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Can rabbits eat fruit?
Yes, but as a treat. Burgess says rabbits do not naturally eat fruit, which is generally high in sugar, and suggests a small portion such as a couple of strawberries or a slice of apple once or twice a week. The RSPCA puts fruit with occasional treats, outside the daily 85% hay, 10% greens and 5% pellets. PDSA says only very small amounts, about an eighth of an apple or pear, and none at all for overweight rabbits.
Because of that, there is no fruit we would feed most days. What you can give most days are the leaves of some fruit plants, which have the fibre without most of the sugar. Our guide to the rabbit diet explains how the rest of the menu fits together.
The full list of fruit for rabbits
This table covers every fruit we have a food page for, plus the ones PDSA, Burgess, the House Rabbit Society (HRS) and the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) name. "How much" is for an average 2 kg (4.4 lb) rabbit. Each linked name goes to our full page.
| Fruit | How often | How much (2 kg rabbit) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most days: leaves only, not the fruit | |||
| Raspberry leaves | Most days, rotated | A few leaves | HRS lists them as a leafy green |
| Strawberry leaves | A few times a week | A few leaves | Safe and less sugary than the fruit |
| Pear leaves and twigs | Now and then | A small twig with leaves | Unsprayed trees only |
| Treats: once or twice a week | |||
| Strawberries | Once or twice a week | Half to one small strawberry | Burgess and PDSA safe list |
| Blueberries | Once or twice a week | Two or three berries | Fresh, not dried |
| Raspberries | Once or twice a week | One or two berries | RWAF and HRS list them |
| Apples | Once or twice a week | A thin slice, about 1/8 of an apple | Pips and core out: PDSA says pips are poisonous |
| Pears | Once or twice a week | Up to 1/8 of a medium pear; half that for a dwarf | Core and pips out |
| Melon (cantaloupe, honeydew) | Once or twice a week | A cube about 2 cm (3/4 in) across | PDSA, Burgess and RWAF list melon; no seeds or rind |
| Plums | Once or twice a week | A thin slice | PDSA and Burgess list plums; stone out |
| Rare treats: about once a week or less | |||
| Bananas | About once a week | One thin slice, about 5 mm (1/4 in) | One of the sweetest; RWAF prefers green or under-ripe |
| Grapes | Once or twice a week at most | One grape, halved | No raisins or juice |
| Watermelon | Once or twice a week at most | A 2 cm (3/4 in) cube of seedless flesh | No seeds or green skin |
| Cherries | Once a week | One cherry, stone and stalk out | Never stones, leaves or glace cherries |
| Kiwi | Once a week | One peeled slice, 5 mm (1/4 in) thick | PDSA and Burgess list kiwi |
| Mango | Once a week | One peeled cube, 2 cm (3/4 in) | No stone, no dried mango |
| Peaches | Once a week | One thin slice, stone out | No tinned peaches |
| Pineapple | Once a week | One chunk, 2 cm (3/4 in), peeled | Fresh only; no skin, crown or tinned |
| Apricot, papaya | Once a week at most | A thin slice | Listed by HRS only; stone and seeds out |
| Oranges | Once or twice a month | About a quarter of a peeled segment | Pips out; no peel or juice |
| Never feed | |||
| Avocado | Never | None | RSPCA and Burgess: never, very fatty |
| Rhubarb | Never | None | RSPCA avoid list |
| Fruit pips, seeds and stones | Never | None | RSPCA avoid list; PDSA says apple pips are poisonous |
| Orange peel | Never | None | Tough, oily and may carry pesticide |
| Dried fruit and raisins | Skip | None | Concentrated sugar; see below |
| Tinned fruit, fruit juice, glace fruit | Never | None | Added sugar; our peach, pineapple, orange and grape pages all say no |
What is the best fruit for rabbits?
The best fruit treats are the ones where a tiny amount still feels like a treat: berries. A single strawberry, two or three blueberries or one or two raspberries is a whole portion, so it is hard to overdo. Apple and pear are good too, as long as you cut out every pip, and they slice thin enough to share between two rabbits.
Bananas, grapes, mango and pineapple are safe but among the sweetest, so we keep them to once a week or less. If your rabbit loves fruit, use the leaves of raspberry and strawberry plants as an everyday alternative, and save the fruit itself for training, nail trims and vet trips.
How much fruit can a rabbit have?
Sources agree fruit should be small, but they put the limit in different places. The HRS gives an upper limit of about 1 teaspoon of fruit per 900 g (2 lb) of body weight a day, about 10% of the diet. PDSA says only very small amounts, such as about 1/8 of an apple or pear, and Burgess suggests a couple of strawberries or a slice of apple once or twice a week.
We follow the UK charities and keep fruit to once or twice a week, because a wrong "too much" leads to soft droppings and weight gain, and rabbits rarely need the extra sugar. On a treat day, use the HRS teaspoon figure as the most you would give:
| Rabbit weight | Most fruit on a treat day | What that looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg (2.2 lb), dwarf | About 1 teaspoon | One blueberry or a sliver of apple |
| 2 kg (4.4 lb), small to medium | About 2 teaspoons | Half to one small strawberry |
| 3 kg (6.6 lb), medium to large | About 3 teaspoons | One strawberry or a thin slice of pear |
| 5 kg (11 lb), giant | About 5 teaspoons | A slice of apple or a few berries |
These rows are our working from the HRS figure, rounded down. PDSA adds that on treat days you should cut back the meal or nugget and veg allowance, so the total stays the same.
Can rabbits eat dried fruit?
We would skip it. None of the welfare pages we read gives dried fruit a place, our grape page says no raisins, and our mango page says skip dried mango. Our reasoning: drying removes the water but keeps the sugar, so a raisin carries most of the sugar of a grape in a piece a fraction of the size, and it is very easy to give several. The RSPCA also lists sugary human foods among things to avoid, and many shop-bought "fruit treats" for rabbits fall into that group. A small piece of fresh fruit is the better choice.
Which rabbits should not have fruit?
- Overweight rabbits: PDSA says avoid fruit and treats for them
- Rabbits with soft droppings or sticky bottoms: stop fruit until droppings are normal, and see a vet if it lasts
- Rabbits not yet settled on hay and greens: none of our sources gives a fruit amount for young rabbits, so we would wait
- Rabbits recovering from illness: ask your vet before adding anything new
How to introduce a new fruit
- One at a time. The RWAF says to introduce new foods gradually, one at a time, watching droppings, appetite and behaviour.
- Prepare it. Wash it, cut out pips, stones and stalks, peel citrus and kiwi, and cut a piece smaller than your thumbnail.
- Give it after hay. Offer it once your rabbit has been eating hay, so fruit never replaces it.
- Watch for 24 hours. Droppings should stay round, dry and plentiful.
- Keep it occasional. If all is well, it can join the once or twice a week treat rotation.
What to do if droppings change after fruit
Stop the fruit and go back to plenty of hay and familiar greens. The RSPCA says changes in the size, shape, number or texture of droppings can be a sign of illness, and to see a vet if a rabbit has diarrhoea or soft faeces, or if changes do not return to normal within 24 hours. Sticky droppings on the fur also raise the risk of flystrike, says the RSPCA, so clean your rabbit's bottom and check it twice a day.
For every food in one place, see what can rabbits eat, and for housing, handling and health, our complete rabbit care guide.
Rabbit fruit questions
Can rabbits eat fruit every day?
It is safer not to. UK charities treat fruit as an occasional treat: Burgess suggests once or twice a week, and PDSA says only very small amounts. The House Rabbit Society allows up to about 1 teaspoon per 900 g (2 lb) of body weight a day. We follow the UK advice, because fruit is sugary and rabbits gain weight easily.
Can rabbits eat dried fruit?
We would skip it. Drying packs the same sugar into a much smaller, sticky piece, so it is easy to give far too much, and many mixes add sugar or oil. Our grape page says no raisins and our mango page says no dried mango. A small piece of fresh fruit is the better treat.
What fruit is poisonous to rabbits?
Avocado is the main one: the RSPCA and Burgess say never to feed it. The RSPCA also lists rhubarb and fruit seeds and stones as foods to avoid, and PDSA says apple pips are poisonous. Remove all pips, stones and stalks before giving any fruit.
What is the healthiest fruit for rabbits?
Berries are a good choice because a single strawberry or two or three blueberries is a whole treat. Better still are the leaves: our strawberry and raspberry pages say the leaves are safe and less sugary than the fruit, and the House Rabbit Society lists raspberry leaves as a leafy green.
Can baby rabbits eat fruit?
None of the sources we read gives a fruit allowance for young rabbits, and young rabbits have sensitive guts that need time to adjust to any new food. We would hold off on fruit until your rabbit is settled on hay, pellets and greens, then introduce it slowly. Ask your vet if unsure.
Can rabbits drink fruit juice?
No. Juice is fruit sugar without the fibre, and our orange and grape pages both say no juice. Rabbits only need fresh water, which the RSPCA says should be available at all times and changed twice a day.
