Can Rabbits Eat Parsley? What you need to know.

Last Updated on March 7, 2023 by Marjon Ramos

Parsley can be eaten by rabbits as long as they’re old enough (> 12 weeks old) and your rabbit is eating enough hay. The only danger of feeding parsley to rabbits is when your rabbit is too young or when your rabbit is eating too much parsley in lieu of hay.

Otherwise, parsley is one of the most nutritious and safest herbs you can feed your rabbits. All parts of the parsley plant can be eaten by rabbits.

Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits can eat parsley:

Is parsley safe to be eaten by rabbits?

Yes, parsley is safe to be included in your rabbit’s diet. In fact, parsley is on the list of the most recommended leafy greens to include in your rabbit’s diet.

The only time parsley is not safe is when rabbit owners overfeed their rabbits or give their rabbits too much parsley too fast, especially to young rabbits.

Would rabbits intentionally eat parsley?

Yes, rabbits would gladly eat parsley if you gave them some.

We interviewed several rabbit owners about their rabbit diets, and every rabbit owner reported seeing their rabbits devour parsley when given.

What are the benefits of feeding parsley to rabbits?

Gist:

Parsley contains a lot of vitamin A and potassium.

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To give you a better idea of how much nutrition your rabbit is getting when you feed them parsley, you can use the nutrient constrain calculator for rabbits below.

You can click the blue icon beside the nutrient to see its benefits and what would happen if your rabbit has deficiencies:

As you can see from the nutrient constrain calculator, 100 grams of parsley contains a lot of vitamin A and potassium. Parsley also contains small amounts of Vitamin E, B6, niacin, protein, choline, and fiber.

Although parsley does contain the nutrients that I’ve mentioned above, you should still only consider parsley and other leafy greens as a supplement to your rabbit’s diet. Remember, your rabbit’s diet should be made up of 80% hay, 10% vegetables, and 10% pellets (if your rabbit is normal weight).

How much parsley should a rabbit eat?

To know how much parsley you should feed your rabbits, you can use this diet portion calculator below to see how much and what food you should give your rabbits based on their weight and age:

If you don’t know your rabbit’s weight, here’s an estimated amount of how much parsley to give your rabbits based on the average weight of rabbits per breed:

The table on how much parsley you can give your rabbits above assumes that your rabbit is more than 1 year old.

Here’s a table on how much parsley you should give your rabbits based on their age:

Be careful when feeding leafy greens like parsley to young rabbits because they are the most susceptible to digestive distress due to their sensitive stomachs.

Always introduce any new diet to your rabbits slowly. This would reduce the risk of triggering a bout of digestive problems.

When should you not feed parsley to rabbits?

Gist:

You should stop giving your rabbits parsley when you notice or suspect any digestive problems.

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The proper protocol for rabbits who are having digestive problems is to remove any other food from their diet except hay. This would ensure that your rabbit is getting enough fiber.

As we all know, hay (fiber) is the most important part of a rabbit’s diet. It should account for 80% of its diet.

Finally, bring your rabbit to a veterinarian if you notice or suspect any digestive problems, because digestive problems in rabbits are extremely dangerous when not treated.

Risk of overfeeding parsley to rabbits.

While parsley is safe and nutritious for rabbits, there are still risks associated when rabbit owners overfeed their rabbits:

• Gastrointestinal Stasis: Overfeeding parsley in lieu of hay to your rabbits could lead to GI stasis, which is caused by a lack of fiber in your rabbit’s diet.
• Diarrhea: Diarrhea is also possible when rabbit owners overfeed large amounts of parsley to their rabbits too fast. Always introduce any new diet to your rabbits slowly.
• Uneaten cecotropes: Soft uneaten cecotropes are also possible when rabbits are eating large amounts of parsley instead of hay. This could lead to softer cecotropes due to the lack of fiber.

Healthy alternatives to parsley.

Although parsley is safe and nutritious for rabbits, rabbit owners should still give their rabbits a variety of foods in their diet to mimic what wild rabbits eat.

Here’s a list of vegetables and leafy greens that are recommended for rabbits:

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

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Conclusion

Parsley is one of the most nutritious and safest foods you can give to your rabbits. Provided that your rabbits are old enough to eat veggies (> 12 weeks), and you only give them in moderation.