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Can Rabbits Eat Cucumbers?
Can Rabbits Eat Cucumbers? Yes. Cucumbers are safe for rabbits. Cucumbers are low in fat, carbohydrate, calories, and cholesterol. Cucumbers contain a high amount of water, fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, etc. It’s a good food treat for your rabbit’s diet as an occasional treat. But overfeeding them leads to critical health issues. Always feed small amounts of Cucumbers & keep the moderation. It’s totally safe to provide a small portion of Cucumbers to your rabbits if they like those.
Rabbits are herbivores. But we can’t provide a full diet with vegetables and fruits. We can only provide 15 % of vegetables, fruits, and herbs in rabbit’s diets. Rabbits’ major food source must be fresh quality hay and grass. They take all most all nutrition from hay supplies. We can serve a small number of vegetables in their daily diet as other nutritional foods. Cucumbers can provide extra nutrition to your rabbits as part of a balanced diet. There are a lot of things to talk about about Cucumbers. This article covers all the health benefits, nutrition facts, overfeeding health issues & many more things that you should know before feeding Cucumbers to your rabbits.
Let’s start without any delay!!
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Extra Information About Cucumbers
Cucumber is related to the melon plants and is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. These plants are technically categorized as fruits. Cucumber has a good refreshing taste and contains a high amount of water. If you are feeding on a hot summer day, Cucumber can refresh you back to normal. Most of the time people use cucumber as a savory food. Cucumbers are a famous market vegetable and they are widely used in the pickle industry.
Cucumbers are a rich source of nutrition and they can provide many health benefits to both humans and animals. Cucumbers contain a good amount of water, soluble fiber, are low in calories, and contain antioxidants.
Test-tube and animal studies show that cucumber may help lower blood sugar and prevent diabetes-related complications, although additional research is needed. Cucumbers contain a good amount of fiber and water, both of which may help to prevent constipation and increase regularity.
Healthline.com
There are a few risks we must consider before eating or feeding rabbits. Cucumbers grow with natural wax on their skins. We must wash them before eating them raw. And another thing is when it comes to market most of the time vegetable sellers add pesticides and synthetic wax. Make sure to wash those carefully before eating them. Some of the people peel off the skin before eating. But Cucumber peels contain the most nutrients.
According to the USDA, Food Data Central 100g of Cucumbers contain these nutrients.
| Energy | 65 kJ (16 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 3.63 g |
| Sugars | 1.67g |
| Dietary fiber | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 0.11 g |
| Protein | 0.65 g |
| Water | 95.23 g |
| Fluoride | 1.3 µg |
Vitamins and Minerals
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 7 μg |
| Vitamin C | 2.8 mg |
| Vitamin K | 16.4 μg |
| Calcium | 16 mg |
| Iron | 0.28 mg |
| Magnesium | 13 mg |
| Manganese | 0.079 mg |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg |
| Potassium | 147 mg |
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Types Of Cucumbers Rabbit Can Eat
There are several types of Cucumbers we can get in the market right now. Not all types are safe for rabbits. Commonly there are two types of Cucumbers. They are Slicing and Pickling cucumbers. Most of the raw cucumbers are safer to feed rabbits. Keep in mind pickles are bad for rabbits. Pickles are made using the ingredients like vinegar and spices. These ingredients are bad for rabbit’s health. Avoid feeding pickles to your rabbits.
Slicing Cucumbers: These types of Cucumbers are grown to eat fresh. Slicing cucumber is long and it’s about 7-8 inches in length. These types of Cucumbers have the thickest skin
- Early Pride
- FanFare
- Diva
- Ashely
- Sugar Crunch
- Sweet Slice
- Long Green
Pickling Cucumbers: These types of cucumbers are short and stout. Generally, the freshest pickling cucumber makes the best pickles. They have low water content than slicing cucumbers.
- Calypso
- Fansipan
- Carolina
- Parisian
- Pickebush
- Supremo
- Little Leaf
Do Rabbits Like To Eat cucumbers
Most of the time rabbits like to eat cucumbers. Because they like the taste and the crunchy behavior in cucumbers. But it depends on your rabbit’s taste. They may not like cucumbers. Try to provide a small portion of cucumbers and check how they react to cucumbers. If they like those you can provide a small portion as an occasional treat to your rabbit. If they don’t like cucumbers, don’t worry about that, there are a penalty of other vegetables good for rabbits, and try them out.
Are Cucumbers Good For Rabbits?
Yes, it is safe for rabbits. Cucumber is a good source of food for rabbits. Cucumbers contain essential vitamins, fiber, minerals & antioxidants for rabbits. But you should offer only a small amount in your rabbit’s daily diet. We can’t provide Cucumbers to rabbits too often. Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems. Because of the high water content, overfeeding them can lead to health issues like diarrhea or loose stools. Always limit the amount of cucumber provided for rabbits.
We must only feed fresh raw cucumbers to rabbits. Slicing cucumbers are safe for rabbits. Avoid feeding pickles or commercially prepared cucumbers for rabbits. If you bring cucumbers from the market wash them thoroughly before feeding them to your rabbits. (remove wax and pesticides)
Rabbits’ main food source should be hay. We should prioritize hay in the regular diet plan. Overall nutrition can be covered by hay. Unlike humans, fiber is essential for rabbits. it can prevent bad bacteria from forming in the intestines. Some of the bacteria can lead to critical health issues in rabbits. This is why we should give priority to hay. But rabbits can’t live eating hay all day long. We must add veggies and fruits to their daily diet. Cucumbers are one of the good treats for rabbits.
How Often Rabbits Can Eat Cucumber
We need to provide any vegetables or fruits according to the diet plan. Most of the vegetables are good for rabbits. Even good vegetables can be harmful if we do not serve them with the correct amount.
You can provide one or two slices to your rabbit (One or two teaspoons per two pounds of your rabbit’s weight). Don’t serve them on a daily basis. It’s much safer when we feed cucumbers about two to three times per week. Try to maintain a timetable for the rabbit’s diet.
Don’t try to overfeed them with cucumbers. Overfeeding can lead to many health problems. Therefore, limit the number of cucumbers slices and always keep the moderation.
Benefits From Cucumber For Rabbits
Cucumbers contain important nutrition for rabbits. Cucumbers contain high water and fiber content and are low in calories. It provides essential nutrients like vitamin A, magnesium, manganese, vitamin K, vitamin B, folate, phosphorus, thiamine to rabbit’s daily diet.
It has more than 95% water that can help your rabbits to stay hydrated. Cucumbers are rich in vitamin C and can help to prevent diseases and illnesses. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant in your rabbit’s body. Rabbits can produce their own vitamin C. If we increase healthy levels of vitamin C, it can lead to kidney problems in rabbits. Because of that, we must not overfeed cucumber to rabbits.
Cucumbers are a good source of silica. Silica can help to develop a healthy rabbit skeletal and muscular structure. Potassium in Cucumbers can help to reduce blood pressure and lower heart disease. Cucumbers also contain antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants can help to increase the vision in the eyes and protect from eye diseases. Vitamin K, magnesium, lutein, and zeaxanthin can help to keep bone healthy in rabbits.
Proper Guide To Feed Cucumber For Rabbits
As we know now Cucumber is good, natural food for rabbits. But there is a guide you must follow before feeding cucumbers. Let check it out.
Before introducing Cucumber to rabbits for the first time, you need to start up with small portions. Keep monitoring them 24 hrs & check whether they show some illness such as diarrhea, lethargy, constipation, and loss of appetite. If they do not show any kind of illness, you can increase the amount slightly for your rabbit. Don’t try to introduce many kinds of food at the same time & try to give the same food until they are fully adapted to eat. Keep in mind to introduce a small portion of the new food with other regular foods (daily diet). Follow up the rules for better rabbit health.
Preparing Cucumber for rabbits:
- Purchase good quality Cucumber for rabbits. Try to find organic Cucumbers, they are much better for rabbits’ health. Do not provide pickles for rabbits.
- Carefully wash them to remove any chemicals or wax that could be harmful to the rabbit’s health
- Cut them into slices about ⅛ to ¼ thickness.
- You can provide one or two slicers for your rabbit
- Always provide water for them
Don’t try to overfeed them. You can provide Cucumber 2 or 3 times per week. That is more than enough for adult rabbits, do not feed Cucumber for baby rabbits less than 12 weeks age. All ways provide a small amount of raw Cucumber as a part of your rabbit’s daily diet. Moderation is the key to rabbits’ health.
Risk Of Feeding Cucumbers For Rabbits
Most of the cucumbers in the market are applied with pesticides. These chemicals are harmful to rabbits. Cucumbers also grow with natural wax on their skin. They can lead to serious health problems in rabbits. Wash it thoroughly before feeding to rabbits.
Cucumbers contain more than 95g of water in 100g of cucumbers. Overfeeding them can lead to critical issues like diarrhea and loss of stools. Do not feed cucumbers for baby rabbits less than 12 weeks of age.
Always provide raw cucumbers to rabbits and avoid feeding pickles for rabbits.
Alternatives For Cucumbers?
The rabbit diet should mainly be covered with quality hay and grass. In addition, we can provide a small portion of vegetables and fruits. We Recommend giving two cups of fresh vegetables to adult rabbits daily.
- Bell peppers
- Bok choy
- Brussels sprouts
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Endive
- Green leaf
- Red leaf
- Parsley
- Fennel
Fresh fruits should be served one or two times per week as treat.
- Grapes
- Banana
- Berries
- Melon
- Peach
- Pear
- Plum
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Pineapple
- Orange
Best Common Healthy Diet To Feed Your Rabbit
We need to make a good meal plan for rabbits. We need to provide them with good quality foods. Before feeding rabbits with new food, check whether it’s good for rabbits. As a good Rabbit owner, check whether you cover all the guidelines mentioned below. It’s a general food guide for rabbits.
- Good Quality Grass Hay -I recommend Timothy hay as the most popular/good, all-around unlimited offer to your rabbits. Orchardgrass, meadow fescues are also good for rabbits. Hay is the main food supply. Hay will help your rabbits to stay healthy and strong and maintain a healthy digestive system.
- Fresh Water – Ensure rabbits can have clean, fresh water 24/7. Water bows are most commonly used to supply water for rabbits.
- Provide Good Quality Leafy Greens – Provide them with 5-6 varieties of safe washed green vegetables, weeds, herbs daily (arugula, basil, kale, cabbage, etc.). Try to introduce new greens in small portions.
- Treats & Fresh Fruits – For the safety of rabbits, only provide 1 -2 tablespoons per day. Feed carrots, apples, blueberries, etc.
- Provide Good Quality Pellets – It is good to have a small number of healthy pellets daily. There are too many products out there, keep it in your mind to supply quality and healthy foods for rabbits
(source -.https://www.rspca.org.uk/)
Can Rabbits Eat Cucumber Seeds?
Most of the time we remove seeds because of toxicity and probability of choking hazards in rabbits. But Cucumber seeds are safe for rabbits. They are soft and seed sizes are small. Rabbits can handle cucumber seeds without any problems. Therefore, you don’t need to be worry or remove seeds before feeding cucumber.
Can Rabbits Eat Cucumber Skin (Peels)?
Cucumbers peels are good and safe for rabbits. Most people remove the skin when they cook Cucumbers. But these peels contain most nutrients of the fruit. These cucumbers contain more fiber rather than the flesh inside of the fruit. There is no issue providing them with Cucumber skin.
Make sure to wash thoroughly before feeding Cucumber skins for your rabbits. Organic cucumbers are much safer for rabbits.
Can Rabbits Eat Cucumber Leafy Parts (Leaves)?
Rabbits can eat any part of the Cucumber plant. There are few vegetables and fruits that rabbits can eat from any part of the plant. Cucumber leaves are good leafy greens for rabbits.
There are no toxic parts in the cucumber plant for rabbits.
Before feeding any leaves check whether they like to eat them. Much safer if you feed cucumber leaves with other leafy greens like mint, kale, carrot tops, basil, spring greens, etc.
Summary
Cucumbers contain essential vitamins, fiber, minerals & antioxidants for rabbits. But you should offer only a small amount to your rabbit’s daily diet. We can’t provide Cucumbers to rabbits too often. Keep in mind pickles are bad for rabbits. Avoid feeding cucumber pickles for your rabbits.
We can provide one or two slices to your rabbit (One or two teaspoons per two pounds of your rabbit’s weight). Don’t serve them on a daily basis. It’s much safer when we feed cucumbers about two to three times per week. Rabbits can handle cucumber seeds without any problems. Therefore, you don’t need to be worry or remove seeds before feeding cucumbers. Always keep the moderation. Moderation is the key to rabbits’ health.
I think this article covers all the things you should know about cucumbers before feeding your Rabbits.
Thank You !!!
