Any rabbit owner will tell you that their pet’s sweet tooth can get the best of him or her.
If given free reign over a fruit bowl, any rabbit would probably overindulge to the point of illness. Fruits seem out of place in a rabbit’s diet.
We’ll answer all your questions about feeding cherries to your rabbit in today’s piece.
After examining their nutritional qualities, we’ll go over how they should be incorporated into your rabbit’s overall diet and recommend the best varieties of cherries to look for.
Can Rabbits Eat Cherries?
To answer your question, yes, adult rabbits can eat cherries. However, as with any food, moderation is key.
I’ll explain why you should take the time to remove the pits from the fruits and vegetables you feed your pet, whether they’re fed to you fresh or frozen.
Your rabbit can safely nibble on the cherry skin, flesh, and fruity goodness without any risk.
The pit is the only edible part of a cherry for your rabbit.
Your rabbit will enjoy either a sweet or sour cherry.
Despite a preference for the sweet variety, they might be better off with the sour variety due to the reduced amount of sugar.
When feeding a rabbit a new diet, it’s important to do so gradually.
Test out your rabbit’s reaction to half a cherry.
Be on the lookout for signs of bloating or unusual behavior the following day.
Do not give them any more if you find anything suspicious.
If it goes well, you can put it on their list of rewards.
Warning!
If you want to give your rabbit cherries, make sure to remove the pit first, and keep in mind that the twigs and leaves are also poisonous.
Nutritional Value of Cherries
Cherries may look like small stones, but they pack a powerful nutritional punch. Cherries can be found in a rainbow of colors and can be further classified as either sour or sweet.
Prunus cerasus L, more commonly referred to as tarts, are sour cherries.
Despite their sour reputation, sweet cherries, or Prunus avium L, are, well, sweet.
A large number of calories (97%) and vitamin C (18% of the daily value) have been shown to have positive health effects, and a study found that fresh pitted cherries are particularly nutrient-dense. Both types of cherries contain;
- diets high in protein (2 grams)
- carbohydrates (25 g)
- Protein (3grams)
- Potassium at 10% of the Daily Value
- both Copper and Manganese at 5% of the DV per day.
Cherries contain high levels of anti-inflammatory compounds like polyphenol and are high in antioxidants, both of which aid in muscle recovery and reduce pain from intense exercise.
In addition to warding off cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer, polyphenol is effective against a wide range of other chronic conditions.
Do Cherries Have Health Benefits for Rabbits?
Cherry’s high sugar content makes them harmful for the health of most rabbits.
When given on occasion, cherries can make your rabbit feel more secure and loved at home, which is one of the main reasons why they are beneficial to your pet.
Risks of Cherries to Rabbits
It’s true that you can have too much of a good thing (and it’ll still be great), but the same is true of bad things.
While humans can reap significant health benefits from eating cherries, rabbits can only reap moderate benefits due to the acidity of the fruit.
Cherry pits are acidic because they contain cyanides, which are extremely toxic to rabbits in very low concentrations.
Cherry pits are as tough as small rocks. They are located inside the cherries themselves. You shouldn’t feed your rabbit any of these pits because of the danger they pose to their health and because of the damage their teeth could sustain from biting down on them.
Brief sentences about cherries;
- Your rabbit’s teeth may suffer from this.
- The pits, if ingested, can cause severe gastrointestinal distress.
- bunnies.
- cause harm if ingested in large quantities and are thus counterproductive
- life expectancy of your rabbit.
Regarding cherry nutrition, adult rabbits fare better when fed fresh cherries. Do not give your rabbit any dried cherries. Rabbits love the sugary goodness of dried cherries.
Feeding bunnies cherries is not recommended, but if you must, limit their intake to once or twice weekly.
Why Are Cherries Bad for Rabbits?
The cherry’s high sugar content causes the negative effects seen in rabbits.
Rabbits have a sweet tooth but a digestive system that cannot easily process simple sugars.
If you feed your rabbit an excessive amount of sugary foods, it could have serious consequences for their digestive health.
How Cherries Can Be Bad For Rabbits
Even though it’s usually not a big deal if you just have a little bit, there are some things you should know.
- Cherry pits contain a cyanide compound, which can be converted to cyanide by the body during the chewing or crushing process. The pit would be too tough to crack in most situations, but not for a bunny.
- Cherry leaves and twigs are also toxic to rabbits and should never be fed to them. These cherry tidbits, like the pit, may be harmful to rabbits.
- As a result of their high sugar content, eating sweet cherries on a regular basis can be bad for your health and lead to tooth decay.
- Eating too many cherries at once can cause stomach problems like diarrhea.
How to Feed Cherries to Your Rabbits
You should only give your rabbit cherries on a very rare occasion. You can put them away for special occasions or use them to train your rabbit to behave better by rewarding good behavior with treats.
Either way, before feeding them to your rabbit, remove the cherry flesh from the pits.
Parts Of A Cherry Your Rabbit Should Never Eat
Some parts of a cherry are toxic to rabbits, so even though they make a great treat, you shouldn’t give them to your rabbit in excess.
In this regard, we can name the following:
- Chard stems
- Incorporating cherry tree parts into your garden
- There are cherry leaves
- Stone from a cherry
- Cherries that have been canned and preserved (typically with sugar and food coloring).
- Hard of cherry
How Many Cherries Can My Rabbit Eat?
The same is true of everything else in life: excess can be detrimental.
If you feed your pet a balanced diet of pellets and hay, a small amount of cherries is a great addition.
They’re great to use as a treat after some vigorous activity or fun with friends.
Overindulgence and even obesity in some bunnies can result from people giving them more than one or two at a time.
Eat only a handful of cherries each week to keep your rabbit in tip-top shape.
Since newborn rabbits get all the nutrition they need from their mothers’ milk, giving them cherries is a terrible idea.
Types of Cherries to Feed Your Rabbit
Nutritionally, there is very little difference between the more than two dozen different cherry varieties that are currently recognized.
While sweet cherries are the obvious favorite of most rabbits, your rabbit may do better with the lower sweetness of sour cherries.
Other Cherry Facts You Need To Know
Wild Rabbits
Following the same gentle guidelines for feeding wild rabbits is essential.
Refrain from giving them too much attention or food.
In the wild, rabbits have to be more adept at finding nutritious foods, such as grasses and greens, than domesticated rabbits.
Cherry Juice
Your rabbit can drink the juice from a fresh cherry without any problems, but they should never be given any bottled cherry juice.
These are not good for your rabbit because of all the sugar and preservatives they contain.
Fresh Food
Do not give your rabbit any other fresh foods while you are testing out the cherries.
This may cause digestive distress and make it difficult to pinpoint the source of any illness.
Varieties of Cherry
Naturally, there are many varieties of cherries available, and you can try any of them with your rabbit; just remember to always cut it up and remove the pit.
Related Questions
What follows are explanations to some additional queries we thought you might have:
Can Rabbits Eat Cherries Stems?
The resounding response to that query is a firm NO. Due to the presence of volatile oils and high potassium salts, cherry stems are extremely poisonous to rabbits.
Any part of a stone fruit, including the stem, should not be fed to a rabbit. If you care about your bunnies’ well-being, you won’t let them eat cherry stems.
Can Rabbits Eat Cherries Leaves?
You have been given yet another negative response. The leaves of cherries are poisonous to rabbits in the same way that the stems are.
Cyanide, a carbon-nitrogen compound, can be found in both the stems and the leaves.
Cyanide poisoning is fatal to humans. The more you discuss your pet, the better.
Can Rabbits Eat Maraschino Cherries?
I repeat: they CANNOT. In order to achieve their current light red hue, maraschino cherries today go through a multi-step processing transformation that includes bleaching. When these things happen, a lot of important nutrients are lost.
In addition, your rabbits probably shouldn’t snack on Maraschino cherries because they’re loaded with sugar. One maraschino cherry is not going to kill your rabbits if it accidentally ends up in their mouth.
that has already been consumed; if the situation worsens, please take your rabbit to the nearest veterinary clinic.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Cherries?
No. Young rabbits don’t have the digestive system to handle cherries. If baby rabbits eat cherries, they may develop severe stomach upset, bloating, diarrhea, and infrequent bowel movements.
Rabbit babies should not eat cherries.
Can Rabbits Eat Dried cherries?
Due to their high sugar and phosphorous content, as well as their acidity, dried cherries are NOT SAFE for your rabbits. Therefore, the correct response is NOT.
Final Thoughts
While it’s true that your rabbit will likely devour any cherry you put in front of it, you probably shouldn’t make cherry eating a regular part of its diet.
While not toxic, the high sugar content can wreak havoc on your rabbit’s digestive system. Always keep them on hand, but only use them as a special treat or training incentive on rare occasions.