Can Rabbits Eat Celery? (Nutrition, Benefits & Feeding Tips)

In caring for your rabbits, it’s essential to know which food is okay for them to eat and which is not. Can rabbits eat celery?

Although these things are healthy for humans, rabbits can have a different reaction to them. Thus, it’s essential to research and read before feeding them new things.

What’s In A Celery?: All About Celery

can bunnies eat celery

Celery has been portrayed on television as something herbivores love. Well, this is true, but there are just too many herbivores out there, and it’s not good to speak for all of them.

This is when individual assessment comes in. But before anything else, what is in celery?

Celery is part of the Umbelliferae family. This family has some famous members who are familiar to the majority. This includes the world-famous bunny favorite, carrots, and parsnips.

According to historians, there’s not much information about where this plant came from. It is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region, where it was esteemed for its medicinal powers.

This vegetable has been popularly paired with dips and an ingredient in salads. This vegetable is low in calories and is filled with antioxidants that are good for your health.

Celeries are also high in water content, making them excellent helpers for digestion. This greeny may not be the best in taste but sure offers a lot of nutrients.

Several forms of antioxidants, including flavonoids, are abundant in celery. These antioxidants battle free radicals and decrease oxidative stress.

Their help helps your body fight and reduce cancer risk. Celery is also a good source of Potassium, Folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K.

Rabbits and Celery: Advantages and Offered Nutrients

do rabbits like celery

As for the question, can rabbits eat celery? The answer is yes. This vegetable can be included in their meal per day. Just like how celery has many benefits for humans, this vegetable also offers a lot for your rabbit.

A Rabbit’s diet requires quite an amount of fiber, and celery can comply with that. Fibrous food is a need for rabbits as it keeps their digestive system functioning well.

Keeps your rabbits hydrated

Another important thing about your rabbit is its need to stay hydrated. Again, celery has a water content that helps your rabbit intake. Some rabbits can be too busy munching on snacks and forgetting to keep their water levels high.

Giving them vegetables with high water content helps keep their water intake regular and thus keep them hydrated.

Helps in rabbit teeth growth

A rabbit’s teeth grow non-stop, and crunching celery is beneficial for your rabbit’s teeth. The crunch helps your rabbit’s teeth have the opportunity to grind their teeth and for them to thrive.

Controlling weight

Celery is also low in calories, ensuring your rabbit does not gain unnecessary weight when they snack on it. On the other hand, if you have an overweight rabbit and are trying to lose some of its weight, this treat is lovely.

Celery is excellent during summers too. All you need to do is refrigerate them before serving, and it will help cool down your rabbits.

All in all, celery is one of the most nutritious vegetables available in the market for your pet rabbit. It’s high in vitamins like vitamin A, C, K potassium, folic acid, iron, fiber, and B-Vitamins, including B6.

While celery sounds like something you should feed your rabbits in large quantities, they are not. Celery should not be consumed in large quantities, and if you happen to have some available, you should limit their intake to just a tiny portion.

Cons and Risks Of Celery To Rabbits

can rabbits have celery

As celery is not a staple food for your rabbit, their consumption should be limited. Yes, it is considered safe to eat, but like most things, this has a limitation, and you need to consider some things to make sure your rabbit is safe.

Despite being one of the healthiest vegetables out there, it’s still essential that you know the possible health risks (if there are any).

Celery strings

The rough and stringy flesh that you find running vertically down a celery stalk is the celery’s strings. These strings can be a problem whenever two situations happen.

First, it can get stuck on your rabbit’s teeth which can infect or hinder the natural growth of their teeth. Second is the risk of it getting stuck in their stomachs.

Celery strings can create blockages in your rabbit’s stomach, which can harm their digestion activities. It’s recommended to cut up the celery stalks before serving them to avoid getting stuck in these parts.

Sugar

Although this vegetable poses no threat of giving your rabbit too many calories and is rather not sweet when humans munch on it, it still has higher sugar levels compared to other vegetables available to them.

A regular stalk would have one gram of sugar per stick. And just like how too much sugar can pose health risks to humans, so is for rabbits.

Water intake

Yes, rabbits cannot have “too much” water too. They require an ample amount of water intake and never too much. Too much water can cause gastrointestinal problems.

Giving them too much celery can cause diarrhea as an overwhelming amount of water is never recommended.

Oxalates

In humans, high levels of oxalate increase the possibility of binding with calcium and creating kidney stones. Oxalates can impede your body from absorbing essential nutrients in your digestive tract.

For your rabbit, the same thing applies. Perhaps not entirely the same as humans but just as dangerous. Oxalate is good when taken in moderation, but too much oxalate also causes kidney damage for your rabbit.

More About Celery Parts and Rabbits

rabbit celery

While stalks have been established to be okay for rabbits, you may wonder whether all the other parts are okay for them to consume too.

Celery leaves

Celery leaves are still usually connected to the stalk upon purchase, and you may have seen them and described them as flat and green. Their taste is similar to that of parsley leaves.

However, celery leaves offer a milder flavor. These greens sprout on top of the stalks, which is the famous part we use in the kitchen. Celery leaves are safe for your rabbit.

Humans and rabbits have a good dynamic when it comes to this vegetable as the leaves are often by humans, so your rabbits can enjoy them too.

Therefore, including celery leaves in your rabbit’s diet is allowed because they are safe. Rabbits are more nutritious than the stalks themselves! The leaves are also ideal for rabbits since they are less sugar and have lower water content.

Your rabbits may love celery leaves, but it’s important to give them just enough. Do not give your rabbits celery leaves every day. It’s best to rotate the veggies that they get to eat every day.

Celery seeds

Humans usually put celery seeds in their soups as a spice. While celery seeds are okay for human consumption, they should not be fed to your rabbits. Celery seeds contain high levels of protein and fat, which is not suitable for your rabbit.

Celery roots

Celery roots have dark skin and resemble a firm, huge, and lumpy ball. This celery part is usually termed celeriac. This celery part is okay for both humans and rabbits.

This part may not look appetizing, and they pose no threat when consumed in moderation. In serving celery roots to your rabbit, it’s good to note that you need to peel it before slicing it into bite-sized pieces for your pet to enjoy.

How Much Celery Are Rabbits Allowed To Eat?

celery for bunnies

Like other animals, your rabbit needs a balanced diet of necessary things to keep them functioning and in the best condition. Since the safety of celery has been confirmed, the next step would be learning how much celery your rabbits are allowed to have.

While vegetables are suitable for health and are fun to prepare, they are not the main character in a rabbit’s diet. Vegetables should only be 15 percent of the rabbit’s diet.

The main character in their diet is hay grass. A rabbit may eat up to 2 inches of celery every day, about half a stick. Make sure that if you feed them celery, limit it to less than half a stick.

It’s good to provide your rabbit with different types of vegetables. This way, they have options and can enjoy a wide variety of flavors.

For optimum health, you should include different vegetables like asparagus, radish, pumpkin, bell pepper, beets, cucumber, and others. This aids your rabbits so they can absorb as many nutrients as possible.

Also, just like humans do not like having the same meal over and over again, your rabbit would not want to eat the same thing every day too.

Summary

It is essential to know what your rabbits can eat and what they cannot consume. It’s part of keeping them safe and taking good care of them.

Thus, asking “Can rabbits eat celery?” is ordinary and necessary. A thing to note about celery and rabbits: keep it in the right amounts and do not go overboard.

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