Hides and houses
Shelves and ledges
Foraging and toys
Cage accessories
Kits and bundles
Fairy forest
Spooky mischief
Sweetie stash
Game mode
Forest floor
Castles and cathedrals
What vegetables can rabbits eat?
Rabbits can eat most leafy greens and herbs every day, a wider set of vegetables a few times a week, and starchy or sugary roots only as treats. Fresh greens are the side dish, not the main meal: the RSPCA puts them at about 10% of the diet, with hay or grass making up 85% and pellets 5%. Our guide to the rabbit diet covers the hay and pellet side.
The table below lists every vegetable and leafy green we have a food page for, plus the ones the RSPCA, the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF), PDSA and the House Rabbit Society (HRS) name. The "how much" column is for an average 2 kg (4.4 lb) rabbit. Each linked name goes to our full page on that food.
The full list of vegetables for rabbits
| Vegetable | How often | How much (2 kg rabbit) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most days: the core of the fresh food | |||
| Romaine and dark lettuce | Most days | Part of the daily mix | Dark leaves only; iceberg is a no |
| Spring greens | Most days | Two or three leaves in the mix | RSPCA daily list; see the note below |
| Pak choi or bok choy | Most days | A share of the daily handful | Leaves and stalks, raw |
| Fennel | Most days | Small handful of fronds plus a thin slice of bulb | No fennel seeds |
| Carrot tops | Most days | A small bunch | RSPCA and RWAF; the better half of the carrot |
| Watercress, rocket (arugula), lamb's lettuce | Most days | A share of the daily handful | RSPCA and RWAF leafy greens |
| Dandelion leaves | Most days | A few leaves | Unsprayed only |
| Herbs: basil, coriander (cilantro), mint, dill, thyme | Most days, rotated | A sprig or two each | RSPCA, RWAF and PDSA safe herbs |
| Parsley | A few times a week | A sprig | RWAF: higher in calcium, so rotate |
| A few times a week: rotate these | |||
| Broccoli | A few times a week | One small floret or a few leaves | Leaves are the best part; can cause gas |
| Cabbage | A few times a week | One or two leaves | Raw, dark green types best |
| Cauliflower | A few times a week | 1 or 2 leaves, or a tablespoon of floret per 900 g (2 lb) | Leaves and stalks are fine too |
| Kale | A few times a week | One or two leaves | High in calcium; gassy brassica |
| Brussels sprouts | A few times a week | One sprout or a few outer leaves | RWAF brassica, in moderation |
| Spinach | Once or twice a week | Three or four leaves | High in oxalates (RWAF) |
| Celery | A few times a week | A few leaves and a 5 cm (2 in) piece of stalk | Cut stalk small; RSPCA calls it occasional |
| Cucumber | A few times a week | One or two thin slices | Leaves are safe too |
| Courgette (zucchini) | A few times a week | Up to two thin slices | Flowers yes, leaves no |
| Bell peppers | Once or twice a week | One or two thin strips | Green is lowest in sugar; no seeds or stalk |
| Mangetout and sugar snap pods | A few times a week | One or two pods | Flat pods only, not shelled peas |
| Pumpkin | A couple of times a week | A raw piece about 2 cm (3/4 in) across | No seeds, no pie filling |
| Green beans, asparagus, swede (rutabaga) | Now and then | A small piece | RSPCA lists green beans and swede as occasional; RWAF lists asparagus |
| Rosemary | A few times a week | One soft sprig, 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) | Rotate with other herbs |
| Treats: once or twice a week, tiny amounts | |||
| Carrots | Once or twice a week | A piece about 1 cm (1/2 in) across | Sugary; RSPCA says treats only |
| Parsnips | Once or twice a week | A raw piece about 1 cm (1/2 in) across | Never cooked or roasted |
| Tomatoes | About once a week | One cherry tomato or one thin slice | Ripe flesh only; never leaves or stems |
| Never feed | |||
| Onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives | Never | None | Onion family; RSPCA and RWAF avoid lists |
| Potatoes and potato plants | Never | None | Raw or cooked, and the leafy tops |
| Sweet potato | Never | None | RSPCA avoid list, raw or cooked |
| Sweetcorn (corn) | Never | None | Fresh, tinned, frozen or dried |
| Mushrooms | Never | None | Wild fungi can be poisonous |
| Iceberg lettuce | Never | None | RSPCA avoid list; little goodness |
| Broad beans, kidney beans, chilli peppers, aubergine (eggplant) | Never | None | RSPCA and RWAF avoid lists |
| Shelled, frozen or tinned peas | Never | None | Too starchy; flat pods are the safe form |
| Swiss chard | Skip | None | RWAF does not generally recommend it; HRS allows it rotated. We'd follow the RWAF |
One verdict here differs from our own food page. Our spring greens page says a few leaves several times a week, but the RSPCA puts spring greens on its list of daily leafy greens and the RWAF lists them with the everyday leaves. We follow the welfare bodies: spring greens can go in most days, as part of a mix.
What are the best vegetables for rabbits?
The best vegetables for rabbits are dark, leafy and low in sugar. Leaves give the most fibre and water for the least sugar and starch, which suits a gut built for grass. That is why the most-days group is nearly all leaves and herbs, while roots like carrots sit in the treat group.
Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and sprouts) are safe and popular, but the RWAF says to rotate them rather than feed large amounts every day, and our pages note they can cause gas. Spinach and parsley are fine in rotation, but they are high in oxalates and calcium. The HRS asks that only one of a rabbit's three daily greens comes from the high-oxalate group.
How much vegetable should a rabbit eat a day?
The HRS gives the clearest figure: at least 2 US cups (about 480 ml) of chopped vegetables per 2.7 kg (6 lb) of body weight a day, with leafy greens making up about three quarters. Non-leafy vegetables should be no more than about 1 tablespoon per 900 g (2 lb) a day. PDSA puts it as an adult-sized handful twice a day, and the RSPCA as a large handful of washed greens daily.
| Rabbit weight | Chopped greens a day (at least) | Non-leafy veg a day (at most) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kg (2.2 lb), dwarf | About 3/4 cup (180 ml) | About 1 tablespoon |
| 2 kg (4.4 lb), small to medium | About 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) | About 2 tablespoons |
| 3 kg (6.6 lb), medium to large | About 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) | About 3 tablespoons |
| 5 kg (11 lb), giant | About 3 2/3 cups (880 ml) | About 5 tablespoons |
These rows are our working from the HRS figures, rounded. Treats such as carrot come out of the non-leafy allowance, not on top of it. Split the greens into two meals, morning and evening, as PDSA suggests, and never let fresh food push out hay.
How to introduce a new vegetable
Go slowly. PDSA says to change a rabbit's diet over 2 to 4 weeks, and the RWAF says to introduce any new vegetable gradually, one at a time, while watching droppings, appetite and behaviour.
- Pick one new food. Choose one vegetable from the list and keep everything else the same that week.
- Start tiny. Offer a piece about the size of your thumbnail, washed, mixed in with greens your rabbit already eats.
- Watch for 24 hours. Check the droppings are still round, dry and plentiful, and that your rabbit is eating hay as normal.
- Build up over days. If all is well, slowly increase it towards the amount in the table over the next one to two weeks.
- Drop it if in doubt. The HRS says to remove any vegetable that causes soft droppings or diarrhoea.
What to do if your rabbit's droppings change
Hard, round, dry droppings in good numbers mean the diet is working. 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 dropping changes do not return to normal within 24 hours.
- Stop the newest vegetable and go back to hay and the greens your rabbit already handles
- Look for sticky droppings in the bedding or on the fur: the RSPCA says this can mean the rabbit is not eating its soft night droppings (caecotrophs), which raises the risk of flystrike
- Check your rabbit at least twice a day, as the RSPCA advises, and keep its bottom clean
- Make sure there is plenty of hay and fresh water
- Ring your vet if droppings are soft, runny or not back to normal within 24 hours
Vegetables from the garden and the shop
Wash everything. PDSA says to avoid any plant you cannot identify and any food exposed to pesticides or fertilisers, and the RSPCA says never to feed lawnmower clippings. Shop-bought greens are fine washed and dried. If you grow your own, the RWAF keeps a long list of safe garden and wild plants.
For fruit, see our separate list of fruit rabbits can eat. For every food in one place, including non-vegetables like bread and seeds, see what can rabbits eat, and for housing, health and handling, our complete rabbit care guide.
Rabbit vegetable questions
What vegetables can rabbits eat every day?
Leafy greens and herbs. The RSPCA's daily list includes romaine lettuce, spring greens, watercress, rocket, basil, rosemary, coriander, mint, dandelion leaves and carrot tops. Our own food pages add pak choi (bok choy) and fennel. Rotate several types: PDSA suggests five or six different fresh foods a day.
How many different vegetables should a rabbit have a day?
PDSA suggests five or six different types of greens, veg and herbs a day, in an adult-sized handful twice a day. The House Rabbit Society asks for at least three kinds of leafy green daily. Rotating gives a spread of nutrients and stops any one food, such as a gassy brassica, building up.
Are carrots good for rabbits?
Only as a treat. The RSPCA says carrots are high in sugar and not the best food for rabbits, and the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund lists carrot as a treat only. A piece about 1 cm (1/2 in) across once or twice a week is plenty. The leafy carrot tops are the better everyday green.
What vegetables are poisonous to rabbits?
The RSPCA's avoid list includes onions, leeks, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, mushrooms, broad beans, kidney beans, chilli peppers and tomato leaves and stems. The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund adds aubergine (eggplant) and potato tops. If your rabbit has eaten any of these, ring your vet and watch appetite and droppings.
Can rabbits eat vegetables from the garden?
Yes, if you know exactly what they are and they have not been sprayed. PDSA says to avoid anything you cannot identify and anything exposed to pesticides or fertilisers, and the RSPCA says never to feed lawnmower clippings. Wash everything, and introduce each new plant slowly.
Can rabbits eat iceberg lettuce?
No. The RSPCA lists iceberg lettuce as a food to avoid, and the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund discourages it for its poor nutritional value. Darker lettuces such as romaine are a good daily green instead, mixed with others.
