Can Rabbits Eat Rose Hips? What you need to know.

Last Updated on February 24, 2023 by Marjon Ramos

Rose hips are one of the safest treats you can feed your rabbits. In fact, if you go to Amazon right now you will find a few sellers that are selling dried rose hips treats for rabbits.

Just make sure that your only giving the recommended amounts of rose hips (treats) to your rabbit to prevent triggering digestive problems.

The recommended amount of rose hips that you can give your rabbit is 11-22 grams per kilogram 1-2 times per week.

Also, make sure that your rabbit is at least 7 months old before you give any kinds of treats.

Young rabbits are susceptible to digestive distress so its better to just feed them a lot of fiber without any sugar or starch.

Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why your rabbit can eat rose hips:

Do rabbits like to eat rose hips?

Yes, your rabbit would eat rose hips if you give them some. Rose hips are sweet, and as we all know, rabbits are suckers for anything sweet.

In fact, they will often overfeed on sugary treats like rose hips if you let them have as much as they want. So make sure that you limit the amount you’re giving.

I’ve also tried giving some rose hips to my rabbit (Tyr and Freya), they both liked it.

Is rose hips safe to be eaten by rabbits?

Yes, rose hips are safe to be given to rabbits as long as your rabbit is at least 7 months old and your only giving the recommended amount 1-2 times per week.

The problem with sugary treats like rose hips is not really the sugar itself but the fact that rabbits are eating it in lieu of their main diet (hay).

The lack of fiber would eventually result in digestive problem like diarrhea or GI stasis.

Age is another factor that would affect how safe sugary treats like rose hips would be to your rabbit. Young rabbits (< 7 months old) are susceptible to digestive problems because their gut flora is not yet fully developed.

What are the benefits of feeding rose hips to rabbits?

To properly understand the benefits of feeding rose hips to your rabbits, you can use the nutrient constrain calculator below, which shows the different nutrients your rabbits are getting whenever you feed them rose hips.

It also shows if the amount you’re giving is within the safe nutritional range:

As you can see from the nutrient constrain calculator above, rose hips contain small amounts of nutrients per 100 grams.

But, as an occasional treat, it’s perfectly fine to have this low in nutrients because you should never rely on treats to meet any of your rabbit’s nutritional requirements anyway.

Is rose hips good for rabbits?

Rose hips are rich in nutrients like vitamin A and E. It also has moderate amounts of pantothenic acid, niacin, choline, protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

Overall, rose hips provides a lot of necessary and beneficial nutrients to your rabbit health as long as you fed in moderation.

How much rose hips can a rabbit eat?

The proper amount of rose hips you should give your rabbits would depend on their current weight and age.

You can use this nutrient constraint calculator in order to determine the proper amount of rose hips (treats) to give your rabbits:

If you currently have no idea of your rabbit’s weight, here’s a table that shows the average weight of rabbits based on their breed and how much rose hips to give:

When can rabbits start eating rose hips?

The table above assumes that your rabbit is at least 7 months old.

Another important factor when deciding how much rose hips to give your rabbits is their age.

Here’s a table that shows how much rose hips to give based on your rabbit’s age:

When should you not feed rose hips to rabbits?

Gist:

Stop giving treats like rose hips to rabbits that are having digestive problems.

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If you suspect that your rabbit might be having digestive problems, stop giving any kinds of treats.

The proper protocol whenever you notice any changes in your rabbits poop or behavior (signs of digestive problem) is to only feed them hay and bring your rabbit to a veterinarian.

Feeding a lot of hay and stopping treats would ensure that your rabbit’s digestive problem would not worsen due to the sugar content of most treats.

Risk of overfeeding rose hips to rabbits.

While rose hips are safe and nutritious for rabbits, there are still risks associated when a rabbit owner overfeeds their rabbits:

• Gastrointestinal Stasis: Overfeeding rose hips 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 is also possible when rabbit owners overfeed large amounts of rose hips 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 rose hips instead of hay. This could lead to softer cecotropes due to the lack of fiber.
• Dental problems: Due to the sugar content of rose hips, feeding your rabbits large amounts of them could lead to dental problems.
• Obesity: Overfeeding rose hips to older rabbits, whose metabolism is slower, could lead to obesity due to the high sugar content of rose hips. Obesity could also lead to uneaten cecotropes, or “poopy bottom,” because obese rabbits wouldn’t be able to reach their cecotropes to eat them.

Healthy alternatives to rose hips.

While rose hips are safe to be given to rabbits, you should still give your rabbits a variety of choices when it comes to their diet, just like what wild rabbits have.

Here are some alternatives that you can give to your rabbits one to two times per week as a treat:

Conclusion

Rose hips are one of the safest treats you can give your rabbits. You can actually find pet stores selling dried rose hips treats for rabbits.

Just make sure that your rabbit is old enough (7 months old) to eat treats and limit the amount you feed to 1-2 times per week in small amount.

This would ensure that your rabbit wouldn’t develop digestive problems.