If you want a small pet that’s entertaining and low maintenance, consider getting a rabbit.
Adorable, fluffy bunnies are the top choice of pet owners worldwide when space is limited and children are old enough to help with pet care.
Rabbits are great pets for adults, even if you don’t have kids. Can rabbits eat oranges, and what do rabbits eat?
What you should feed these adorable creatures is covered here. Visit our human bunny shirt selection after you finish this article!
Is Orange Safe for rabbits?
While oranges are technically safe for rabbit consumption, you should consider offering your pet a more sugar- and vitamin-dense alternative.
Because of the risk of kidney damage from eating too much orange juice, we recommend eating other fruits and vegetables with skins, like apples, instead.
Tangerines, Satsumas, Kishu Mikans, Tachibana Oranges, and Ponkans are all related to oranges and may be mistaken for them in a store.
It is still safe to feed your rabbit mandarin oranges, and many people believe it to be a healthier option because it contains less sugar per serving.
What are the nutritional benefits of Oranges
Just like its Satsuma relative, oranges are bursting with naturally occurring sugars that make them taste incredibly good. Oranges are well-known for their high Vitamin C and fiber content.
About 91% of their composition consists of carbohydrates, 7% protein, and 2% fat. Unfortunately, this means that they are also the least nutritious and have the highest sugar content relative to other commonly consumed fruits.
Instead of giving your rabbit lettuce, try giving it a Strawberry.
| Nutrient | Standard Orange |
|---|---|
| Water | 86.75g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.75g |
| Fat | 0.12g |
| Protein | 0.94g |
| Fiber for the Diet | 2.4g |
| Vitamin C | 53.2mg |
| Sugar | 9.35g |
How Healthy Are Oranges?
Oranges’ positive effects on health go far beyond what can be attributed to their relatively high levels of vitamins and minerals.
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have lower long-term risks of cardiovascular disease.
It was also found by the researchers that some produce is more likely than others to have this effect. This includes oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and their juices.
While the effects of citrus on rabbits’ hearts are unknown, it probably wouldn’t hurt to give your pet a few orange slices now and then.
Pectin, a soluble fiber that aids digestion, can be found in abundance in oranges and other citrus fruits.
Constipation can be alleviated, cholesterol levels lowered, and blood sugar levels improved thanks to soluble fiber because it is digested completely. It is recommended that rabbits be fed a diet high in dietary fiber of various types.
Citrus fruits have more pectin than any other fruit or vegetable, according to research conducted at Michigan State University.
Rabies can get some of the nutrients they need from oranges. According to data collected by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), the following nutritional information applies to a 100-gram serving of each orange variety:
| Chemical Composition | Common | Navel | Valencia | Tangerine | Clementine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 86.75 g | 86.7 g | 86.34 g | 85.17 g | 86.58 g |
| Carbs | 11.75 g | 11.8 g | 11.89 g | 13.34 g | 12.02 g |
| Protein | 0.94 g | 0.91 g | 1.04 g | 0.81 g | 0.85 g |
| Fat | 0.12 g | 0.15 g | 0.3 g | 0.31 g | 0.15 g |
| Insoluble Fibre in the Diet | 2.4 g | 2 g | 2.5 g | 1.8 g | 1.7 g |
| Sugar | 9.35 g | 8.57 g | Not included | 10.58 g | 9.18 g |
| Vitamin C | 53.2 mg | 59.1 mg | 48.5 mg | 26.7 mg | 48.8 mg |
Water and vitamin C content are both high in oranges and other common varieties. You can get enough vitamin C to help strengthen your immune system in the event of a cold by eating just 100 to 200 grams of oranges per day.
The vitamin and nutrient needs of rabbits are not the same as those of their owners. So, now we have to figure out if rabbits can actually digest oranges.
Can Rabbits Be Given Oranges?
Oranges are safe for rabbits to eat in moderation. While the vitamins and minerals in oranges are great for a rabbit’s health, the fruit’s high sugar content is not.
This may disturb the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria and yeasts normally found in the rabbit’s intestines. This can cause problems with nutrient absorption in the gut.
Vitamin-rich diets are essential for the health of rabbits because they cannot produce vitamins themselves.
Vitamins may be helpful to rabbits in small doses, but too much of a good thing can be harmful.
It is well-known that a vitamin C overdose in a rabbit’s digestive system can lead to kidney failure. The high vitamin C content of oranges suggests they may not be healthy for a rabbit to consume on a regular basis.
How should you feed oranges to your rabbits
It’s important to remember to peel oranges thoroughly and remove the pith (the stringy inside parts of the fruit) before feeding them to your rabbit. Avoid eating the skin and the pith because they contribute almost nothing to your diet.
At this point, you should start feeding your rabbit the food a little at a time; smaller pieces are preferable but will make a huge mess.
Can You Give Rabbits Mandarin Oranges?
Research conducted at Huazhong Agricultural University suggests that the mandarin orange may have served as a ancestor to the modern orange.
Thus, the modern orange is a cross between the original mandarin and the pomelo. Therefore, mandarins are not true oranges despite their common classification as a citrus fruit.
However, mandarins are safe for rabbits to eat. They are lower in sugar than common oranges and other varieties, with 7 grams.
In any case, a rabbit can easily become overweight from eating too many sweets, so limit the number of times you feed it mandarin orange slices.
The orange is not the only citrus fruit that can be confused with other citrus fruits found in stores. Additionally, the mandarin family includes:
- Mandarin oranges (including hybrids like the Ponkan-and-some-other-mandarin-varietal-named Dancy tangerine, and the more common Bang Mot tangerine)
- Ponkan
- Satsuma
- Orange Tachibana
- Kish mikan
Can You Give Rabbits Orange Peels?
In some circles, veterinarians hold differing opinions on whether or not rabbits should be fed orange peels. However, this is not because of any special nutrients found in the peel. Orange peels, on their own, are a surprising source of nutrients, including:
- 72.5 grams of water
- 25 grams of carbs
- To wit: 1.5 grams of protein
- Two hundred twenty-two milligrams of fat
- 10.6 grams of fiber per day.
- Sum of Vitamin C Content: 136 mcg
Veterinarians are more concerned that the orange peel may contain some lingering pesticides, which can make a rabbit sick. It’s possible that even washing the fruit won’t be enough to remove these toxic chemicals for a rabbit to eat it safely.
If you insist on giving your rabbit orange peel as a treat, make sure it comes from an organic orange and is therefore free of pesticides. In fact, it’s probably best to keep your rabbit away from orange peels altogether.
Can Rabbits Eat Orange Leaves?
If you’re an orange grower, you might be curious about whether or not rabbits are permitted to munch on your trees’ limbs and foliage.
As long as they are not sprayed with pesticides, citrus tree branches and leaves are fine for rabbit consumption.
If you have sprayed pesticides on an orange tree, do not let your rabbit eat the branches or leaves.
Can Rabbits Eat Dried Oranges?
Oranges that have had their moisture removed are dried oranges. It is common for fruit to lose weight as it dries. These bite-sized pieces of fruit may therefore appear to be a more desirable treat option.
Water removal from fruit, however, only serves to concentrate the same amount of sugar and calories into a smaller package.
This means that dried oranges are just as unhealthy as fresh ones. Also, many commercially available dried fruits have sugar or other sweeteners added to them to enhance their flavor.
Dried oranges are already bad for our rabbits, but the addition of sugars and sweeteners makes them even worse.
Is Orange Juice OK for Rabbits?
A rabbit should only be given a small amount of orange juice at a time. Do not give a rabbit orange juice or any other citrus juice in place of water.
Sugar content is high in citrus juices like orange and grapefruit juice. This fructose comes from both the fruit itself and the additional sugars and additives used to formulate the juice. Rabbits have a low tolerance for sucrose, the main sugar substitute used in orange juice.
The cholesterol excretion of rabbits with high cholesterol was found to be reduced by 44-48% when given either orange or grapefruit juice, as reported by researchers at the University of Western Ontario.
Scientists believe the flavonoids in the juice (and all citrus fruits) are responsible for this cholesterol-lowering effect.
Keep in mind that these citrus juices were tested on rabbits with high LDL cholesterol levels in a controlled laboratory setting.
Are Rabbits Allowed to Eat Satsumas?
The satsuma is a type of mandarin orange. They tend to be very sweet and juicy, and have a lighter orange color.
It’s great for rabbits because these citrus fruits don’t have any seeds. Due to their similarities in size, shape, and aroma with tangerines and clementines, satsumas are frequently misidentified.
Small amounts of satsumas, like mandarins and their many varieties, are safe for rabbits to eat as a treat. And if you buy organic satsumas, you can even feed your rabbit the peel.
Can rabbits have citrus fruits?
To name just a few, rabbits can eat grapefruit, clementines, mandarins, tangerines, and satsumas in moderate quantities.
All of these, however, have very high acidity levels and may have an effect on your rabbit’s gut, resulting in GI Stasis.
All of these fruits are high in sugar, which has been linked to weight gain.
What Citrus Fruits Can Rabbits Eat?
In general, citrus fruits are safe for rabbit consumption. It’s not surprising, since many of the citrus fruits sold at grocery stores are related to the orange or the mandarin. The nutrient profiles of these citrus fruits will range from one variety to the next.
| Chemical Composition | Lemon | Lime | Grapefruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 88.98 g | 88.26 g | 90.89 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.32 g | 10.54 g | 8.08 g |
| Protein | 1.1 g | 0.7 g | 0.63 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g | 0.2 g | 0.1 g |
| Fiber for the Diet | 2.8 g | 2.8 g | 1.1 g |
| Sugar | 2.5 g | 1.69 g | 6.98 g |
| Quantitative Measurement of Vitamin C | 53 mg | 29.1 mg | 34.4 mg |
All these citrus fruits, unlike regular oranges and other orange varieties, have a significantly lower concentration of sugar.
These are still acidic fruits, and giving your rabbit an excessive amount of acid in its diet can be dangerous.
Why Are Acidic Fruits Harmful To Rabbits?
On the pH scale, all substances are classified as acidic, alkaline, or neutral.
The range of the scale is from 0 to 14, with 0 indicating extreme acidity, 14 extreme alkalinity, and 7 the true neutral point where a substance is neither too acidic nor too basic.
When it comes to digestion, acids aid in food breakdown, while alkaline is beneficial to overall health. The health of your rabbit can be improved by giving it water, a neutral substance.
Ascorbic acid is another name for vitamin C, so it stands to reason that foods rich in vitamin C will also be relatively acidic.
Citrus fruits, such as oranges, have a pH of about 3 or 4, making them part of this category.
Adding more acidic foods to an adult rabbit’s diet could disrupt the delicate acid-base balance already present in its digestive system, as stomach fluids in rabbits have a resting pH level of 1 to 2 at body temperature. Actually, there is some evidence that suggesting that a more acidic diet may be harmful, if not fatal, to a rabbit.
Due to their diets rich in vegetables and fiber, rabbits’ urine should be more alkaline (around a pH level of 8 to 9).
Metabolic acidosis, where the acid-base balance in the body is skewed more toward the acidic side, was found to be more common in rabbits fed a low alkaline diet, according to research published in the Journal of Nutrition. Serious health problems, such as:
- Injuries to the heart
- Obesity and weight gain
- Diabetes
- Bladder stones or kidney stones
- Deficiency of the immune system
- Pain in the joints and osteoporosis
- Soreness and lactic acid buildup in the muscles
- Chronic lack of vigor and energy
- Inefficient bowel and stomach emptying
- Increased presence of yeasts or fungi
- Reduce your core temperature
- symptoms of depression and stress overload
- Corneal and lid inflammation
- Badly loose and aching teeth
- Irritated, hypersensitive gums
- Stomach and mouth sores
- A high pH in the stomach
- stomach lining inflammation (gastritis).
It’s obvious that acidic foods are bad for your rabbit. Occasionally offering a sliver of citrus or other acidic foods as a treat to your rabbit is fine, but you shouldn’t do this on a regular basis. You should instead consider switching your rabbit’s diet to one that is more alkaline.
How Much Orange Can Rabbits Eat?
Adult rabbits need between 1 and 2 teaspoons of fruit per 5 pounds of body weight per day. Because of the acidity of oranges, you may also want to reduce this amount.
However, age, gender, and species all play a role in the specific nutritional requirements of rabbits. If the suggested ratio doesn’t quite work for your rabbit, feel free to tweak it to make it more suitable.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Oranges?
The rabbit is a mammal. For this reason, newborns must rely on their mothers’ milk for sustenance.
Small amounts of solid food can be introduced into their diets as they get older.
The House Rabbit Society recommends waiting until the rabbit is 12 weeks old to start feeding it teeny tiny amounts of vegetables.
If you want to feed your rabbit things like oranges, you should wait until he or she is about seven months old, as recommended.
This will help prevent the rabbit from developing a taste for sugar over healthier options.
Can Rabbits Eat Oranges Every Day?
To a rabbit’s diet, oranges are essentially sugar and contribute nothing beneficial. Since then, they have been restricted to the role of treat.
As a general rule, you shouldn’t feed your rabbit fruit more than once or twice a week. Hay, nutrient pellets, and plenty of greens should make up the bulk of its diet.
Orange segments should be consumed in moderation and only occasionally.
Rabbits Orange Treats
As a sweet reward, orange is a great way to pamper your rabbit. If you want to teach your rabbit some tricks, you can use this fruit as a reward for good behavior.
Stick to a few of the natural segments when feeding orange to your rabbits.
If you want to have more of these available as training treats, you could try cutting them into smaller pieces. But don’t go crazy and hand out dozens all at once. The only explanation is that it’s delicious!
Alternatives to Orange for Rabbits
As we’ve established, oranges have a lot of fructose. On top of that, oranges are a good source of vitamin C, which rabbits don’t need.
Thus, you should probably think about feeding your rabbit something else. Check out the links below for more of our rabbit feeding guides.
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Celery
Typical Diet for Rabbits
Low-protein, high-fiber diets are ideal for rabbits. Water is an essential part of a rabbit’s diet, which should also include
- Grass
- Hays
If you want to feed your rabbit some greens, make sure they’re very fresh so they don’t cause any stomach problems, but can rabbits eat oranges? Fruits can be fed to the pet on occasion as a treat and to add variety to its diet. Rabbits benefit from timothy grass and other types of grass.
Good rabbit pellets will have a high fiber content, with at least 18% fiber. The recommended amount of rabbit pellets to purchase is enough to last about six weeks.
The pellets go bad if bought in bulk. When rabbits are young, they benefit from eating alfalfa pellets.
Timothy hay pellets are more beneficial as they age. You should always have hay on hand for your rabbit.
Vegetables For Your Rabbit
Your rabbit should eat mostly vegetables with dark green leaves and some root vegetables. They benefit from exposure to a variety of colors.
You should stay away from beans and rhubarb. A rabbit’s digestive system and teeth benefit from eating a variety of hay types, so feel free to experiment with different combinations. Below are some examples of suggested types:
- Orchard
- Oat Hay
- Brome
You should not use alfalfa hay as your rabbit’s primary hay because of the high calorie and protein content.
To keep your rabbit healthy and happy, you should feed it a variety of fresh foods.
Green, leafy vegetables should make up at least 74% of your rabbit’s fresh diet, as they are an excellent source of the moisture necessary for proper kidney and bladder function.
The general rule of thumb is that your rabbit needs one cup of greens for every two pounds it weighs.
Fruit For Rabbits
To what extent do rabbits enjoy eating citrus fruits? Your rabbits can benefit from an occasional treat of oranges as long as you remove the peel before feeding it to them.
Fruits with an orange hue are particularly nutritious. The pectin in oranges aids in the digestion process and the removal of harmful substances from the colon. The lipid-regulating properties of pectin allow for the regulation of blood cholesterol levels.
Vitamin C, a naturally occurring antioxidant, aids the body’s immune system. Let’s circle back to the original inquiry: Do rabbits eat oranges? Each child is allowed a quarter of an orange once every few days.
Even though rabbits benefit from the vitamin C in oranges, the sugar content is what really attracts them.
They have a lot of acid though, so beware. Too much orange juice consumption can lead to stomach and mouth ulcers in rabbits.
It is acceptable to include fruits in your rabbit’s diet, despite the prevalence of urban legends and theories to the contrary, so long as you limit the amount they eat and include them as part of a balanced rabbit diet.
If you feed your rabbit properly, he or she will live a long, healthy, and happy life. Here’s something that’ll make you very happy if you love rabbits: clothing with rabbits on it.