not move enough and play, it will gain more weight.
Furthermore, obesity can result in a lack of grooming as your rabbit cannot reach many parts of its body for cleaning. Your bunny will also stop eating the healthy cecotropes as it will not be able to reach its backside. Obesity will only lead to more medical issues.
Dental Issues
Rabbits need to chew to trim their ever-growing teeth. A rabbit must trim its teeth naturally throughout life to avoid overgrown teeth. Overgrown teeth can result in many issues like inability to eat and bacteria build-up. Plus, your poor rabbit can suffer from tooth decay due to the high sugar content of apple juice.
Heart Issues
Rabbits need a solid heart to pump blood faster to keep up with intense physical activity. As the complex sugar in apple juice will accumulate as fat in your rabbitâs body, the precious animalâs tiny heart will have to work twice as hard to keep the blood oxygenated. It will cause stress on the organ, causing heart failure and other issues.
Kidney Stones
Rabbits have fragile organs that cannot break down complex sugars. Your bunnyâs kidneys will have difficulty filtering out the high sugar content present in apple juice. It can cause kidney stones in your poor furry bunny.
Low in Nutrients
Apple juice lacks the right amount of nutrients that your bunny needs to maintain its health. Rabbits are hyperactive animals and need high energy and nutrients to balance their physical activities and health. Apple juice contains very few nutrients and high sugar.Â
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Exceptional Cases Where You Can Give Apple Juice To Your Rabbit
Rabbits are complex creatures with layers of behaviors and choices. Your rabbit will have likes and dislikes that are individualistic. People can give a teaspoon of brandy to kids if the temperature outside is in misuse degrees, but they should never give it to underage kids under normal circumstances.
Apple juice is the same for rabbits. You can provide juice to your rabbit under the circumstances crucial for its health, but not for funâs sake.
Here are some situations in which you can give a little apple juice to your precious furry friend:
Dehydration
Bunnies need to stay hydrated to maintain their usual level of zoomies, running, and hopping. Give your bunny a teaspoon of apple juice if your rabbit looks dehydrated and you do not have clean water.
Apple juice should not be your priority to give your rabbit, but it is okay to have an exception instead of going to the vet when your rabbit gets sick of dehydration.
Increasing Water Intake
There can be times when your rabbit avoids drinking water. Rabbits are snobbish animals and are not fans of water. If your precious pet does not drink the optimal amount of water, it will become dehydrated and sick.
In such a case, you can add a couple of drops of apple juice to your rabbitâs water bowl or bottle. You will see a change in your rabbitâs drinking habits as the furry animal will be attracted to the sweet smell of apple juice in the water.
Please do not give your rabbit a large quantity of apple juice, as it can harm your precious furry friend.
How Can Apple Juice Benefit Your Bunny In Exceptional Cases?
In exceptional cases, your rabbit will need the benefits of apple juice. Before feeding apple juice to your bunny rabbit, you must know what it can bring into your rabbitâs life. Here are a few benefits of apple juice your rabbit can enjoy:
Improves Bowel Movement
Dehydration can cause your rabbit to develop constipation. Rabbit juice contains malic acid and fiber, which can help relieve your rabbitâs blocked digestive system.
Boosts Liver Functioning
Many issues can cause your rabbitâs liver to function haphazardly. Apple juice can help maintain optimal liver functioning as it contains malic acid. Â
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How To Feed Apple Juice To Your Rabbit?
Under exceptional circumstances, you must feed your rabbit apple juice; you must not provide it as you please. There are a few rules and safety regulations to follow whenever you decide to feed something new to your rabbit.
Here are a few things to do while feeding your precious furry friend apple juice:
- Do not give concentrated juice to your rabbit. It is best to dilute the apple juice with water before giving it to your rabbit. It will control the sugar intake of your rabbit and make it softer for the animalâs digestive system to break down.
- Ensure that you provide your rabbit with a hundred percent natural juice and not a preservative-filled concoction.
- Your bunnyâs age should be in focus when you decide to introduce apple juice to it. Only rabbits that are above three months of age should drink apple juice.
- Avoid feeding juice to your bunny altogether. It is best if you give your bunny a slice of fresh fruit than juice.
Final Word
You should remove apple juice from your list to feed your rabbit daily. Your bunny should avoid juices in general. Anything that contains a high amount of sugar is not healthy for your furry rabbit.
Your pet expects you to make the best decisions for its health and emotional well-being. You must do your best to reach those standards and do whatever is necessary to keep your rabbit healthy and happy. Give your furry baby loads of love, hay, green, and fruits to watch it hop around with joy. A happy and healthy bunny means less expenditure!