Can Rabbits Eat Cucumber? (Rabbit Taste Test!)


rabbit eating cucumber

Cucumbers make a delicious and healthy addition to any salad or sandwich but can our rabbits benefit from some cucumber goodness too? Can rabbits even eat cucumber? we looked into it and here’s what we found out.

Rabbits can eat cucumber, it is low in calories and sugar which makes them a much better treat than many other fruits. Cucumbers have a high water content which also makes them a refreshing treat for a rabbit during warm weather.

In this short post we decided to take a look at the cucumber and find out if aside from being a refreshing treat for a rabbit, there were any specific health benefits that would make the feeding of cucumber to a rabbit not just a personal choice but a necessary one. We’re even going to test out cucumber on our 6 rabbits to find out if they actually like it.

Is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable?

Fruits often have very high sugars meaning they should only be given as a treat food, whereas some vegetables were more likely to have potentially harmful trace chemicals such as oxalic acid, which can be fatal to a rabbit in larger quantities, it therefore important to determine which class the humble cucumber falls into.

Cucumber is often confused with a vegetable possibly due to a combination of the way it looks and the way it is used in the kitchen, however, cucumber grows from the flowers of a plant and contains seeds much like a tomato. Botanically speaking, this makes it a fruit however unlike some other fruits, cucumber has what is considered to be low sugar.

A botanical fruit has at least one seed and grows from the flower of the plant. As such, cucumbers are classified as fruit because they contain seeds and grow from the flower of the cucumber plant.

Can rabbits eat cucumber?

From salads to beauty regimes, humans use cucumber in countless ways. It has a refreshing taste and has a very high water content of 95.2%, in simple terms, this makes a cup of cucumber slices nearly as refreshing as a cup of water.

Cucumber really is ideal as part of a light snack and fortunately, this delicious fruit can also be added to a rabbits diet. Unlike certain other fruits that contain high levels of oxalates, there are no concerns around toxicity with cucumbers.

It’s also low in sugar so even if you were to go a little over on the portion size it would be unlikely to contribute to any obesity or weight gain. Despite these facts, as with the introduction of any new fruit or vegetable, caution should be exercised to ensure that there is no significant effect on a rabbits delicately balanced digestive system.

Nutritional value of cucumber

This graphic shows the nutritional value of cucumber per 100 grams however, the kind of amounts you’ll be giving your rabbit will be comparatively minuscule.

Nutritional information of cucumber

Is cucumber healthy for a rabbit?

Fruit and vegetables are not only beneficial in our diets but can also benefit a rabbits health too. Although some fruits have a naturally high sugar amount cucumbers are low in sugar. Giving a slice of cucumber as a treat is much healthier for a rabbit than some store-bought processed yogurt or chocolate treat.

Cucumbers contain only 15 calories per 100 grams. The relatively small amount you’ll be giving to a rabbit (a slice or two) once or twice a week should cause no ill effects to the rabbits digestive system (1 slice of cucumber has just over 1 calorie!).

rabbit eating cucumber

In terms of nutritional value, cucumber is naturally low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and contains a range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as minerals Potassium, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium Phosphorus, and Manganese.

Although the skin of the cucumber includes dietary fiber, essential for a rabbits continued good digestive health, the minuscule amount of skin found on a slice of cucumber will have little effect on the overall diet. In any case, rabbits will be getting all the required fiber they need from the good quality grass hay you’ll be providing.

Although rabbits tend to eat drier foods, the best thing about cucumber is probably its high water content. If like me your someone who regularly looks in your rabbits water bowl and asks yourself why your rabbit doesn’t seem to have drunk much water, the likelihood is that the vegetables you are providing contain enough to keep the rabbit sustained.

A slice of cucumber is certainly a great snack that can help keep a rabbit hydrated, especially during warm weather.

Do rabbits need to eat cucumber?

Although cucumber makes a refreshing treat for a rabbit. There is no evidence to suggest that a rabbit specifically needs cucumber as part of its diet. Rabbits are very different from us humans and despite what some sources will tell you, they do not get bored through ‘lack of variety’.

Rabbits have survived perfectly well for thousands of years without the wide variety of fruits and vegetables we pet owners provide.

Of course, as rabbit owners, we enjoy providing new foods but a rabbits diet does not need to be overly complicated. Fiber is the most important aspect and it’s importance cannot be underestimated. As such a rabbits diet should be primarily made up of 80% good quality grasses or hay. It is this that keeps the digestive tract moving along.

If you would like to know exactly what makes up a great rabbit diet, you can read our detailed post here (link to post ‘What Can Rabbits Eat – Complete Guide & Quick Reference Tool).

Although rabbits love fruits, there is often a risk that high sugars will upset the delicate digestive balance within a rabbit’s gut. Fortunately, the small amount of sugar in a slice of cucumber should not be enough to have any ill effect on a healthy rabbit.

Do rabbits like cucumber?

Having never tried my rabbits on cucumber, I was keen to find this out. From my experience of giving certain vegetables and fruits to rabbits, I noticed that they seem to have a preference for the dried varieties so I was interested to see how they would fare with cucumber which is 95.2% water.

To make this test a little more interesting I also decided to try a little dehydrated cucumber. I don’t own a decent dehydrator yet however I used the method linked here (link to dryingallfoods.com) and did it in the microwave.

This table shows what our six rabbits thought of both raw (high water) cucumber slices along with some dehydrated slices.

The taste test!

RabbitFresh ‘Slicing’ CucumberDehydrated CucumberScore
Baby
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Galaxy
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Pixie
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Princess
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Snowball
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Tiny
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Taste test result summary

As you can see, our rabbits were not very keen on the fresh cucumber however they did enjoy the crisp dried cucumber slices. Galaxy didn’t let me down though, as she enjoyed both varieties.

Remember these trials are just a bit of fun! Every rabbit is different and just as we have likes and dislikes when it comes to food, so do our rabbits.  There is no sure-fire way to know how your rabbit may react to a certain food until you test it yourself.

rabbit eating cucumber
Success! but just 1 out of 6 of the rabbits we tested enjoyed fresh cucumber

Can rabbits eat pickled cucumbers?

Pickled foods are usually prepared in a brine, vinegar, or another solution and left to ferment, by either immersing them in an acidic solution or by souring by lacto-fermentation. Pickled foods including cucumbers (otherwise known as pickled gherkins or dill pickles should bever be given to a rabbit as they will have a terrible effect on a rabbits digestive system.

Can baby rabbits eat cucumber?

Young rabbits should not eat cucumbers due to the immaturity of their digestive system. The majority of a baby or juvenile rabbits diet should be good quality grass hay and pellets. You can read more about the recommended diet for a young rabbit here (link to post ‘What Can Rabbits Eat – Complete Guide & Quick Reference Tool).

What are the health benefits of cucumber for rabbits?

Fruit and vegetables are not only beneficial in our diets but can also benefit a rabbits health too. Cucumbers make a much healthier treat for a rabbit than some store-bought processed yogurt or chocolate treat, however as you can see from our taste test, there are no guarantees that your own rabbit will favour it.

Benefits of giving cucumber to a rabbit

  • Fat Free
  • Low Sodium & carbohydrates
  • Source of dietary fibre
  • High in vitamins and minerals

Negatives of giving cucumber to a rabbit

  • High water content which means eating an excessive amount could result in diarrhea.

Cucumber availability

Cucumbers are found all over the world and their relatively simple growing process means they are available year-round.

Recommended use of cucumber in your rabbit’s diet

Although refreshing, high water foods can also be detrimental, especially if they cause diarrhea. For this reason, we recommend that like other fruits, cucumber should only be given in treat size amounts. For most rabbits, this means 1-2 tbsp (or 1-2 slices) once or twice a week.

Remember to wash the cucumber to ensure any potentially harmful pesticides are removed before cutting any up for your rabbit.

When feeding cucumber, give no more than 1-2 tablespoons (small slice) once or twice a week. Although low in calories and sugar, cucumbers high water composition can cause diarrhea in rabbits.

If your interested to learn what other foods a rabbit may like you can check out our detailed post on a rabbits diet here (link to post ‘What Can Rabbits Eat? Complete Guide and Quick Reference Table’)

Wrap up

Although cucumber makes a tasty treat for a rabbit, a rabbit’s diet should be primarily fiber-based to keep the gut moving.  Aside from water, hay should make up approximately 80% of its food intake and an unlimited amount should be provided.

rabbit eating cucumber

Above all, remember that too much of anything can be bad! although cucumber is not a high sugar food, overfeeding cucumber and neglecting more important aspects of a rabbits diet will lead to poor health.

Further Reading

Dill Pickles onlinerabbitcare.com

Cucumber nutritional values nutritionaldataself.com post on Cucumber nutritional values

Can Rabbits Eat Cucumbers? petkeen.com

Darren

Darren is the founder and editor at Bunny Advice and has been caring for rabbits for over a decade. He has a passion for helping animals and sharing his experience and knowledge with others.

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