For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the nature and habits of wild rabbits. These fluffy tailed creatures enthral us with their gentle, shy behavior and role as “nature’s nibblers”. Yet questions remain about properly feeding our wild lagomorph friends. Can humans supplement their natural diets without harm? Should we avoid potentially toxic garden plants? How do orphaned bunnies survive? This definitive guide explores the dos and don’ts for safely feeding cottontails, jackrabbits, and swamp hares in the suburbs and countryside. Get ready to journey through the world of rabbits and discover new insights into their dining habits! Whether you are a professional rehabilitator or a backyard wildlife lover, this research-backed primer will expand your knowledge and help you support wild rabbit populations in need.
What do wild rabbits normally eat?
Wild rabbits are herbivores, meaning they eat plant materials rather than other animals. Their diet consists primarily of grasses, clovers, herbaceous plants, bark, twigs, buds, flowers, and seeds. Rabbits require a diet high in fiber to aid their digestive system. They have continuously growing teeth that need to be worn down by chewing on fibrous vegetation.
In the spring and summer, rabbits will eat grasses, clovers, dandelions, plantain, wild lettuce, and other greens abundant in meadows and lawns. They also enjoy the leaves, bark, catkins, buds, and twigs of trees and shrubs. Favored trees include maple, birch, poplar, apple, and cherry. Rabbits can meet most of their nutritional needs from the variety of fresh greens available in spring and summer.
What do rabbits eat in the winter?
Finding food in the winter can be more challenging for wild rabbits. Greens and plants are less abundant, so rabbits adapt their diet. They expand their palate to eat the bark, twigs, buds, and dried grass that persists through winter. Rabbits have been observed standing on their hind legs to reach higher branches.
Bark from trees provides important fiber and nutrients. Rabbits favor the inner bark of woody shrubs and trees, scraping off outer layers to reach the living inner bark. This provides energy, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and water. Preferred species include apple, ash, birch, hawthorn, and willow.
Dried grasses and hay are important sources of roughage in winter. Rabbits will gather dried grass into sheltered areas to feed on. They also eat the seed heads of mature grasses and plants that persist through winter. Buds and twigs from trees and shrubs supplement their diet.
How much do wild rabbits eat?
Wild rabbits are prolific eaters. They have very efficient digestive systems that allow them to process large quantities of fibrous vegetation quickly. An adult cottontail rabbit may eat between 2 to 4 pounds of food per day, sometimes exceeding their own body weight.
The bulk of a rabbit's diet is fibrous grassy material, which is low in calories. They must consume a lot of vegetation to extract enough nutrition and energy to survive. Baby rabbits have proportionally higher caloric needs than adults, and can eat up to their own weight daily while going through growth spurts.
Lactating female rabbits also have high caloric needs and may eat more food than usual to support milk production. Rabbits focus their feeding times around dawn and dusk, but may graze throughout the day and night. Access to abundant food is critical for rabbits to meet their high nutritional needs.
When will you usually see wild rabbits eating?
Rabbits are most active and focused on feeding around dawn and dusk. This crepuscular schedule reduces their exposure to daytime predators. It also allows them to take advantage of the cool temperatures, shelter, and dew found at night.
At dawn, rabbits venture out into open areas to graze on grasses and greens while they are still moist with dew, which provides them with water. Rabbits may continue feeding periodically throughout the day, but are most focused on eating in the early morning and evening hours.
Around dusk, rabbits become active again to feed on grasses, flowers, leaves, and buds. Moonlight provides additional illumination for rabbits to see and find food at night. Rabbits usually spend the hottest part of mid-day resting in forms, but may still nibble on bark or grass.
Is it okay to feed wild rabbits?
Occasionally feeding wild rabbits small amounts of natural foods can be fine, but some caution should be used. Their digestive systems are adapted to a diet of grasses and greens. Introducing inappropriate human foods suddenly or in excess can upset their digestion and lead to serious intestinal issues.
It's generally best not to feed wild rabbits at all. They are resilient foragers that can meet their own needs when living in healthy ecosystems. If providing supplementary food, it should only be done during emergencies like extreme weather events where natural food becomes scarce. Even then, only certain natural foods should be provided.
Vegetable scraps
Leftover vegetable peelings from carrots, potatoes, beans, or other produce can be fed to rabbits in very limited amounts. Only fresh produce should be fed – nothing rotting or moldy. Too much can cause digestive upset.
Rabbits enjoy leafy greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, or broccoli leaves. Introduce new veggies slowly in limited quantities. Remove uneaten portions within a few hours. Only feed vegetable scraps sparingly to supplement their natural diet.
Hay or dried grass
Rabbits naturally eat dried grasses and plants in winter. Providing small piles of hay or dried grass is safer than vegetable scraps. Grass hay, timothy hay, oat hay, brome, or meadow grass are healthier options. Avoid alfalfa which is too rich.
The hay gives rabbits important roughage and mimics their natural food sources. Place it in sheltered spots where rabbits already feed. Make sure it stays dry. Remove any uneaten portions within a few days to prevent rotting or mold. Monitor to ensure other wildlife are not competing for the hay.
Commercial dry rabbit food
Specially formulated commercial rabbit pellets made from compressed hay, grains, and vitamins are suitable occasional supplements. Choose pellets designed for adult rabbits, not baby rabbits or species like guinea pigs. The ingredients should be high in fiber (18% minimum) and low in fat, protein, and sugars.
Avoid pelleted "treats" with seeds, dried fruits, nuts, or colored bits – these are too high in carbohydrates and sugars for wild rabbits. Scatter a small handful of plain adult rabbit pellets near areas rabbits already feed. Don't leave large piles that could get wet/moldy or attract other wildlife.
The natural way to feed wild rabbits
The healthiest food for wild rabbits is nature itself. The best way to support rabbits is by providing natural healthy habitats with abundant native vegetation. Planting or encouraging native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees that rabbits naturally eat will give them the best nutrition.
Focused feeding stations with unnatural foods should be avoided. They can promote unnaturally high populations that exceed the ecosystem's carrying capacity. Allowing nature to feed rabbits supports stable balanced ecosystems. Supplying a diversity of natural foods helps ensurerabbit populations remain sustainable.
Gardening for wild rabbits
Rabbits nibble on many garden plants. If rabbits frequent your yard, consider planting a designated rabbit garden. Choose plants known to be rabbit-resistant. Favor native species rabbits naturally adapted to eat in your region.
Suitable options include clover, vetch, wild mustard, mallow, native grasses, sedges, elderberry, sage, goldenrod, and wild roses. Plant densely to limit open space. Surround with native shrubs like dogwood, serviceberry, and chokecherry. Water during drought and let some go to seed for self-sowing.
Avoid prized vegetables and ornamentals not adapted to rabbit browse. Protect them with fencing if needed. Let the rabbit garden become an accepted part of the local ecosystem.
Lawn care for rabbits
Rabbits eat grass and use lawns for grazing. Allowing controlled rabbit grazing can reduce mowing. Encourage habitat by permitting clover and native wildflowers to grow. Avoid toxic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers – organics are safer.
Keep grass longer (3+ inches) to provide cover and reduce erosion. Leave brush piles as shelters for fawns and young. Weeds provide food variety – embrace their presence. Limit lawn watering and over-seeding which promotes unnatural turf growth.
Make peace with some clover and patchiness. Let nature reclaim sections of lawn altogether. A "messy" lawn supports biodiversity for rabbits and other wildlife. Focus lawn care on nurturing nature rather than conforming to unnatural human aesthetics.
Plants to feed rabbits in the winter
In winter, natural food is scarce for rabbits. You can provide supplementary food by planting some of their favorite woody browse plants:
Apple trees – Rabbits eat the bark and small branches. Plant dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties.
Willow trees – Rabbits browse the bark and twigs of most willow species. Pussy willow is a favorite.
Birch trees – Paper birch is preferred. Rabbits eat the nutritious inner bark.
Rose family shrubs – Native wild roses, blackberries, raspberries, etc. Rabbits eat the buds and bark.
Maples and poplars – Rabbits feed on the young bark and branches. Choose smaller ornamental varieties.
Conifers – Rabbits browse the tender tips of pine, spruce, cedar, hemlock, and fir.
Water in dry climates
Rabbits get much of their water needs from the vegetation they eat. But during very hot or dry conditions, they may need supplementary water. Shallow bird baths can double as rabbit water sources. Change water daily to prevent mosquitoes.
Drip trays or bowls under potted plants provide moisture as overflow. Add water-retaining crystals to planting beds. Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers to deeply water vegetation. Install misters or sprayers on timers to automatically moisten natural areas.
Avoid shallow containers where rabbits could get wet and chill. Suspend water containers on stakes or hang at a height reachable by rabbits, but not by other wildlife. Provide water year-round as needed, but locate it away from feeding areas to prevent contamination.
Should you worry about plants and flowers that are toxic to rabbits?
Rabbits instinctively avoid most poisonous plants, but a few common garden flowers are potentially toxic if eaten in excess. However, rabbits tend to sample small amounts of different plants, balancing their diet. Eating a few blossoms of risky plants is unlikely to harm them.
Some flowers identified as toxic in large doses include tulips, daffodils, foxgloves, larkspur, lilies, amaryllis, chrysanthemums, poppies, and azaleas. But rabbits seem to know to only nibble them moderately. Removing these entirely could reduce dietary variety.
Focus on providing abundant suitable plants rabbits can eat, like clover, dandelions, wild rose, and native wildflowers. Monitor if rabbits are suddenly heavily consuming any questionable plants. During toxicity, they may drool, stagger, or vomit. Remove poisonous temptations if issues appear.
What to AVOID doing when feeding wild rabbits
Certain foods can seriously harm rabbits. Use extreme caution, and avoid:
Birdseed
Birdseed mixes contain grains, corn, nuts, dried fruit, and seeds that are too high in carbohydrates, sugars, and fat for the digestive health of wild rabbits. They lack the fiber content that rabbits need. Feeding birdseed can lead to deadly diarrhea, gas, and intestinal issues.
High sugar foods
Avoid feeding rabbits foods with high sugar content. Do not offer candy, cookies, granola, sugary cereal, breakfast bars, etc. Also avoid fresh fruits like bananas, apples, melon, stone fruits, berries, and citrus. Dried fruits and juices are unsafe as well.
Cooked human leftovers
Avoid feeding rabbits any cooked foods, greasy foods, or other human leftovers. Spicy seasonings and oil can upset sensitive wild rabbit digestion. Processed people food often has inappropriate nutrition content for rabbits. Stick to greens, hay, or dry rabbit pellets.
Cat or dog food
Cat and dog kibbles are grain-based and contain animal proteins, both inappropriate for vegan rabbits. Rabbits cannot digest animal proteins. The grains also have insufficient fiber and too many carbohydrates. Only feed vegetation suitable to wild rabbits.
Milk
Never give milk to wild rabbits (except orphaned babies needing milk replacer as emergency care by experts). Milk and dairy contain lactose and casein that adult rabbits cannot properly digest. Offer water instead. Nursing mothers obtain needed calcium from natural vegetation.
Feeding orphaned wild baby rabbits
Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators should attempt caring for orphaned wild baby rabbits. But in an emergency, you may need to stabilize babies until they can get to a rehabber. Keep babies warm in a dark quiet box with soft bedding. For emergency nutrition:
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Hydration is critical. Use an eyedropper for Pedialyte or diluted electrolyte solution.
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For very young eyes-closed babies, use sheep or goat milk replacer formulas for syringe feeding. Exact dilution is crucial.
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Older bunnies can be syringe fed vegetable baby foods like carrots, squash, or sweet potatoes.
Avoid cow's milk, foods with added sugars/oil, citrus, cabbage, corn, onions, or other gas-producing human foods. Get orphans to licensed rehabilitators for proper care as soon as possible. Raising wild rabbits is extremely difficult without proper training.
Feeding wild Rabbits in Captivity
Rabbits do not make good pets. But some domesticated rabbits are kept as 4-H projects or backyard barnyard animals. Proper rabbit care requires:
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A hutch with shelter, proper ventilation, clean bedding, litter trays.
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A grazing yard with edible grasses/plants, shelters, tunnels, dig-boxes, chew toys.
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Fresh clean water in hanging bottles or heavy bowls, changed daily.
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Hay available at all times in racks. Grass, oat, timothy hays.
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Limited pellets – 1/4 cup per 6 lbs body weight. Choose adult rabbit formula.
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Daily servings of vegetables – romaine, kale, carrots, parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, bok choy.
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Forage like apple branches, willow twigs.
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Annual health exams, vaccinations if needed. Watch for overgrown teeth.
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Social time, but same sex pairs alterably neutered/spayed. No breeding freel
Wild rabbits thrive on native plants. Captive rabbits do best on a diverse natural diet with unlimited hay, moderate veggies, and limited commercial pellets. Avoid human "treats" and focus on gut health. An active natural life prevents behavior issues. Proper care takes commitment,space, and bunny experience.