Popcorn is a good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium and Vitamin B-6, depending on how it’s prepared, popcoprn can be a healthy snack for us humans. That’s why you might think that it would be a good idea to give popcorn to your pet rabbit as well, but is popcorn safe for rabbits?
Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn?
The short answer would be no, it’s best not to feed popcorn to a pet rabbit.
Popcorn Is Not an Okay Snack for Your Bunny
For one, the unpopped kernels can be dangerous for rabbits. They are very hard and can hurt your rabbit’s intestinal tract.
For two, eating a good amount of popcorn in a single sitting is very likely to cause painful bloating of the stomach for your beloved pet. It might not sound like a very serious condition, but it is. Rabbits are fragile creatures and bloating can permanently damage a rabbit’s stomach and even cause death.
For three, eating popcorn would contribute to weight gain in rabbits. As popcorn is not toxic to rabbits, you might think that it’s still okay to give your rabbit a little bit of popcorn every now and then, but it’s best not to.
There are no nutritional benefits in eating popcorn for rabbits. Rabbits can get everything they need from good quality hay and fresh vegetables. Human snack food such as popcorn would only give them unnecessary calories, which can contribute to weight gain, and, if feed regularly, lead to obesity and a number of health problems.
On top of that, even a little bit of popcorn or any other human snack food can cause digestive distress in rabbits.
In Conclusion
To sum it up, popcorn is not toxic to rabbits, but it’s still best to avoid feeding it to your bunny. Eating popcorn wouldn’t do anything good for your rabbit, it would only cause digestive distress or even more serious problems such as bloating for your pet.
If you want to be a good friend to your bunny, giver her some leafy greens instead.