Rabbits love to eat crunchy vegetables. The crunchier, the better. Plenty of vegetables have different textures, tastes, and feels. Your bunny loves to have variety in its diet. It is beneficial for your bunny to have a blend of vegetables, fruits, and hay in its diet.
However, rabbits cannot eat everything that grows on this planet. There are plenty of things that might not suit your precious pet. So, always question everything before giving it to your bunny. Coming to the question of today, can rabbits eat beet greens?
Yes, rabbits can eat beet greens. They can also eat the skin and the beetroot itself. However, the skin and beet greens are much safer for your bunny than the actual vegetable. The entire beet plant is rich in minerals and vitamins. Due to its nutritional value, it is essential to feed beet greens to your bunny in significantly less quantity.
Beetroot can be a great treat for your precious pet rabbit. Just like all foods, gather enough knowledge on the vegetable before feeding it to your bunny. Keep reading to learn about beet greens and your bunny!
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What Part of Beetroot Can Rabbits Eat?
Rabbits can eat all parts of the beetroot plant except the roots. The beet contains various nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are good for your rabbit. However, it is too saturated with nutrients for your rabbit’s sensitive digestive system to handle.
Beet greens are a much healthier option for your precious pet. They have an equal amount of nutrients but at a lesser intensity. Beet greens will be lighter on your precious pet rabbit’s stomach, and it will enjoy the feeling. Furthermore, your bunny can also eat beet skin as a healthy treat.
Benefits of Beet Greens for Your Rabbit
Beetroot is a plant full of protein, fiber, folate, vitamins B6 and C, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and manganese. Even with all these minerals, beetroot is a low-calorie food for your bunny.
Beet greens contain many benefits for your precious pet’s health. Some of them are listed below:
It Is An Excellent Source Of Energy For Your Rabbit
Beets contain sugar, protein, and fiber. These work as an engine for your bunny’s energy source. If your bunny has been feeling low or is lethargic, giving it some beets would be a huge favor to your bunny.
Beets have high sugar content. Your bunny will get an instant punch of energy as soon as it eats the beets. However, the same thing can harm your pet if fed in large quantities. Be sure to monitor the amount you give to your rabbit. Beets in large quantities can be harmful to your precious pet.
The Best Source of Protein
Beet greens are rich in protien. A growing bunny needs proteins for steady and speedy development. The protein in beet leaves will help your rabbit with bodily functioning.
You should monitor the feeding depending on what type of rabbit you have. If you have an outdoorsy rabbit, it will require a higher dose of protein for all the hopping and running. An indoor pet rabbit might not need the same amount of protein as its physical activity would be less. However, if your indoor rabbit gets zoomies often, give it a moderate amount of beet leaves for a sound mind and body functioning.
It is a Low-Calorie Food
Beets contain low calories. Even though they have high sugar content, they do not carry too many fats. With feeding rabbits, the more significant concern of pet owners is obesity. Beet greens will not make you worry about a fat bunny.
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How to Feed Beets to Your Furry Friend?
Before feeding anything to your pet, you should follow a hygienic and safe procedure that involves washing and cutting. When you feed beets to your bunny rabbit, do the following to ensure that your pet rabbit does not face any digestive issues due to negligence:
Wash The Beets
When you buy beet greens from the market, remember to wash them with plenty of water. Organic beets are the best option, as pesticides are less likely to be present in those. However, if you cannot get your hands on a trustworthy organic farm, wash the store-bought beets multiple times to eliminate any residual chemicals stuck on the veggie.
Look For Molt And Insects
While washing the beet greens, keep an eye out for wilted or insect-eaten leaves. If you observe any yellow leaves, remove them. Vegetables get insect infestations. Check beet greens thoroughly for any signs of insects or pests. Remove them at once and ensure that your bunny does not eat them accidentally.
Mix It With Low Oxalic Veggies
Beet greens have a high content of oxalates in them. As you add these to your bunny’s once-a-week green treat, use other vegetables with a low-oxalate feature. Too many oxalic vegetables will harm your bunny’s health.
Always Give Your Rabbit Raw Beet Greens
Bunnies are grazing animals and love to eat fresh greens. Your bunny will not appreciate any cooked or canned products. Rabbits are snobs when it comes to food freshness. If the animal senses even the slightest process or wilting, it will reject the food no matter how yummy it may look. Only give fresh beet greens to your bunny for a hop of approval.
Cut Into Smaller Pieces
When feeding your precious pet bunny beetroot tops, chop them into smaller pieces to avoid choking hazards. Rabbits have small bodies and fragile organs. Unlike our esophagus, a bunny’s food pipe is sensitive. They cannot break down big pieces of food and swallow them. Our assistance is needed to give them the correct size for swallowing without any trouble.
Beware of The Nutrients in Beets
Beets are desirable for your pet if you feed it in moderation. That is because of their high nutritional value. However, that same quality makes them a little dangerous for your pet. It is best if you feed beet greens to your pet as a treat once or twice a week in a meal, mixed with other less nutrient-oriented veggies.
The following components of beets can be harmful to your bunny if you feed it too much beet greens:
Oxalic Acid
It is a natural food toxin that can cause your bunny’s stomach to block. The blockage can result in loss of appetite and an upset stomach. Ingesting too much oxalic acid can be fatal for your bunny.
Sugar
Too much sugar intake can cause obesity. A chubby bunny has difficulty hopping and grooming itself. Furthermore, the gut flora of your bunny also suffers if your rabbit overeats sugar.
Potassium
Beet greens are rich in potassium. Your bunny can suffer muscle weakness, lethargy, and untimely death if given in large quantities.
Low-fiber
Due to the low-fiber content of beet greens, they should not be the only source of fiber for your bunny in a day. If your precious pet does not eat enough fiber and needs a lot of it, it will develop severe digestive issues.
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Signs You Are Feeding Too Many Beets to Your Bunny
If you are unsure how to know if you are feeding too many beets to your rabbit, keep an eye out for the following illnesses. If you notice your bunny exhibiting any of the following, stop giving it better at once and contact your vet:
- GI stasis
- Diarrhea
- Uneaten cecotropes
What Should You Do If You Notice Your Bunny Reacting to Beet Greens?
Stop giving your rabbit beets if you observe any of the discomforts above. Contact your vet and book an appointment at the earliest. Your bunny would be anxious and stressed through this time. Try to keep it calm by stroking its head or petting its back. Once at the vet, tell the doctor everything from the number of beets to your bunny’s behaviors.
Final Word
Beet greens are tricky vegetables when it comes to feeding your pet rabbit. Rabbits are fragile creatures with sensitive body functions and organs. The slightest mistake in choosing food can create adverse situations for your precious fur ball.
Give your pet rabbit a minimal amount of beet greens once or twice a week. Do not feed beet greens as the only vegetable in any meal. Mix it up with greens that have less to no oxalates present.
Moreover, always wash your bunny’s greens before feeding time. Remove all the pesticides and bugs. As a pet owner, it is your job to ensure your bunny’s safety. These voiceless creatures rely on you for their life. Please stay up to the mark of being their ultimate savior.