Can Rabbits Eat Pansies?

Last Updated on February 20, 2023 by Marjon Ramos

Pansies(Viola tricolor var. hortensis) are one of the safest and most recommended plants that can be eaten by rabbits. Just make sure that your rabbit is eating enough hay because even though pansies are safe, they cannot meet the required fiber a rabbit would need per day.

While pansies are safe to be eaten by rabbits, you should still avoid making them a part of your rabbit’s regular diet. There is better more nutritious food out there that’s better for rabbits.

Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain the topic in more detail:

Would rabbits intentionally eat pansies?

Yes, rabbits would intentionally and gladly eat pansies. Pansies are actually one of the most common and safest plants that can be fed to rabbits.

Even gardeners are having trouble keeping wild rabbits away from their pansies due to how much wild rabbits love this stuff. Most gardeners are using all kinds of natural repellents like dried sulfur to keep rabbits from eating their pansies.

Here’s a video of a rabbit eating pansies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqanxgo5lN4

We’ve interviewed several rabbit owners who have pansies or from where they’re from, most of them reported giving their rabbits some amount.

Risk of overfeeding pansies to rabbits.

While pansies themselves are not poisonous to rabbits, overfeeding them to your rabbits on the other hand could lead to the following conditions:

• GI stasis – Gastrointestinal stasis is possible when your rabbit is eating pansies in lieu of hay. Make sure that you’re not replacing your rabbit’s main diet(hay, veggies, and pellets) with pansies.
• Diarrhea – Diarrhea is also possible when you feed your rabbits too much pansies in one eating. Diarrhea in rabbits often happens when new food is introduced too fast and too much.
• Soft uneaten cecotropes – Feeding too much unnecessary food like pansies to your rabbits could also lead to uneaten cecotropes due to the lack of fiber in your rabbit’s diet. This can be fixed by feeding large amounts of fiber(hay) for several weeks to a month.

Healthy alternative to pansies.

Here are some alternatives to pansies that are safe to be given to rabbits:

• Roses
• Dandelion
• Nettles
• Daisies
• Clover
• Sunflowers
• Pot 
• Nasturtiums
• Chickweed

Conclusion

Giving pansies to your rabbits is safe as long as they’re not eating it in lieu of hay.

If it’s the first time you’re feeding pansies to your rabbits, take it slow and feed it in small amounts. Introducing new food into your rabbit’s diet too fast could trigger diarrhea and other digestive distress.

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