Yes, rabbits can eat dandelions – they make a great snack. Dandelions are weeds that can grow anywhere in yards or gardens, and they provide nutrients when eaten by your rabbit. This is especially good as they’re easy to come across and beneficial all in one.
You can feed your rabbit all parts of a dandelion (flowers, leaves, and roots).
There are a few things you need to be aware of when letting your rabbit eat dandelions though.
Dandelions might be wilted or covered in chemicals that will make your rabbit sick. There are also false dandelions – which look very similar to the actual dandelions but are not good for your rabbit to eat.
Benefits of Rabbits Eating Dandelions
Your rabbit will get a lot of benefits from eating dandelions, especially from vitamins.
Dandelions contain decent levels of vitamins D, E, C, and a whole bunch of B vitamins.
You may be surprised to learn that dandelions also have almost as much beta-carotene as carrots. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that’s very beneficial for a rabbit’s overall health.
Dandelions are high in fiber – which is an essential part of a rabbit’s diet. Even better, they’re also low in sugar so your rabbit can eat them with a lower risk of sugar-related health issues.
Risks of Rabbits Eating Dandelions
Dandelions are a brilliant snack for your rabbit, but they can’t become the primary food source or be eaten alone.
If a rabbit doesn’t eat a healthy diet including unlimited hay (for the very important fiber), a variety of fresh vegetables, some pellets, and treats, they’ll very quickly become sick.
There’s always a risk of your rabbit having a reaction after trying new food. Only some rabbits will react, many are completely fine and can have increased portion sizes with no problem. But the ones who aren’t fine might have issues like diarrhea, stomach ache, or worse.
To minimize this risk, make sure the first portion is very small, and monitor your rabbit closely afterward. Only give them more if they haven’t had any issues.
If you feed baby rabbits dandelions they will get sick, as their stomachs aren’t able to digest foods like that so early. They have to be at least a few months old before they can begin trying new foods. To be on the safe side, you can wait until they’re almost one year old before introducing new food.
When Feeding Your Rabbit Dandelions
Follow these tips to make sure your rabbit is safe as can be for their dandelion feast:
- Balance the rest of their diet: With such high calcium levels, you’ll need to make sure you aren’t giving your rabbit other food with calcium in it. If a rabbit has too much calcium it can lead to kidney and bladder issues.
- Check if they’re organic or from an untreated lawn: If you pick dandelions from the roadside or a public field, they likely have been treated with herbicides and pesticides.Your rabbit can’t eat dandelions with chemicals on.
- Make sure the dandelions are fresh: If you pick them, they won’t store so give them to your rabbit straight away. If your rabbit eats them directly where they’re growing, check that they’re not wilted or moldy.
- Moderate the number of dandelions your rabbit eats: There can be too much of a good thing, the last thing you want is a sick rabbit.
- Check and double-check that it’s real dandelions and not lookalikes: You can read up on dandelions on this link on nature website Type. To sum it up, you should check for the leaves, size, and appearance to determine what type of weed it is. If you’re unsure, it’s safer to avoid it altogether. While the lookalikes aren’t toxic to rabbits, they aren’t good for them either.
Fun Fact: Your rabbit might have had dandelions before, some types of hay from the store have dandelions in! These hays are typically favored by rabbits over plain hay.