Advice from the Rabbit Welfare Association:
Mini lops and dwarf lops both enjoy fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs – ideally they should be fed as part of a balanced diet.
The mainstay of a rabbit’s diet should be large unlimited amounts of fresh hay (preferable Timothy or Meadow Hay) with ad lib clean water available. Large amounts of grass, if available, provide good balanced nutrients for your rabbit.
Rabbits, like humans are individuals and as such some may be unable to tolerate certain foods.
When introducing any new food, always do so slowly to avoid digestive upsets. We also recommend you introduce one new food at a time, so if it does upset the rabbit it can be removed from the diet. Only give a small amount and wait for 24 hours, if it isn’t well tolerated (i.e. soft stools are produced) withdraw it and try with something else after everything has settled back to normal. Allow 5-7 days before making any other additions.
The exact quantities given often depend upon the rabbit, so you may need to test your buns individual limits as you do not want your rabbit to have a dirty bottom.
The following list is divided into sub-sections of vegetables, herbs, fruits and wild garden herbs/flowers that are deemed safe to feed rabbits, but this list is not a conclusive list and other fresh foods may also be suitable to feed to rabbits:
Vegetables:
- Artichoke leaves
- Asparagus
- Baby Sweetcorns (but not full size ones)
- Beetroot (care with leafy tops as high levels of oxalic acid)
- Broccoli (and its leaves, including purple sprouting varieties)
- Brussel Sprouts (leaves and sprouts)
- Cabbage (can sometimes cause digestive upsets)
- Carrots (and carrot tops) – the roots should be limited as they are high in sugars
- Cauliflower (and the leaves)
- Celeriac
- Celery (and its leaves)
- Chicory
- Courgette (and flowers)
- Cucumber
- Curly Kale
- Fennel
- Green beans
- Kohl rabi
- Parsnip
- Peas (including the leaves and pods)
- Peppers (red, green and yellow)
- Pumpkin
- Radish Tops
- Rocket
- Romaine lettuce (not Iceberg or light coloured leaf)
- Spinach (only occasional)
- Spring Greens
- Squash (e.g. Butternut)
- Swede
- Turnip (only occasional)
- Watercress
Herbs (often powerful tastes so may take some getting used to):
- Basil
- Coriander
- Dill
- Mint (peppermint)
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
Fruits (should be fed in moderation, due to sugar content – up to 2 tablespoons worth per day):
- Apple
- Apricot
- Banana (high in potassium)
- Blackberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarines
- Oranges (not the peel)
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Raspberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)
- Strawberries (and leaves)
- Tomatoes (not the leaves)
Wild Garden Herbs/Weeds/Flowers:
- Borage
- Calendula
- Camomile
- Chickweed (astringent)
- Clover (leaves and flowers)
- Coltsfoot
- Comfrey
- Dandelion (diuretic properties)
- Goosegrass (cleavers) but may stick to coat!
- Lavender
- Mallow
- Nettle
- Nasturtium (leaves and flowers)
- Shepherd’s purse
- Sow Thistle
- Plantain
- Yarrow
d;
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