Last Updated on March 6, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
Quick Facts About Chicory:
- Scientific name – Cichorium intybus
- Also known as – Blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue sailors, blue weed, bunk, coffeeweed, cornflower, hendibeh, horseweed, ragged sailors, succory, wild bachelor’s buttons, and wild endive
- Origin – Western Asia, North Africa, and Europe.
- Most commonly found in – Poland, India, France, Portugal, and Spain
Every part of chicory (leaves, stems, flowers, and roots) can be eaten by rabbits in moderation. Just remember that vegetables like chicory should only account for 10% of your rabbits diet.
You should also wait until your rabbit is at least 12 weeks old before you give them one. Young rabbits (< 12 weeks old) should only be fed hay because they are the most susceptible to digestive problems.
Finally, if it’s the first time you’re giving chicory to your rabbit, make sure that you do it in small portions. This is to make it easier to know if your rabbit would have any negative reactions when eating chicory.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits can eat chicory:
Table of Contents
Do rabbits like to eat chicory?
Yes, rabbits like eating chicory. In fact, several people from rabbit communities have reported that their rabbits loves eating chicory.
Here’s quotes from a rabbit owner that fed chicory to their rabbits:
At my grocery store the curly endive is sold under the label “Endive/Chicory”. My buns love it.
LittlePuffyTail
As you can see, chicory are loved by rabbits. I’ve also personally fed chicory to my rabbit (leaves), they devoured them.
Is chicory safe to be eaten by rabbits?
As long as your rabbit is still eating their regular diet and your rabbit is > 12 weeks old, then chicory is perfectly safe to be eaten by rabbits.
Chicory is not poisonous to rabbits so the only way it could harm them is if they are eating it in lieu of hay. The lack of fiber would eventually result in some kind of digestive problem like diarrhea or GI stasis.
Its also a good idea to only feed small portions of chicory if its the first time your giving it to your rabbit. This would allow their gut flora to get used to the new food.
Finally, if your planning on feeding the roots of chicory, only give them in small amounts. The roots of chicory is not really useful when it comes to the health of your rabbit and should be considered an occasional treats.
What are the benefits of feeding chicory to rabbits?
To properly understand the benefits of feeding chicory to your rabbits, you can use the nutrient constrain calculator below, which shows the different nutrients your rabbits are getting whenever you feed them chicory.
It also shows if the amount you’re giving is within the safe nutritional range: