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Can rabbits eat corn?

Vegan_Bunny

Vegan_Bunny

Warren Veteran
I always thought they couldn't, but a rescue put up a pic of a bun eating dried corn on the cob and when I said they couldn't have it they told me that apparently it's only fresh corn they can't eat? :? I'm confused now. I wouldn't feed it anyway because it's such an unnatural thing for a bun to eat but I don't want to advise people that their buns can't eat it when they actually can. :?

I had a quick google and had a lot of mixed info about it.
 
I thought it was a definite no to the corn on the cob, and that you can only feed the babycorn. I think the dried stuff could cause impaction.
 
Like Zoobec, I also thought corn on the cob was a no but baby corn was fine? I don't feed baby corn either, stick with herbs and the occasional spring green leaf!
 
IMO the dried is almost worse, its so hard, much bigger choking hazard.

The only corn I would deem safe and ever feed is babycorn.
 
Vegan_Bunny said:
I always thought they couldn't, but a rescue put up a pic of a bun eating dried corn on the cob and when I said they couldn't have it they told me that apparently it's only fresh corn they can't eat? :? I'm confused now. I wouldn't feed it anyway because it's such an unnatural thing for a bun to eat but I don't want to advise people that their buns can't eat it when they actually can. :?

I had a quick google and had a lot of mixed info about it.
Click to expand...

I don't do corn for the buns...lots of pet shops sell it for buns, but I wont buy it.
I don't think it's a natural diet for them, like you say.
I remember reading somewhere ( some zoological papers, sorry forgot what they were, twas along time ago) ) that many buns in the wild who get into farmers fields, monocrop areas.. eat the mass produced veg cos it's yummy, then get bad tums / short lives. But cos they are wild, they can't be followed home and checked on to see what happens to them.
 
I'm in the no camp. So far as I know dried corn is a choke and impaction risk as it's even more hard to digest than the fresh stuff! I was under the impression that baby corn was ok in small amounts but I don't feed that either.

The only corn my two get is the corn within their fenugreek crunchie!
 
The local pet shop has their rabbits nibbling on corn on the cob..

I was perturbed when I visited my bun at the vets before he died and they had put lettuce and carrot in with him... he wasn't going to eat anyway.. but I always thought carrot (not the tops) and lettuce were a no-no...?
 
Mr Cookie said:
The local pet shop has their rabbits nibbling on corn on the cob..

I was perturbed when I visited my bun at the vets before he died and they had put lettuce and carrot in with him... he wasn't going to eat anyway.. but I always thought carrot (not the tops) and lettuce were a no-no...?
Click to expand...

Dark-leaf romaine lettuce and herby lettuces like rocket are fine, but not iceberg. And the orange bit of the carrot is ok for rabbits but in small amounts!
 
catxx said:
Dark-leaf romaine lettuce and herby lettuces like rocket are fine, but not iceberg. And the orange bit of the carrot is ok for rabbits but in small amounts!
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It was iceberg.. I guess it doesn't matter... he wasn't eating anyway...

I do feel somewhat iffy with the vets.. it didn't seem to me that they were doing much for him.. but maybe it is just the grief I feel making me blame.
 
Hmm. Does anybody have any actual evidence that it's bad? A few people said they feed their rabbits corn frequently and that it's really good for them and recommended by their vets. :? I have never heard of a vet recommending corn for a rabbit and I just wanted some proof that it was actually bad for them and not just an opinion. I certainly wouldn't risk giving corn to rabbits, especially dried corn, but that's mainly an opinion as I've heard it can cause impaction.
 
I thought dried was bad, baby corn was OK (but it's so expensive I only buy it for me! :oops:) but I have no source for that info.
 
Eating dried full-scale corn can't be good for anyone! That's why we invented popcorn, maybe! I get ill if I eat too much of the unpopped stuff, and I really like the unpopped stuff at the bottom, and I'm 10x the size of a bunny :)
 
Vegan_Bunny said:
https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/can-rabbits-eat-corn/

According to this it's ok. :? But every other website says it isn't. :lol: Confused!
Click to expand...

I don't think that website says it's ok (well, the website owner concludes that, but I don't know how he's concluded that based on the answer to his question!). I read Dana's reply as saying it's definitely not ok, especially fresh! It suggests that if it's been milled down into a powder as an addition to other things, then it's at least not going to cause a blockage so is 'ok' in that respect, but it does talk about it being indigestible, high in calories and sugar and not a natural part of the diet and does suggest that fresh corn should definitely be avoided. She even ends the response by saying that they try and avoid anything with corn added and definitely avoid fresh corn completely. Unfortunately it looks to me as if the webpage owner was looking for a different answer and has therefore interpreted Dana's answer as being a 'yes it's fine' when clearly if you read her reply, she's saying 'no it's not!'
 
Last edited:
I have never fed my bunnies corn, of any type. I think it's very un-natural to be honest and full of sugar!! Mine have a very natural diet :thumb:
 
Santa said:
I don't think that website says it's ok (well, the website owner concludes that, but I don't know how he's concluded that based on the answer to his question!). I read Dana's reply as saying it's definitely not ok, especially fresh! It suggests that if it's been milled down into a powder as an addition to other things, then it's at least not going to cause a blockage so is 'ok' in that respect, but it does talk about it being indigestible, high in calories and sugar and not a natural part of the diet and does suggest that fresh corn should definitely be avoided. She even ends the response by saying that they try and avoid anything with corn added and definitely avoid fresh corn completely. Unfortunately it looks to me as if the webpage owner was looking for a different answer and has therefore interpreted Dana's answer as being a 'yes it's fine' when clearly if you read her reply, she's saying 'no it's not!'
Click to expand...

I did think this but I was confused because the person writing the article was adamant that the answer was a "yes, they can eat corn." :?
 
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