Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
Quick Facts About Cranberries:
- Scientific name – Vaccinium subg. Oxycoccus
- Origin – North America
- Most commonly found in – Peru, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Cranberries are one of the most recommended treats for rabbits. You can safely feed your rabbits small amounts of cranberries 1-2 times per week and make sure that your rabbit is at least 7 months old.
Also, be careful when introducing any new diet to your rabbit, especially if they are young. Always introduce it in small amounts at first to avoid triggering digestive problems.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits can eat cranberries:
Table of Contents
Do rabbits like to eat cranberries?
In my case, both of my rabbits (Tyr and Freya) like to eat cranberries whenever I give them some.
I’ve also asked several of my friends who are rabbit owners and breeders if they ever fed cranberries to their rabbits and if their rabbits liked cranberries.
All of them reported feeding cranberries occasionally and that their rabbits gobble up the cranberries immediately.
Are cranberries safe to be eaten by rabbits?
As long as your rabbit is at least 7 months old and you only feed it 1-2 times per week, feeding cranberries to your rabbit is perfectly safe.
The problem would most likely come when rabbit owners feed treats to young rabbits whose susceptible to digestive problems. Another possible way cranberries would harm your rabbit is if they are already obese.
Obese rabbits should not be fed sugary treats like cranberries until a normal weight is acquired.
Finally, cranberries, when fed regularly, could lead to dental problems because sugar damages teeth if fed long-term.
What are the benefits of feeding cranberries to rabbits?
To properly identify the benefits of feeding cranberries to your rabbits, let’s first take a look at what nutrients your rabbits are getting whenever you feed them cranberries.
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: