Rabbits are one of the most common household pets and they are very delicate as well – therefore they need proper care and attention. Below, you can know about their diets to help you feed your pets healthily.
Can rabbits eat green onions?
Rabbits should not eat green onions because they are not healthy for them and cause harm when ingested. While other green vegetables and foods are essential for your rabbit, green onions are toxic to your rabbits in any amount and can even be lethal if a huge amount is consumed.
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Green onions are premature onions which contain the same elements that are present in adult onions as well, therefore pose the same risk to rabbits.
Green onions contain the same materials as onions which are excessively harmful to rabbits in any amounts and could be lethal if the rabbits eat the green onions in a large amount.
The reason behind this is that onions and green onions along with other vegetables like garlic contain toxins that are not harmful to humans but have adverse effects on rabbits which could result in their adverse health conditions.
Besides being a difficult item to digest, green onions cause several other serious health conditions to rabbits such as Anemia due to low RBC count in their blood. This often leads to rabbits being weak and dizzy and being lethal if consumed in high amounts.
Besides that, green onions also weaken the immune system of a rabbit due to the which causes the rabbits to be vulnerable to other diseases and lead to severe health complications.
And since the green onions are high in phosphorus and other acidic chemicals – they are difficult for the digestive system of rabbits to break down and process.
Therefore, after the consumption of green onions – a rabbit will face difficulty digesting them and the amount they digest will cause health complications and make them weaker. So it should be strictly noted that your rabbits are not fed onions or green onions in any amount.
Green onion tops:
Rabbits should not eat green onions or their tops because they contain the same toxins that are present in onions and the concentration of the toxins is way beyond the tolerance level of rabbits.
So whether it is green onions or green onion tops, a rabbit’s diet should strictly avoid them.
Are green onions safe for rabbits? Do bunnies like green onions?
Green onions along with all other herbs from the Allium family such as garlic are toxic for rabbits and could be lethal if consumed in greater amounts.
Besides having toxins that are harmful for rabbits, they are also very stressful to a rabbit’s digestive system as rabbits cannot properly digest green onions.
Even if rabbits could manage to digest green onions, the problems don’t end there – ingesting onions lead to hemolytic anemia in rabbits due to loss of RBC in the rabbit’s circulatory system.
Anemic rabbits are frequently susceptible to being dizzy and overall weaker – which makes them vulnerable to other lethal diseases.
While the toxins of green onions are still in the rabbit’s bloodstream, the immune system of the rabbit is still weak and vulnerable due to the immunosuppressive effect of the green onions.
Due to all these risky health conditions that rabbits undergo due to the consumption of green onions, it is best to not let rabbits eat them as they are unsafe.
Can pet and wild rabbits eat green onions? Can lionhead rabbits eat green onions?
Green onions are harmful to all rabbits regardless of them being domesticated or wild because the digestive system of both pet and wild rabbits are similar, if not same.
Therefore both pet and wild rabbits lack the capability to digest green onions and their digestive systems are under stress when fed with onions, green onions or garlic.
The same conditions apply for lionhead rabbits as well, they are also incapable of digesting green onions and face adverse health conditions if they manage to digest them.
Pet, wild and lionhead rabbits – all of them become anemic due to shortage of RBC in their bloodstream as well as become weak and dizzy while having a weakened immune system.
All of these can be very lethal for a rabbit and therefore, green onions should be strictly restricted from a rabbit’s diet. Also vegetables from the onion family such as leeks, chives as well as garlic should be avoided as they have similar effects on rabbits.
What if rabbit eats green onion? – What happens?
When a rabbit eats green onions, they cannot primarily digest them due to the inability of their digestive system to properly digest onions. However, if they do digest green onions, they will face some health conditions which are discussed in details below:
Digestive issues:
Since rabbits cannot digest green onions properly, they will have poor digestion and that will be visible in their feces and urine. After the ingestion of green onions, the rabbits will have diarrhea and their feces will lose their usual form.
Aside from that, they will also have reddish urine that is due to their loss of RBC through their urine.
Anemia, Weakness and Dizziness:
If rabbits digest a bit of green onions, they are faced with health complications as a consequence of the toxins being absorbed in their bloodstream. Rabbits would face conditions such as weakness, ataxia, lethargy, loss of appetite or even faint from dizziness.
Vulnerability to other diseases:
Absorption of the toxins in green onions have adverse effects on the immune system of rabbits. The immunosuppressive property of the toxins of green onions on rabbits cause them to be vulnerable to other diseases, which could be lethal.
Can we give spring onions to rabbits?
Green onions are commonly known as spring onions and are vegetables that are commonly eaten by people. However, although rabbits can eat most vegetables, spring onions should be strictly avoided from a rabbit’s diet because rabbits are unable to digest them.
Rabbits are known to have digestive issues and several health issues after ingesting fully grown onions, but spring onions should not be taken lightly either.
Although spring onions are premature onions, they retain the toxins that are present in onions and pose the same risks to rabbits as onions would.
Therefore, in order to ensure good health and healthy digestive behaviors of rabbits – it is highly encouraged to avoid including spring onions and other vegetables belonging to the onion family from a rabbit’s diet.
Ingesting these materials even in minute amounts can have severe health effects on a rabbit’s immune and circulatory system.
What to do if my rabbit eats green onions?
Even if you are actively monitoring the diet of your rabbits, sometimes you or someone else taking care of the rabbits might accidentally include onions or onion greens in their diet.
In order to make sure that your rabbits have eaten green onions, you need to keep an eye out for specific symptoms such as diarrhea, reddish urine, lethargy or fainting. If you notice one or multiple of these symptoms, you can take any of the following steps below:
Call up an emergency vet:
The best and most suggested solution to relieve your rabbits off their health complications is to call a nearby emergency vet. Since rabbits cannot clean out their undigested food by vomiting, it is best for a professional vet to deal with the situation.
Feed them hay and other vegetables:
An effective way to reduce the impact of the toxins is by diluting their effect on the bloodstream. You can do this by feeding them plenty of hay and other fresh vegetables that would get easily absorbed in their bloodstream and replace the toxins with time.
Get prescribed medications from the vet:
If there is no vet nearby to arrive at your rabbit’s aid immediately, you can call them and inform them of all the symptoms you have noticed and the behavioral pattern that would allow them to diagnose the health condition of your rabbit better.
After diagnosis, the vet may prescribe your rabbits with medications to alleviate their health conditions until a vet can examine your rabbits in person.
Final Thoughts
Green onions should not be eaten by rabbits since they are unhealthy and can cause harm if consumed. While other green vegetables and foods are necessary for your rabbit, green onions are hazardous in any amount and can be fatal if taken in large quantities.