Have you ever wondered if rabbits can eat bok choy? This is a great and unusual vegetable, but is feeding it to your bunny safe? It’s always important to check before adding something new to your rabbit’s diet.
It’s fine to feed a rabbit bok choy. This vegetable is both safe and healthy and can make up a nutritious part of your rabbit’s diet as long as it is fed in balance with hay and other vegetables. Don’t feed your rabbit exclusively bok choy, but do feel free to add a few mouthfuls of this vegetable to its bowl.
How Can I Tell If My Rabbit Likes Bok Choy?
The best way to test if your rabbit likes bok choy is to give it a small piece. Try cutting off half or a quarter of a leaf and offering this to your rabbit. Don’t introduce any other new foods at the same time, or you won’t be able to tell which has caused any problems if they arise.
See if your rabbit eats the bok choy. If it does and seems eager for more, it probably enjoys bok choy. If it only nibbles a small piece and then drops the rest, it probably doesn’t enjoy the flavor.
You shouldn’t give your rabbit more bok choy immediately, even if it seems hungry and looks for more. Instead, wait to see how your rabbit copes with digesting the vegetable. If there are any issues, it may be that bok choy does not agree with your rabbit’s digestive system.
Wait for at least a day before deciding that bok choy is safe, and even then, do not give your rabbit a large serving of this vegetable. Small amounts will always be safer and healthier.
If there are no issues after a day or two, you can gradually introduce bok choy into your rabbit’s diet. Keep an eye out for problems as you do so, and cut back on or remove bok choy from the bunny’s diet if it seems to be suffering from digestive problems.
How Much Bok Choy Can My Rabbit Have?
Once you have checked that bok choy is safe, you will probably want to start regularly incorporating it into your rabbit’s diet. Rabbits should have a small portion of mixed vegetables and leafy greens every day.
The mainstay of your rabbit’s diet should still be hay, no matter how healthy these vegetables are. Approximately 85 or 90 percent of your rabbit’s food should be hay, with around 10 percent as fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens.
Try to rotate these day by day so that your rabbit is regularly getting different kinds of foods in its diet and never eating too much of one food. Bok choy is generally fairly safe, but it has been noted that the stems can cause gassiness in some cases.
This may be uncomfortable for your rabbit, so it’s best to be careful about it. If your rabbit seems to be hunched up or huddled in on itself, it may be suffering from gas buildup. If the issue doesn’t resolve itself, get your rabbit checked out by a vet.
It may be worth avoiding bok choy if you have fed your rabbit lots of other gassy foods, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Spacing out the foods that can cause gas reduces the risk and gives the rabbit’s digestive system more time to process them.
Can My Rabbit Eat Bok Choy Stems?
Your rabbit can eat both the stems and the leaves of a bok choy. It’s best to slice off thin strips and feed them to your bunny, but make sure you don’t give it too much or too often.
Wash leaves thoroughly before serving them to your rabbit to remove any traces of dirt or pesticides, and where possible, buy organic vegetables.
Are There Any Dangers In Feeding Bok Choy To Rabbits?
Apart from the gas issue, you should be a little wary of bok choy because it contains a lot of calcium. Calcium is needed by rabbits, but too much can cause bladder stones, so be cautious about the greens, which contain a high amount of calcium.
Again, rotating bok choy with other greens regularly should help to reduce any risk and make this a safe food for your bunny to enjoy.
If you don’t want to eat bok choy yourself, consider freezing the stems in small portions so that you can give this treat to your rabbit without having to feed it the entire vegetable before it goes off.
Is Bok Choy Good For Rabbits?
Bok choy contains lots of valuable vitamins and nutrients, yes. It has vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, and it is also packed with antioxidants, which are good for your rabbit.
It is also low in both oxalates and calories. Both of these can be problematic for rabbits if they eat too many of either, and things like spinach are high in oxalates. Bok choy, therefore, makes a good alternative.
Overall, bok choy is a great part of a healthy diet, as long as your rabbit is not eating too much of it. Bok choy does contain fiber, but not as much as hay, so it must only make up a small part of your rabbit’s menu, in conjunction with other greens and vegetables.
Can Rabbits Have Cooked Bok Choy?
You might be tempted to share the healthy part of your dinner with your bunny by serving it some of your bok choy after it has been cooked, but you shouldn’t do this. Rabbits are not able to digest cooked foods, and this could cause stomach aches and diarrhea.
Be especially careful if you have cooked the bok choy with salt, but don’t feed your bunny even plain cooked bok choy. It is not safe for them to eat.
Conclusion
Bok choy makes an excellent addition to a varied salad bowl for your rabbit. It does need to be fed in limited amounts to reduce the risks of gas and calcium overdose, but most rabbits will enjoy this crunchy green and get nutritional benefits from eating it.
