Can Rabbits Eat Carrots? What You Need to Know.

Last Updated on March 8, 2023 by Marjon Ramos

The only part of carrots that should be fed to rabbits is the top part (greens). The body (orange part) contains too much vitamin A and starch, even in small amounts.

100 grams of carrots contain 16,706 IU of vitamin A. While the limit of vitamin A a rabbit should consume per day is 5000–12,000 UI.

Feeding your rabbits too many carrots could lead to vitamin A toxicity.

Rabbits that are experiencing vitamin A toxicity could experience reproductive abnormalities, paresis, muscular dystrophy, abortions, and poor survivability of kits in the breeding colony.

The starch content of carrots could lead to digestive problems like GI stasis, diarrhea, and uneaten cecotropes.

Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits can’t eat carrots:

Do rabbits like eating carrots?

In my case, both of my rabbits (Tyr and Freya) like to eat carrots.

Your rabbits would likely eat every part of the carrot if you gave them some.

Rabbits don’t know what’s good for them.

They would eat whatever felt tasty to them.

That’s why it’s your job to only provide them with a proper diet.

I’ve also asked several of my friends who are rabbit owners and breeders if they ever fed carrots to their rabbits and if their rabbits liked carrots.

All of them reported that their rabbits do indeed like carrots.

They just don’t give them the orange part.

They do, however, give the top part to their rabbits every time.

Are carrots safe to be eaten by rabbits?

The only part of the carrot that’s safe to be eaten by rabbits is the top part (leaf part).

The body of the carrot (the orange part) is not good for rabbits because it contains too much vitamin A and starch.

Rabbits that are fed too many carrots could suffer from vitamin A toxicity.

The starch content of carrots could lead to digestive problems like diarrhea, GI stasis, or soft uneaten cecotropes.

Why are carrots bad for rabbits?

To properly understand why feeding carrots is bad for your rabbits, let’s first take a look at what nutrients your rabbits are getting whenever you feed them carrots.

We can use this nutrient constraint calculator, which shows the different nutrients your rabbit is getting and if the amount you’re giving is within the nutritional constraint.

You can also click on the blue icon beside the nutrient to show the different benefits and deficiencies of each nutrient:

As you can see from the nutrient constrain calculator above, 100 grams of carrots contain very little nutrients.

It also has a lot of vitamin A and contains too much starch.

The limit of vitamin A for rabbits is 5000–12,000 UI, while 100 grams of carrots contains 16,706 UI.

Keep in mind that your rabbits are getting vitamin A from other sources throughout the day.

So if you fed carrots to your rabbits, the amount of excess vitamin A would be even higher.

Another problem with carrots is their starch content.

As you can see from the nutrient constrain calculator above, rabbits should preferably not eat any starch.

Carrots contain 1.43 grams of starch per 100 grams.

Feeding rabbits large amounts of starch would often lead to digestive problems.

Risk of overfeeding carrots to rabbits.

Here are the risks to your rabbits if you feed them too many carrots:

• Vitamin A toxicity: Vitamin A toxicity is also possible because carrots contain too much vitamin A. Signs that your rabbit is suffering from vitamin A toxicity include reproductive abnormalities, abortions, paresis, muscular dystrophy, and poor survivability of kits.
• Gastrointestinal Stasis: Overfeeding carrots in lieu of hay to your rabbits could lead to GI stasis, which is caused by the lack of fiber in your rabbit’s diet.
• Diarrhea: Diarrhea mainly happens to rabbits who are fed the wrong diet. Giving your rabbits too many carrots could lead to diarrhea, especially for younger rabbits.
• Uneaten cecotropes: Soft uneaten cecotropes are also possible when rabbits are eating large amounts of carrots instead of hay. This could lead to softer cecotropes due to the lack of fiber.

Healthy alternatives to carrots.

If you are planning on giving your rabbits carrots, here are some alternatives that are much safer:

• Spinach
• Celery
• Green peppers
• Basil
• Mint
• Alfalfa, radish & Clover sprouts
• Parsley
• Peapods (the flat edible kind)
• Peppermint leaves
• Bok choy
• Escarole
• Clover
• Peppermint leaves
• Radicchio
• Raspberry leaves
• Wheatgrass
• Watercress
• Cilantro
• Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can rabbits eat carrots daily?

No, carrots contain too much vitamin A and starch. Never feed them to your rabbits intentionally.

The top parts of carrots are safe to be given to rabbits in reasonable amounts.

Just make sure that your rabbits are not eating carrot tops in lieu of hay.

Conclusion

Carrot tops are safe to be given to rabbits as long as they are eating enough hay.

While the carrot’s body (orange part) is not safe because it contains too much vitamin A and starch.

Feeding your rabbits too many carrots could lead to vitamin A toxicity, GI stasis, diarrhea, and soft uneaten cecotropes.