Watching your furry little friend munch on his food might be the cutest thing you have ever experienced, especially if you like to feed your rabbit with your hands. There are many greens a rabbit can eat, and unlike us, rabbits love their veggies.
Bunnies can eat seeds, leaves, flowers, stems, etc. However, not every plant is going to benefit your bunny. So, can rabbits eat asparagus? Absolutely!
Rabbits love to eat asparagus as they have a soft texture. Rabbits have ever-growing teeth, and occasionally munching on soft-textured plants is refreshing for your bunny. Organically grown asparagus, free from pesticides, benefits your bunny’s health. However, overfeeding asparagus is not recommended.
A balanced healthy diet will do wonders for your bunny’s lifespan. A diet packed with nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and tasty treats every day is a diet that has little portions of everything. The major chunk of your bunny’s diet should be hay with some pallets and greens.
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How Much Asparagus Can You Feed Your Bunny?
While creating a diet chart for your bunny, moderation is the key. Your bunny’s greens should only cover 5-10% of its whole day’s diet. You should not only give one kind of veggie but mix it up to make a nice little salad for your rabbit.
You can serve your furry friend an inch of asparagus daily without harming its digestive system. Chopping the asparagus into smaller chunks will be safer for your bunny, but they are capable of eating it themselves.
Another way to measure the quantity of asparagus is against your bunny’s weight. Depending on your rabbit’s build, you can bump up the asparagus treat to two inches per serving. Make sure you are not feeding your bunny a large amount of asparagus. It can harm its health immensely.
Tick Mark These Before Feeding Asparagus to Your Rabbit
Before feeding your bunny anything, always do a quality check. It is essential to check the greens more than the hay, as they can carry many dangerous elements. Keep a keen eye out for the following when it comes to asparagus:
It Should Be Fresh And Uncooked
Your bunny will likely eat fresh raw asparagus than a cooked delicacy. Rabbits are grazing animals. By nature, they have an innate love for raw veggies and fruits. Plus, it feels great on their gums to chew soft, crunchy foods. As they say, the raw form of any food item contains more nutrients anyway.
Begin with a small portion
When introducing asparagus to your furry friend, you should wait a while to see its reaction. After you have served asparagus to your bunny, wait for at least 24 hours. During this time, observe your rabbit’s behavior and fecal matter. If your rabbit seems lethargic or its fecal matter is watery, that is sign asparagus is not suiting your bunny.
Ensure it is organic
Organic vegetables might be a little more expensive than the usual ones, but they are safer. These vegetables have not come in contact with harmful chemicals that can hurt your bunny.
No pesticides
Even with organic asparagus, there is a chance the farmer used some insect repellent. Wash the vegetable thoroughly with water to remove any pesticides or other chemicals. Never give your bunny unwashed veggies or fruits.
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Benefits Of Asparagus For Your Bunny
Eating raw asparagus has a bunch of benefits for your bunny. Asparagus is a vegetable that contains a good amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. As it is a highly water-based veggie, it is a low-calorie plant.
Asparagus contains the following that can help maintain your rabbit’s optimal health:
Vitamin C
Asparagus is rich in Vitamin C. It helps your bunny’s muscle development and regulates its blood. Plus, bunnies are fragile pets, therefore, prone to scurvy. Asparagus’s richness in this vitamin will help prevent scurvy in your rabbit.
Antioxidants
This green vegetable contains antioxidant properties, which make it helpful for your rabbit. Asparagus can ensure bone strength, soft skin, and strong tissues in a bunny.
Vitamin E
As bunnies are sensitive to what they eat, so asparagus is like a gem to them. This vegetable contains Vitamin E, which helps in boosting your rabbit’s immune system.
Low calcium
Rabbits are one of the few animals that can absorb calcium more. For this reason, low calcium foods are good for them, as they will act as a whole calcium deal for the bunnies. An excessive amount of calcium can lead to kidney stones in your furry friends. Asparagus is a safe vegetable regarding that concern.
Other Minerals
Apart from the vitamins and minerals mentioned above, asparagus also contains potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, manganese, fiber, iron, folic acid, etc. All of these are great for your bunny’s gut and bone health.
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Risk Factors of Feeding Asparagus to Your Bunny
Even though asparagus has many benefits, just like any other food, it has its risks. There is a chance that asparagus might not suit your little friend. In such a case, a few things can happen. Keep an eye out for:
Lethargic bunny
Rabbits are a ball full of energy. They love to hop, run and zoom around the room or their playpen. Being tired is odd for a bunny. If you observe your bunny showing symptoms of lethargy, it is probably because the asparagus is not suiting it.
Diarrhea
As asparagus is high in water content and low in fiber, your bunny can get an upset stomach. If you notice your rabbit passing watery stools, stop giving them asparagus at once. Diarrhea can be lethal for bunnies. We advise you to take your rabbit immediately to a vet.
Anorexia
If your bunny is reacting to asparagus, it will lose its appetite. Try giving it its favorite treat and see if your bunny gobbles it up as usual or not. If you notice a change in your bunny’s eating pattern, asparagus is not for it.
Presence of caecotrophs
Caecotrophs are soft fecal excretions different than those you scoop up every day. These are special pallets that the bunny creates for itself to eat. Caecotrophs are high in nutrients and very good for your bunny’s health.
Rabbits usually make these late at night and eat them before our waking time. So, if you see soft pallets around your bunny, something is wrong. Avoid asparagus, and your bunny will go back to its normal self.
Itchy Bunny
Bunnies clean themselves by wetting their paws and using them for scrubbing. An itchy bunny, however, will be aggressive towards its fur. If the irritation is too much, your rabbit can start gnawing at its fur and get hurt. Notice your bunny’s behavior towards its skin and discontinue giving asparagus if it is aggressive.
Gastrointestinal stasis
Asparagus can also cause GI. As it contains very less fiber, your bunny can struggle with bowel movements. It can disrupt the healthy bacteria in your rabbit’s gut and provide him discomfort. If you notice any change in your bunny’s poo schedule, stop giving it asparagus.
Substitutes for Asparagus
After reading about the benefits of asparagus, it sounds like a dream vegetable. However, it also sounds challenging in terms of suiting your bunny. It is nothing to worry about. Many other greens and fruits can replace the delicious asparagus.
Try out the following as an alternative to asparagus for your bunny:
- Basil
- Apple (remove stem and seeds)
- Brussel sprouts
- Bananas (fruit only)
- Carrots
- Blueberries
- Chopped celery
- Orange (peeled and seeded)
- Cilantro
- Papaya (fruit only)
- Mint
- Pineapple (no skin and leaves)
- Parsley
- Strawberries (fruit only)
As you can see, there are a variety of yummy alternatives for your furry friend to munch.
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Final Word
Bunnies are not the easiest pets. They require special attention, emotionally and physically. Whenever you introduce anything new to their diet, always keep a check on how they are reacting.
Bunnies are highly emotional creatures. Apart from the physical evidence of discomfort, if your bunny is reluctant toward a portion of food and shows disapproval, do not dismiss it. Do your best to understand what the matter could be. An attentive you will result in the healthiest furry bunny.
