People eat rice everywhere in the world. They are inexpensive, easy to cook, and versatile. However, feeding rice to a rabbit isn’t a common practice. Many people feed homemade food to their pet cats and dogs. But pet rabbits have a different digestive system than other pets.
You shouldn’t feed rice to a rabbit. It is because the gastrointestinal tract of rabbits can’t digest high levels of carbohydrates that are present in rice. Rice doesn’t provide any nutritional value to the rabbit and only leads to issues like diarrhea, bloating, and tummy aches.
If you want to learn all the reasons why you shouldn’t feed rice to a rabbit, you are in the right place. Here, you will learn about the harms of feeding rice to a rabbit as well as a suitable diet for your bunny. So, let’s get started!
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Reason Why Rabbits Can’t Eat Rice
Eating a soft diet is good when our stomach isn’t doing well. At such a time, we prefer food like rice or soup. However, our stomach is designed to digest carbohydrates and proteins. This isn’t the case with rabbits.
Feeding rice to your rabbit once accidentally won’t be a big issue. However, regularly feeding your rabbit rice is like a slow poison for them.
It doesn’t matter if the rice is cooked or uncooked, too soft or too hard, and has healthy additions to it or not. You simply shouldn’t give rice to your rabbit.
Let’s get into the technical stuff and learn why a rabbit can’t eat rice!
Rice Has Carbohydrates
Rice has high carbohydrate levels. Starch is the main carb in rice. One grain of rice consists of 75-80% starch. Rest is water and other nutrients.
The main problem here is the high-carb levels. Carbohydrates are not suitable for the digestive system of a rabbit. Their stomach can’t digest a lot of carbs. So, if you feed rabbit rice, the carbs will cause abnormal stool, tummy ache, and other digestive disorders.
It also disturbs the balance of good bacteria in the GIT. This imbalance leads to serious digestive problems.
The Fiber Content is Too Low
The indigestible fiber content in rice is too low. (almost negligible) Fiber is extremely important for the proper functioning of the digestive system of a rabbit.
If the rabbit eats a diet high in carbs but low in fiber, it will suffer a lot. Every species requires different nutrients in different quantities. As for rabbits, fiber is the most important one.
Less Nutritional Value
The protein and vitamin content in rice is quite low. It will satiate your rabbit’s hunger in no time but won’t provide proper nutritional benefits. It can lead to bloating and acidity. From all sides, feeding rice to a rabbit is not a good option.
Here’s a table to understand the composition of rice better! The table is for 100 g of cooked rice.
Components | Amount |
Carbohydrates | 28.7 g |
Protein | 2.36 g |
Fat | 0.19 g |
Fiber | 0.4 g |
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What Happens If a Rabbit Eats Rice?
Eating rice for a rabbit can prove to be fatal. Therefore, you should keep such grains away from your pet. Here are some of the diseases that can occur if your rabbit eats rice!
Intestinal Ulcers
Rice can cause stomach acidity in rabbits. The appetite of rabbits will decrease gradually if they keep on eating rice. The acidity in the stomach can lead to intestinal ulcers.
It won’t be easy to figure out. By the time you find out about the ulcers, it will lead to many other problems.
Gastrointestinal Distress
Rabbits face a series of GIT disorders if they eat too many carbs (as in rice). Diarrhea, bloating, tummy ache, abnormal stool, and vomiting, all are commonly associated with a rabbit eating rice.
The rabbit can lose a lot of weight and become weak due to these issues. Moreover, dehydration is also another problem related to diarrhea and vomiting.
Difficulty Breathing
High amounts of carbs lead to congestion in the lungs. Jammed lungs make breathing difficult in rabbits. It is dangerous for both adult and young rabbits.
Gastrointestinal Stasis
GI Stasis refers to the disruption of good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Good bacteria are important to break down the food components in the digestive tract and the proper functioning of the stomach.
GI stasis leads to tummy ache and gas. A lot of gas can make the rabbit feel dizzy as well.
Injuries
The rabbit will become lethargic due to the effects of rice. The dizziness will lead to uncoordinated movements resulting in injuries from stumbling or falling. If you notice your rabbit feeling lethargic, you must get it checked.
Signs to Notice
Here are some signs to notice in case your rabbit has eaten rice and isn’t doing well:
- Loss of appetite
- Haven’t urinated and defecated in 72 hours
- Lethargic and uncoordinated movements
- Low on energy
- Frequent vomiting
- Frequent diarrhea
- Weight lose
- Hunched posture
- Bad odor from the rabbit’s mouth
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Can Rabbits Eat Brown Rice?
Brown rice isn’t a good alternative to white rice for rabbits. The reason remains the same!
Brown rice consists of almost the same composition. The carbohydrate levels in brown rice are high as well which will lead to multiple problems in your rabbit.
So, if you were thinking of feeding brown rice to your rabbit, it isn’t a good idea. Any type of grain isn’t suitable for rabbits because they have a lot of carbs in it.
Whether it is brown rice or white rice, keep your rabbit away from it!
What Can a Rabbit Eat Safely?
The major portion of a safe diet for a rabbit includes fresh hay. The fiber in fresh hay is suitable for the digestive system of a rabbit. It keeps the GIT functioning properly.
Moreover, hay is also good for the constantly growing rabbit teeth. If rabbits don’t chew on hard food such as hay, their teeth become misaligned. This isn’t healthy for a rabbit.
Pellets are also good for a rabbit. They contain the right amount of nutrients for your bunny. But you must use high-quality pellets for your rabbit.
Fresh vegetables (leafy greens) are healthy for a rabbit. Provide a rabbit with fresh vegetables in a small amount every day.
Fresh fruits such as apples, plums, apricot, etc are good for rabbits. But you must not use them every day because they have a lot of sugar.
Lastly, buy treats made for bunnies to keep them entertained and satiate their urges every day. Only buy high-quality and suitable treats (hay-based) for your bunny.
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Final Thoughts
Rice isn’t suitable for a rabbit no matter which breed you have. If your rabbit eats a little bit of rice accidentally, you don’t need to panic. If the rabbit eats a proper amount of hay, it will not face digestive problems due to the rice.
However, feeding rice to a rabbit often causes multiple issues in rabbits. Avoid feeding your rabbit any grains for their health.