Can Rabbits Eat Celery?

Celery adds zest to many dishes. It’s delicious, nutritious, and super easy to find in most supermarkets. That’s why the question can rabbits eat celery is something we encounter quite often from veggie-loving bun owners. Let’s see if your fur baby will love celery and if it’s safe for you to give him a few stalks now and then.

Do They Even Like It?

There are plenty of reasons for rabbits to like celery. First, celery is a plant, and being herbivores, rabbits love anything plant-based. Second, the veggie has a tough, fibrous stalk, making it fun to chew. Third, rabbits will likely find celery’s high water and sugar content a delightful treat.

Can Rabbits Eat Celery?

Fortunately, they can. The great news is that celery is packed with vitamins and nutrients, making it one of the healthiest treats you can give to your pet. Because the veggie has a high water content (just like watermelon, another fav!), it can help cool down your rabbit, especially during summer.

Nutritional Benefits of Celery

Celery has plenty to offer when it comes to nourishing your fur baby. It contains vitamins A, C, E, K, and B6. It also has folic acid, potassium, iron, magnesium, choline, and zinc. All of these contribute to your bun’s physical wellbeing.

Fiber, which should be the mainstay of a rabbit’s diet, can also be found in celery. Of course, the veggie shouldn’t replace hay as a fiber source. Still, the high fiber content of celery makes it an excellent treat for your pet.

4 Advantages of Feeding Celery to Your Bunny

Giving your bun some celery stalks now and then can boost his health in the following ways:

1. Provides Essential Nutrients

The presence of several rabbit-friendly vitamins and minerals in the crunchy, tasty veggie can give your bun’s health a boost.

2. Great for Overweight Buns

Although celery is packed with nutrients, it’s low in calories. Giving it to your chubby bunny as a snack won’t lead to more weight gain. Of course, you’ll still have to limit your pet’s portions so he won’t pack on more pounds.

3. Boosts Hydration

The veggie is water-dense. In fact, it’s 95% water. That’s why a celery snack is an excellent way to get more of this essential liquid into your pet’s diet. This is especially true for buns who aren’t too keen on drinking from their water bottle or bowl. Giving your pet refrigerated celery sticks can help cool him down during hot weather.

4. Good for Dental Health

This veggie’s stalk is tough and fibrous. That’s why it helps whittle down your bun’s teeth. As you know, a rabbit’s teeth never stop growing. If they don’t get worn down, they can cause a host of health issues such as sores and abscesses in the mouth, malocclusion, infection, pain, and weight loss. Providing your bun with chew toys and treats like celery files down those pearly whites.

3 Risks of Giving Celery to Rabbits

Although celery is a healthy treat, feeding it to your pet also carries some risks, especially if your oversize his portions.

1. The Celery Strings Can Pose Hazards

The celery strings are hard pieces of fleshy material that run down the celery stalk. These can get stuck in your bun’s teeth and lead to an infection. The strings can also lead to blockages in the digestive tract. They can also become choking hazards.

2. Beware of the Veggie’s High Sugar Content

It’s probably hard to imagine celery being sweet. But like carrots, it does have high sugar content. One stick of celery can have around 1 gram of sugar. Too much of this sweet stuff can wreak havoc with your pet’s health. Aside from the risks of obesity, a diet rich in sugar can cause diarrhea and even the potentially fatal GI stasis.

3. The Oxalates Contained in Celery Can Harm Your Pet

Oxalates in small amounts won’t harm your bun. However, if your pet eats too many foods containing oxalates, the substance can build up and lead to kidney damage.

How Much Can They Eat?

Although celery is a healthy veggie for your bun, you shouldn’t feed him as much as he wants. Like with fruits, treats, and other vegetables, moderation is the key. Limit your pet’s intake to around 2 inches of celery per day.

How to Serve It

Here are some tips on how to prepare the celery snack you’ll be serving to your pet.

Offer organically-grown celery as much as possible. Some pesticides can be dangerous to rabbits.

Wash the celery thoroughly in fresh, clean water to remove dirt and any chemical residues.

Cut up the stalks in one-inch sections before giving them to your bun to prevent any trouble with the celery strings.

Offer only a tiny piece of celery when you feed it to your pet for the first time. If you see no ill effects, you can give a bit more after a few days. But if your rabbit develops diarrhea, constipation, or shows signs of illness, remove celery from his diet.

Can Rabbits Eat Celery Leaves?

Celery leaves are not only safe for rabbits, but they’re even more nutritious than the stalks. So you can include the leaves in your pet’s diet. Just make sure you wash the leaves thoroughly before giving them to your rabbit, and don’t give them every day. Like the stalks, celery leaves also contain oxalic acids, which can harm rabbits when taken in large amounts.

Can They Eat the Flowers?

Store-bought celery usually doesn’t come with any flowers. But if you grow your own, you might be wondering if your rabbit can eat the flowers. Well, there’s no straight answer to this question. Although the flowers aren’t poisonous, they don’t seem to offer any benefits for rabbits, so cut them off before giving the celery to your pet.

Can Baby Bunnies Have Celery?

Rabbits have sensitive digestions, more so when they’re babies. Buns younger than three months may not yet have the gut bacteria needed to digest celery and other fruits and veggies, for that matter. As such, they’re prone to diarrhea and other digestive issues if given food they can’t digest properly. So wait until your pet is three months old before feeding him celery and introduce the veggie very slowly into his diet.

Rabbits can eat celery, so you can include the delicious, crunchy veggie in the list of foods you give. Just remember to offer only a small portion and don’t give it on days you serve other oxalate-high fruits and veggies.

More on Rabbit Diet

We hope you enjoyed this post! If you did, will you give it a share or two 🙂 Thank you! ~from Every Bunny Welcome

Can Rabbits Eat Celery?

Do They Even Like It?

Can Rabbits Eat Celery?

Nutritional Benefits of Celery