I love watching my pet rabbit nibble on whatever plant food I have in my fridge, and I bet you do too!
But we need to be careful we always offer safe foods to our pets and in the right amounts.
One of the foods you may have in your fridge is the tasty star fruit.
As a general rule, star fruit is a questionable food to give your rabbit. It’s similar to a grapefruit in make-up and nutrition. While it’s not poisonous, it’s high in sugar and water, making it something rabbits don’t need or should be given in only small amounts as treats.
Let’s look at this fruit and why you may not want to give it to your bunny.
Table of Contents
Star Fruit Nutrition And Rabbits
As we delve into this topic, let’s start by looking at the nutrition for star fruit at 100 grams.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Sugars | 4 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Vitamin A | 61 IU |
| Vitamin C | 34.4 mg |
| Folate | 12 mcg |
| Choline | 7.6 mcg |
| Calcium | 3 mg |
| Iron | 0.1 mg |
| Magnesium | 10 mg |
| Phosphorus | 12.0 mg |
| Potassium | 133 mg |
| Sodium | 2.0 mg |
| Water | 91.4 g |
This nutrition information comes from NutritionData.Self.com.
While there are some good points to star fruit, it should only be given rarely to rabbits, and even then, we don’t recommend it.
Why You Don’t Want To Give Your Rabbit Star Fruit
You’ll notice there are some seemingly great health benefits to this food.
We see good amounts of Vitamin C, fiber, and water. There are even trace amounts of other important vitamins, right?
Keep in mind; rabbits are different than people.
It seems obvious, but our requirements aren’t the same as theirs.
They don’t need the high levels of vitamin C as we do.
The fiber part is good, but it’s not just about that.
Let’s look at why this fruit isn’t great for bunnies.
Too Much Water
Grass and hay are the staples of a bunny diet. They don’t have high amounts of water.
Star fruit is too watery for our furry friends.
They aren’t used to all this water.
Too much of this fruit, and they’ll end up with loose stool, which may end up causing severe dehydration and malnutrition if let continue.
High Levels Of Sugar
Sugar isn’t great for people in high amounts, and it’s not a natural part of the rabbit diet.
Sure, they may get sugar from eating some things in the wild, but it’s tiny amounts.
Star fruit has sky-high amounts for the bunny.
Too much will make them obese and throw off their nutritional balance causing a whole host of other issues.
Not Natural In Rabbit Habitat
The star fruit grows in trees in areas with high temperatures in India, Sri Lanka, and China.
It’s not naturally aligned with most pet rabbits’ natural habitats.
They’d likely never encounter it in the wild.
While this doesn’t mean it’s bad necessarily, it does mean their evolutionary dietary systems aren’t built for it.
Even most “typical” fruits aren’t common for rabbits to eat.
They’d only get them in rare instances, so let’s not give them too much in captivity either.
It takes a rabbit’s digestive system more energy and works to process the food, and they won’t get all the nutrition out of it.
Safe Fruits For Rabbits
While star fruit isn’t exactly “unsafe,” it functions similar to grapefruit as a rare and special treat for rabbits (one they don’t actually need).
For more fruits more appropriate as a treat, check out this list:
- Apple (no seeds)
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Cranberries
- Cherries (no seeds)
- Grapes
- Melon
- Nectarine
- Orange
- Papaya
- Peach
- Pear
- Plum
Warning! While these fruits are more appropriate, they still fit in the treat category. They should be given in small amounts and sparingly in the bunny diet.
Basic Rabbit Diet Fundamentals
To know where the star fruit fits in, let’s look at the basics of the diet.
The diet needs to be made of:
- Grassy hay – 80%
- Leafy greens – 10-15%
- Fiber pellets – 5-10%
- Treats – 0-5%
Grassy Hay
Rabbits should have grassy hay or timothy hay to graze on all day.
They won’t eat so much they get sick or overeat hay.
It’s rare for them to eat too much (to the point where it’s essentially impossible).
I always offer my little friend a whole bunch in the morning and evening, making sure he has enough.
Leafy Greens
About one cup of your rabbit’s food (more or less depending on their age and size) should be leafy greens.
These are a mix of veggies and natural greens your pet will find in the wild.
They provide added vitamins, and minerals hay may not provide.
Good options include:
- Parsley
- Spinach
- Mustard greens
- Beet greens
- Swiss chard
- Radish tops
- Sprouts
- Arugula
- Carrot tops
- Cucumber leaves
- Endive
- Escarole
- Frisee Lettuce
- Kale (all types)
- Mache
- Red or green lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- Spring greens
- Turnip greens
- Dandelion greens
- Mint (any kind)
- Basil (any kind)
- Watercress
- Wheatgrass
- Chicory
- Raspberry leaves
- Cilantro
- Radicchio
- Bok Choy
- Fennel
- Borage leaves
- Dill leaves
- Yu Choy
You may also want to check out if rabbits can eat broccoli rabe.
Fiber Pellets
Fiber pellets are there to give your bunnies a little more of a vitamin and fiber boost.
The exact amount depends on the specific brand and size of your bunny.
Be sure to check the package and follow those directions.
Rabbits love pellets (I know mine ignores almost all other food to eat them), so you need to limit how much they eat to the correct amount.
I usually give the pellets once per day to ensure the rest of the day they eat their hay and leafy greens.
Treats
Treats are pretty much anything else a rabbit eats.
This ranges from fruits to the other parts of veggies and commercial rabbit treats.
Limit these and make sure they eat their hay, leafy greens, and pellets before treats.
If you find they refuse to eat the others and only eat the treats, it’s time to cut the treats out.
At least stop feeding treats until they eat their healthy stuff.
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