Rabbits have delicate gastrointestinal systems. To meet their body’s needs, they need incredibly complex nutrients. Also, great care should be given when selecting fruits, vegetables, and other food to feed them. So, the question is, can rabbits eat guava? Can rabbits have guava seeds, skin, and leaves? Is it safe for rabbits to eat? So, let’s find it all in this article.
Rabbits can eat seedless guava as it contains dietary fiber, vitamin C and antioxidant properties. However, feeding guava frequently in large amounts could cause dental and digestive issues due to its high sugar content. So, consider providing a small slice of seedless guava once or twice a week.
This article will briefly discuss guava’s health benefits and drawbacks, whether rabbits can eat guava branches, how often guava should be served, and many more. So, let’s get into it.
Contents
Can I feed guava to my rabbit?
You can feed guava to your rabbit as it is a healthy fruit with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidant properties, which are beneficial for them.
However, feeding guava frequently and in large quantities could cause severe health issues like diarrhea, GI stasis, or dental problems due to its high sugar content.
Guavas include a lot of fiber, which helps rabbits have better teeth and a healthier digestive system, in addition to being a piece of healthy and pleasant food.
In addition, providing guava to your rabbit in the correct quantity is essential for them to avoid health issues.
Sugary fruits like guava should be considered an occasional treat for rabbits in small quantities.
Also, it is essential to know that the staple food of a rabbit is hay.
A rabbit’s diet should include at least 85% hay, 5% pellets, and 10 % leafy greens and veggies.
In addition, you should provide guava or any other food in moderation along with their primary food sources like hay or veggies to have a balanced diet and avoid sugary food complications.
Also read: Do Rabbits Need Pellets?
What are the health benefits of guava for rabbits?
Providing guava to rabbits in small quantities is beneficial as it contains vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your rabbit may require.
So to make you clear, here are the nutritional values of guava per 100g:
| Nutritional values of guava | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fibre: | 5g |
| Water: | 81g |
| Protein: | 2.6g |
| Calories: | 68 |
| Sugar: | 9g |
| Potassium: | 417mg |
| Saturated fat: | 0.3g |
| Sodium: | 2mg |
| Total Carbohydrate: | 14g |
| Vitamin C: | 228.3mg |
| Vitamin B9: | 12% of RDA |
| Vitamin B6: | 5% of RDA |
Guava is an excellent source of fiber, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin C. Numerous additional nutrients are likewise high. Let’s examine the same more closely:
Fiber:
Fiber is an essential part of your rabbit’s dietary requirement. The greater fiber content of guava will aid in your rabbit’s caavy’s digestion.
As herbivores, rabbits require a high-fiber diet to keep their intestines healthy, wear down their constantly erupting teeth, and keep them from becoming bored.
So guava is considered a healthy fruit for rabbits as it contains dietary fiber.
Antioxidant:
Guava also contains antioxidant properties, which benefit rabbits’ immune systems and health.
Antioxidants, also known as free radical scavengers, protect cells from the harm that free radicals can do.
Antioxidants are essential because, in the absence of them, free radicals in our bodies can harm our cells and potentially create serious health problems.
In addition, providing guava to older rabbits helps them to remove any health issues because of its antioxidant properties.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Papaya?
Vitamin C:
Guava provides a good amount of vitamin C, which benefits rabbits in summer.
However, ascorbic acid, a vitamin C, is typically not required in rabbits’ diets as they can produce vitamin C alone.
Only in stressful conditions, such as when it’s really hot, rabbits benefit from extra vitamin C by providing guava in small quantities.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Watermelon?
Potassium and sodium:
Rabbits require sodium and potassium to help maintain the proper level of fluids in their bodies.
In addition, the fluids inside the cells and the fluid around them are balanced.
Guava has a good amount of potassium essential for rabbits to maintain kidney health.
Water content:
Guava contains a good amount of water, which is beneficial for rabbits on hot days to keep them hydrated.
If your rabbit is not consuming enough water, you can provide guava in small quantities to keep them hydrated.
However, ensure that you don’t provide it frequently, as high water content can cause health issues like loose stools or diarrhea.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Kiwi?
Is it safe to feed guava to my rabbit?
Feeding guava in small quantities as an occasional treat is considered as safest and healthiest fruit for rabbits.
Providing guava in large quantities could cause dental issues and severe digestive issues like GI stasis.
Guava or any other fruit with a significant amount of sugar should only be given to rabbits in moderation since they have sensitive digestive systems that cannot effectively process sugar.
And due to high sugar content, it develops the risks of weight gain and obesity for rabbits.
Due to their insufficient exercise levels to burn off the calories they consume, obesity is a common issue for rabbits.
The extremely sweet fruit guava is highly alluring to rabbits.
In addition, if you give them too much guava, they can stop eating their regular diet, like hay and pellets, which are essential for healthy digestion and general well-being.
Also, guava fruit has a lot of acids, which can disrupt your rabbit’s digestive system and intestines.
Rabbits should only be given fruits that are a treat and do not form part of their usual diet.
In addition, hay, pellets, and fresh vegetables must be part of their daily diet.
Also read: How To Introduce Vegetables To Rabbits?
Can rabbits have guava seeds?
Guava seeds are considered harmful for rabbits to consume and should not be fed to them.
In addition, you should not consider giving your rabbit seeds since they pose a choking risk to rabbits.
Since seeds have no nutritional value, removing them is preferable so rabbits can consume the other beneficial components in guava.
Also, guava seeds are dangerous for rabbits to choke on, contain a lot of fat, and may lead to weight gain.
Because of their huge, sharp teeth, rabbits can damage themselves by biting through the guava seeds, making their suffering from the fruit’s acidic inside even worse.
So, removing the seed before serving it to your rabbit is advisable.
If you pay close attention to the small details, you may remove the seeds that are located encased in the delicious, soft pulp.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Strawberries?
Can I feed guava skin to my rabbit?
You can feed guava skin to your rabbit as it contains the same nutrients that inner flesh has.
Guava skin is a better option to serve your rabbit because it is light and thin, which will not hurt your rabbit’s teeth.
However, before providing guava and its skin to your rabbit, it is essential to wash it thoroughly with warm water to remove the chemicals, like pesticides, that may be sprayed while harvesting.
Instead, provide organic guava to your rabbit to avoid health issues or peel off the guava’s skin if unsure.
You must pick guava that is neither too ripe nor too raw. Raw or green guava may harm rabbits’ teeth and digestive systems.
On the other hand, diarrhea may be brought on by yellow guavas, which are ripe.
And both conditions have the potential to result in a life-threatening issue.
Therefore, you must choose fresh guavas that have just begun to ripen to provide them to your rabbit.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Grapes?
Can rabbits eat guava tree leaves or branches?
Rabbits can eat guava leaves as other leafy greens in moderation.
However, guava tree branches are considered unsafe for rabbits as it is generally hard, can be stuck to their mouth or throat, and can’t be digested.
Guava fruit leaves are far more suitable for your rabbit to eat than the inner flesh, as they contain significantly more vitamins and minerals.
Guava leaves contain a large number of cells that aids the germs that cause rabbit diarrhea.
Also, guava leaves can strengthen teeth, stop gum disease, and prevent bleeding in rabbits from cavities.
So, if you want to offer guava leaves to your rabbit, consider providing fresh green leaves if they enjoy eating them.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Pineapples?
How often should I feed guava to my rabbit?
You can provide a small slice of guava after removing its seeds to your rabbit as an occasional treat once or twice a week.
Also, consider washing the guava properly to prevent your rabbit from consuming toxic chemicals like pesticides that guava may contain while harvesting.
It is essential to stick to the same offering amount because providing too much guava to your rabbit could cause dental and digestive issues.
Similarly, it would be best to offer a small seedless guava piece with other vegetables to have a balanced diet.
You shouldn’t offer guava frequently due to its high sugar content, and fresh vegetables and hay should be the rabbit’s staple diet.
Also, it is vital to avoid giving guava or sugary fruit to small rabbits under three months old.
Small rabbits have a sensitive digestive system, and their gut bacteria can’t digest high sugar content treats like guava.
Once they become 12 weeks old, you can introduce seedless guava in small quantities by mixing it with other leafy greens and observing them for 12-24 hours.
If your rabbit has loose stools or other health issues like diarrhea after eating guava, you should stop feeding it, provide only hay and water for the rest of a few days, and re-introduce it next week.
However, if their gut bacteria digest the fruit, you can provide it as an occasional treat.
Also read: Can Rabbits Eat Mango?
Conclusion:
- Rabbits can eat seedless guava as it contains dietary fiber, vitamin C and antioxidant properties.
- Guavas include a lot of fiber, which helps rabbits have better teeth and a healthier digestive system, in addition to being a piece of healthy and pleasant food.
- Providing guava to your rabbit in the correct quantity is essential for them to avoid health issues.
- Feeding guava frequently and in large quantities could cause severe health issues like diarrhea, GI stasis, or dental problems due to its high sugar content.
- Consider providing guava as an occasional treat in small quantities.
Reference: NCBI