Feeding rabbits with corns
There are a lot of times that rabbits would be experimented with different diets, maybe to offer those varieties of diets.
Though this might sounds great to avoid making their food boring but it should be more of healthy diets for the rabbits.
Corn is one of the foods that aren’t healthy or great for the rabbits. So corn whether it is fresh, dried or not isn’t safe for rabbits.
The problem here is that the hull of the corn kernels is compose of a complex polysaccharide which isn’t either cellulose or pectin of plant cell that are basically composed that rabbits can easily digest.
So the corn kernels can’t easily be digested by the rabbits.
So this piece is here to educate you more on why the rabbits shouldn’t be fed with corn and what happens when they are fed with corn and why corn is bad for their system
Contents
Can rabbits eat cracked corn?
Though a lot of reasons are sometimes given on why the rabbits can be fed cracked corn but it is what it is.
It isn’t good to feed your rabbits with cracked corn. Corn is high in carbohydrates, sugar and starch and these are not healthy for your rabbits.
The hulls from these cracked corns are indigestible as earlier stated so it does build up in these rabbits and bring them deadly gut impaction.
The recommended diet that should be used regularly for rabbits should be mostly grass hay and maybe with some plain pallets and a lot of dark leafy greens.
You can also add to their diets fresh fruits and non-leafy veg as well. All of these just need to be given in a reasonable amount and the rabbits will be healthy than eating cracked corns.
Can rabbits eat cooked corn?
No, you should not give cooked corn to your rabbits no matter how you think your rabbits will like them. The hull of corn (which is the outer covering of the corn which is also known as the husk) has complex polysaccharide.
The truth remains that the rabbits can’t digest this complex polysaccharide and this make the corn to be very harmful or destructive to the rabbits especially in extreme conditions like them over eating these corns.
What happens if a rabbit eat corn?
When rabbits eat corn they are likely to suffered intestinal impactions i.e. hardened stool that‘s stuck in the rectum or the lower colon due to chronic constipation.
This is always due to the inability of the rabbits to digest the hulls or due to indigestible corn hulls.
So with intestinal obstruction the rabbits will experience abdominal pain and due to this they might become anorexic, grind their teeth in pain and become unwilling to move.
Again, they might begin to press their abdomen on the ground, then have a distended abdomen or a bloated one and same with ceasing the production of faecal pallets.
Because from an experience when a rabbit after an emergency treatment, finally passed out the corn, the discovery was that their fecal pallets were nearly solid corn hulls
Hulls from these cracked corns are indigestible as earlier stated so it does build up in these rabbits and bring them deadly gut impaction.
So it is really a big issue for rabbits that eat corns and can’t digest them. This is why it is highly recommended that they be fed with natural and green leaf vegetable and maybe with fresh fruits.
They can easily digest these ones and they are nutritional, safe and healthy for them
Does corn give rabbit’s diarrhea?
Yes, corn can make rabbits to have diarrhea. Corn contains high level of carbohydrate, sugar and starch.
With this it bring runny cecotropes in rabbits and other gastrointestinal problems. So before one knows it, the rabbit are having soft, pasty stools that stick together.
This is always found stuck to the fur around the rabbit’s hindquarters. These stools are sometimes interspersed with normal, dry fecal pallets.
You should know that a rabbit experiencing diarrhea is a serious issue, this can be deadly for the rabbit if isn’t immediately treated.
Because with this disease the rabbits will be highly dehydrated, Like in the case of a young rabbit it might happen too quickly to cause the death of the young rabbit in a matter of hours.
When once you notice that your rabbit is having an abnormal or absent fecal output, there’s a big change in posture or gait,
it has difficulty in drooling or have abnormal behavior then you need to do something fast about your rabbit. Get your rabbit the treatment it needs very fast,
This is why it isn’t advisable to allow them eat corn in the first place; all of these will be avoided if you feed them with the right diet meant for them.
Feed them more with these good leaves mustard greens, beet greens, watercress, broccoli greens, romaine, basil, cilantro, and carrot top.
Other leafy greens like these should be fed in limited quantities they include: escarole, dandellon greens and swiss chard
Why is corn bad for rabbits?
No matter how you want to paint it corn is bad for rabbits. Firstly the polysaccharides found in corn are indigestible to rabbits.
of course any food that a system cannot digest properly will definitely comes with health issues.
So if corn will bring health issues for rabbits since they can’t be digested it simple means that corn isn’t safe or healthy for rabbits.
Another issue why corn is bad for rabbits is because the hulls of corn kernels create intestinal wounds for the rabbits and in some cases it might even cause blockage which might still be due to indigestion and the corn fecal remain solid in the system
Rabbits perform better with low carb food items and corn isn’t one of the low carb food, there are high in sugar and starch.
So corn isn’t a healthy food for rabbits going by their high carbohydrate content, again corn are not organically grown.
Some of them are GMO products which are growth for further production. In most cases corn have mycotoxin, so with all of these it is better there are avoided and prevent the rabbits from eating them.
Some parts of the corn like the corn cobs don’t provide any significant nutrients to the rabbits and top of it isn’t even tasty.
So it isn’t just bad for the rabbits it wouldn’t be of help to the rabbits health-wise. So it makes no sense feeding them with it.
Summary:
The bottom-line here is that you shouldn’t feed your rabbits with any part of the corn even those you feel are great for them.
No, don’t take that risk with your rabbits to avoid running them into abdominal problems.
If you want your rabbits to have varieties of diets, then you should go for better and healthy alternatives.
Corn isn’t one of the alternative go more with low carb foods, leafy green veggies and fresh fruits.
You would be helping your rabbits eat the right diet that will help them grow strong and healthy.