No, rabbits can’t eat corn. There are a bunch of reasons why your rabbit should avoid corn, including that it’s a choking hazard, it can become stuck in their digestive tract if swallowed, and it offers very nutritional value.
This goes for all types of corn (dried, fresh, and cooked). Your rabbit would probably try to eat corn if you gave it to them as they tend to eat anything, so it’s extra important that you keep corn as far away from them as you can.
Why Can’t Rabbits Eat Corn?
The list of reasons why corn is bad for your rabbit is endless. These are some of the explanations for why corn can have such a detrimental effect on a rabbit’s health.
- The hulls are indigestible: The outside shell around the seed (called the hull) is impossible for a rabbit to digest. If they do try and eat one, it would cause serious health issues and complications.
- High sugar content: Eating sugary food can lead to dental problems, gaining weight, and your rabbit rejecting their regular food because they desperately want more sugar. Sugar intake must be strictly limited.
- Lots of carbohydrates: This often leads to two potentially fatal health conditions – weight gain leading to obesity, and gastrointestinal stasis. Rabbits don’t need many carbohydrates in their diet.
- Digestive issues: Eating the wrong balance of food can cause the digestive system to slow down and not work properly. Rabbits need to constantly eat to keep their digestion moving and prevent serious health issues.
- Mycotoxins: Corn can contain fungus or mycotoxins that cause humans and rabbits alike to get very sick.
- Rotten corn: If the corn is rotten, such as if it’s darkening or starting to spoil. If your rabbit eats corn in this condition it can cause diarrhea and stomach upset.
- Parasites: It’s possible that parasites can find their way onto the corn when it’s growing. If eaten, these would upset your rabbit’s stomach.
- Pesticides: When crops are grown, they often get treated with chemicals. If the crop wasn’t organic it would need to be thoroughly washed, to avoid your rabbit getting sick from any remaining chemicals.
Parts of Corn Rabbits Can Eat
Can Rabbits Eat Corn Cobs?
No, rabbits can’t eat corn on the cob. The corn offers no health benefits for the rabbit and is tough to chew on. With the potential for choking and blockages, eating corn cobs offers little benefits but plenty of negatives.
Can Rabbits Eat Corn Stalks?
Yes, rabbits can eat corn stalks. These are the green part of the plant that the corn husks grow on. Unlike the corn cobs, the stalks are safe to eat. If you are looking for a snack for your rabbit, there are alternatives that offer more nutrition like spinach or asparagus.
Can Rabbits Eat Corn Husks?
Yes, your rabbit can eat corn husks. These are the husk green structure that surrounds the corn when it’s freshly picked. If you remove the corn, any hairs and wash it, your rabbit can eat corn husks as a treat. You should monitor them if you give them a husk since it’s a choking hazard.
What Should Rabbits Eat?
As herbivores, rabbits need a balanced diet to get all the nutrients they need to be healthy. The single most important part of their diet is hay. Rabbits should have constant access to fiber-rich hay, which is essential for their digestion.
Rabbits also need fresh vegetables (usually the green leafy sort) twice a day. This is where they get a bunch of vitamins and minerals from. Variation is key here, either combine different vegetables or rotate them weekly.
The final part of their diet consists of a daily handful of pellets, and treats once or twice per week. To complete their meal, rabbits need to always have fresh, clean water to drink.
Related Questions
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Corn?
No, baby rabbits can’t eat corn. From birth until at least three months, baby rabbits should only have their mother’s milk, hay, and specific baby rabbit pellets. Corn shouldn’t be fed to your rabbit at any age. Once they pass the three-month mark, they can start to branch out into rabbit-friendly fruits and vegetables.
Can Rabbits Eat Canned Corn?
No, rabbits can’t eat canned corn. Apart from the fact that they can’t eat fresh corn, when food is canned it usually has preservatives and extra salt added. So while the corn might have a longer shelf life, it would be even more difficult to digest.
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Corn?
No, rabbits can’t eat cooked corn at all. They shouldn’t have corn anyway, but cooking food further makes it unhealthy. By reducing the nutrients and softening the vegetable, you should always avoid cooking your rabbit’s food.
Can Rabbits Eat Sweetcorn?
No, your rabbit shouldn’t eat sweetcorn. While it isn’t toxic, it also offers little in the way of nutrition and is difficult to digest so there’s little point in giving them sweetcorn. This goes for fresh, canned, frozen, and cooked sweetcorn.
Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn?
No, rabbits can’t eat popcorn. They’re full of starch which is inadvisable to give to rabbits in large doses and often have added salts and sugars. Altogether this is an unhealthy snack for rabbits and should be avoided.