A rabbit can eat peas, as long as they’re still green and fresh.
Rabbits can also eat peapods, but (due to their high sugar content) they should only be given one or two peapods as a treat up to twice per week. Or you can feed your rabbit a teaspoon of peas for every two pounds of their body weight.
What Type of Peas Can My Rabbit Have?
Frozen peas are one of the few frozen foods which are acceptable for your rabbit to eat. You should let them thaw but don’t cook them, as this reduces the nutrients in them.
Rabbits can’t have dried peas. When they’re dried, peas can cause blockages, digestive issues, and can be a choking hazard.
Rabbits can eat all parts of the pea plant. This includes leaves, shoots, and pods. You’ll have to watch out if you grow peas in a garden that rabbits have access to, as they could devour the entire lot before you have a chance to get them out of the ground.
Other varieties of peas that are safe to eat include sugar snap peas, snow peas, as well as English garden peas.
Caution: The colorful flowers known as sweet peas, are not peas in a vegetable sense. These should not be given to your rabbit as they are toxic.
Health Benefits of Peas
Peas contain some vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to your rabbit.
Vitamins found in peas include vitamins A, C, and K in high quantities. These are essential in protecting your rabbit’s cells but are also good for helping wounds to heal and to maintain gums.
Some of the minerals found in peas include iron, folate, and magnesium. Eating vegetables like peas allows your rabbit to have a healthy diet with all the nutrients they need.
Peas are also a good source of antioxidants – helping to boost immunity in rabbits, neutralize free radicals, and even help prevent chronic illnesses.
Risks of Rabbits Eating Peas
Peas contain carbohydrates. Although there aren’t excessively high levels of carbs in peas, you still need to be careful. This is because if rabbits have carbs in other parts of their diet, it can end up causing them digestive issues.
You might also be surprised that – despite being so small – peas have a large number of calories too. This can lead your rabbit to gain weight if too many are consumed.
Peas are also low in fiber, which is the biggest part of a rabbit’s diet. Make sure your rabbit predominantly eats hay so their digestive system stays healthy. If you do give your rabbits peas, it needs to be a small amount and as part of a balanced diet (not a replacement of it).
How to Give My Rabbit Peas for the First Time
If you want to introduce your rabbit to peas, make sure they are around one year old. If they are, you can give them just a few peas and then monitor them for the next day to see if they have any reaction.
If they seem normal and their diet or toilet habits haven’t changed afterward, you can gradually increase the portion up to one teaspoon for every two pounds they weigh or to one or two full pea pods.
But if your rabbit is having any sorts of issues after eating peas, you might need to take them to a vet. Watch out especially for signs like loss of appetite, acting out of character, or if they aren’t urinating or defecating properly. If you notice any of these or have any concerns about your rabbit’s health then you should call a vet ASAP.
What Else Should I Feed My Rabbit?
In addition to some tasty vegetables, your rabbit should be given unlimited hay, store-bought pellets, and treats. They should always have access to clean water too.
When giving your rabbit vegetables, make sure you vary what you’re giving them so they don’t end up having the same every week. And always double-check that what you’re giving them is rabbit-friendly before introducing it into their diet.