Meat has been a common part of a person’s diet since ancient times. Meat is nutritious for mankind and even for some animals that tend to be carnivorous. However, the story is different for a rabbit.
A rabbit is an herbivore, but this animal sometimes tends to feed on what it should not. If a bunny’s diet is more on grass, pellets, veggies, and fruits, can it also try to eat meat even for some time? Let me tell you the truth about that in this post.
Does a Rabbit Eat Meat?
Rabbits eat plants by nature. Their diet doesn’t change whether they stay in the woods or live with people. Their main food is grass and hay.
When you walk around and see a bunny warren, it would be a green and dense area. It’s not an accident. Rabbits require a good amount of grass or hay to survive. It means they tend to build their homes near a source of food. Wild bunnies will tuck into fresh fruits, flowers, and veggies whenever available. This can become a source of consistent consternation for landowners and farmers. Rabbits don’t intend to be destructive. It just tries to remain alive.
In winter, these wild animals slightly change their diet. They choose to feed themselves with greenery fresh, and most plants fail to survive from the cold. Therefore, rabbits chew on twigs. Sometimes, they climb on the trees to gain instant access to their desired food.A rabbit can’t be trusted to recognize what’s good for itself. In spite of being controlled by its survival instinct, a bunny makes some questionable decisions in some cases. Your pet might ask for meat, for instance. It’s not because the rabbit likes the taste as it never tried eating meat before.
Instead, your pet will ask for meat just because it’s curious. For the rabbit, your food smells good, and it may want to try a few for itself. You may find it hard to resist the begging rabbit, but you should be firm.
Once your pet eats meat and likes the taste, it will ask for a few more for sure. If you give in to its begging looks and feeds it with meat from time to time, this may cause some problems.
While some rabbit owners have reported that their pets have consumed meat, that is still not a good thing. A rabbit may chew meat just a little bit and leave it there. However, you should watch your pet as it tries to taste the meat. It must eat it, even for once.
In other words, a rabbit does not eat meats of any kind. It may be inclined to eat, but it must be prevented. Remember, a rabbit can’t digest meat and feeding it with meat will only make it sick. Your pet’s digestive system is intended to process limited protein and huge amounts of fiber. Hay is a great source of fiber, while the pellet is for protein.
You might be thinking that the lighter kinds of meat such as ham and other common meat-based products, will be safe and ideal for your pet in case it shows it enjoys eating meat. Unfortunately, even these products can harm your rabbit. These products may contain some ingredients that can harm the overall health of your pet.
If a bunny bites a tiny piece of meat, it will be okay. The animal may just nibble it and don’t swallow the chewed piece. The rabbit will enjoy gnawing meat because of the texture while the meat’s taste will discourage your pet from swallowing the food. However, if your pet tries to eat meat, it may likely cause problems in the long run. While you’re feeding your pet with hay for fiber, meat is heavy for your pet’s sensitive tummy. It may lead to a life-threatening digestive blockage. While a bite or two will not pose threats or any health problem, meat can easily upset the delicate stomach of a rabbit. A couple of bites can already cause digestive troubles or stomachaches. Too much meat causes some severe problems.
The evolution in their population equipped the bunnies with a digestive tract that requires fiber to obtain and enjoy the nutrients their body needs. Meat is not an ideal source of those nutrients.
The danger of feeding your Rabbit meat
Aside from certain foods like avocado and cereal, meats are also bad for bunnies. Meat is rich in protein and fat but does not contain fiber. So, it’s not surprising that bunnies struggle to digest meat.
Regularly feeding a rabbit with meat can pose severe dangers to the animal that can result in severe health problems. In other cases, feeding a rabbit with meat leads to death. Hence, you should avoid giving even a very small piece of meat to your pet.
Even if the rabbit looks curious about the food, don’t give it a chance to taste the meat. The rabbit will take advantage of the opportunity for sure.
Even a wild rabbit is a vegan. Hares scavenge to survive, but the case is different for rabbits. Though there were cases wherein female bunnies eat their babies, this case is extremely rare.
Domesticated rabbits do not eat meat, so they will never try to eat the meat of their fellow rabbits. Bunnies fight for dominance and territory, which may include biting. It doesn’t urge them to eat the meat of their opponents. Biting is only a common behavior of many animals.
Why female rabbits sometimes eat their babies?
However, there have been circumstances where female rabbits eat their babies. This happens due to some reasons:
- When a bunny eats its first litter, it may get confused. It may think the babies are part of its afterbirth that the mother will naturally eat. It is inevitable though it should happen only once.
- When a litter is stillborn, the mother will eat it. This happens as a way for the mother to correct the error and remove the evidence.
- If the bunny suffers from a nutrient deficiency, it may eat the young as an attempt to correct the issue. It occurs as a rare situation, though.
- The bunny has been suddenly frightened. So, it will eat the babies before bolting and aim to eliminate traces of its presence.
It seems that rabbits eat their fellow rabbits due to their survival instincts. If this happens to your pet, then you should think about it carefully before trying to breed it for the second time.
The doe will not do this without reason. Any of those explanations can be your pet’s reason for eating is babies. Once you know the reason behind this, you will easily find the best way to prevent it from reoccurring.
Conclusion
Meat is delicious, but it will never be a good source of food for rabbits. So, just forget about trying to offer even a tiny slice of grilled meat to your begging pet. Be firm and stick to the ideal meal plan for your pet. Just continue giving hay and pellets with veggies, and fruits offered as treats.
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