What Do Wild Rabbits Eat And Should You Feed Them

Wild rabbits are good opportunistic feeders and they will feed on a variety of things they find around human dwellings or gardens.

Although these small and agile animals are used to searching for food in the natural environment, they can occasionally move to houses and other structures where they have a wide variety of tasty and easily accessible foods.

1. Garden Plants

Wild rabbits live on a diet of different garden crops such as flowers, shrubs, and vegetables. These animals are more preferential for the fresh leaves and sprouts. Specific examples include lettuce, carrots, beans, and so on.

Feeding by rabbits can significantly impact vegetation mainly by consuming plant parts and could alter plant quality and health. Homeowners may need to implement barriers or repellents to protect their plants from these persistent foragers.

2. Grass

Wild rabbits are often found dining where there are freshly manicured lawns. They feed on green growing points, particularly on the grass shoots and leaves, which are their main diet. As a component of rabbits’ diet, grass is crucial for their dietary needs and bowel movements.

This is true because rabbits may be seen around a compound where frequent mowing of the lawn is done, especially if the lawn is green and well-manicured. 

3. Ornamental Plants

Wild rabbits like to feast on ornamental plants that grow in garden beds these include petunias, pansies, and hostas. Rabbits are attracted to these plants by their tiny leaves and attractive flowers which make them chew on the foliage and even affect the flower buds.

Rabbits might also burrow around plants and this destroys the beauty of the garden as well. Gardeners often need to use fencing or repellents to keep rabbits away from their prized ornamental plants.

4. Fruit and Vegetable Scraps

Wild rabbits may be seen feeding on fruits and vegetables that may have been left in compost bins or in the garbage cans. They are naturally attracted to scrap which includes things such as apple cores, carrot tops, and melon skins.

While these parts of the plants offer a convenient, ready food source, they also appeal to rabbits, particularly in zones near residences, thus posing a threat to gardens and landscaping.  Proper disposal and secure composting methods can help minimize unwanted rabbit visitors.

5. Tree Bark

Wild rabbits forage for food and may feed on the twigs of new plants especially considering that other material options like leaves would probably be unavailable during the winter period.

They feed on the soft barks and new sprouts, which can eventually injure or kill the tree since it disrupts its water supply system. The chewing can contribute to bark stripping and the tree is left exposed to diseases and pests as well. 

6. Wooden Structures

Wild rabbits might chew wooden fences, garden furniture, or stakes as this behavior is inherent to prevent the growth of their teeth. Rabbits are able to deal with dental issues by chewing on wood but this is detrimental to wooden items.

They may also bite wooden stakes that support plants, as per which the stability of plants is affected and can even pose risks to the garden space.

7. Herbs

Garden-friendly wild rabbits feed on different herbs that may be planted at home such as mint, basil, and dill. These herbs provide tender leaves that are palatable to rabbits and they can feed on them without restraint.

When a rabbit visits a herb plant, it gets to nip all the leaves while leaving only the stems and roots. The grazing might impact the health and productivity of the herbs hence the use of protective measures that prevent the rabbits from accessing the herb beds.

8. Leafy Greens

Wild rabbits are particularly fond of spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and other related plants. People look for these green vegetables due to their nutritional value and juicy feel on the human palate.

These animals can also uproot any foliage that is rich in leaves in a very short period of time making such plants scarce for human consumption and may hinder the growth of young plants.

9. Clovers

Clovers that grow in the lawn or the garden are preferred foods for wild rabbits. They are found in areas with clovers since the plants contain rich green leaves with lots of nutrients.

This can lead to the formation of bald patches in the lawns or less growth of clover when rabbits feed on it in large quantities. It is possible to create a natural barrier for rabbits by regularly mowing the lawns and using techniques to prevent rabbits from eating clovers.

10. Vegetable Plants

Wild Rabbits mostly feed on crops like vegetable crops including tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers. They might eat the leaves, stalks, and even the fruits that grow from some of these plants.

Such feeding behavior can lead to serious crop devastation both in terms of quality and quantity produced.

Owners can protect their vegetable plants from rabbits using physical barriers, and repellents, or by selecting rabbit-resistant plant varieties to minimize damage.

Here is a list of some common items that wild rabbits consume in the wild:

11. Twigs

Fine branches of shrubs and trees are preferred among other things that wild rabbits feed on. These twigs provide necessary fiber and aid in the wear of their constantly growing teeth.

Rabbits feed on the succulent young shoots, especially during the winter season when other plants provide little browse. Although the twigs help them maintain their health, it has the negative impact of damaging the shrubs and young trees, which hampers their growth and establishment.

12. Woody Shrubs

Wild rabbits feed on the leaves and twigs from shrubs such as sumac, honeysuckle, and dogwood shrub. These shrubs act as a source of nutrients and dietary fiber. Rabbits feed greatly on these shrubs, especially during some of the seasons such as the fall and winter seasons.

Nevertheless, their feeding poses harm to several shrubs, even stripping branches and impairing the health of plants in the general environment, with some negative effects that may lower the growth and reproduction of plants.

13. Root Vegetation

Wild rabbits also burrow and feed on the tubers of different plants. Tuberous crops are the source of energy and nutrients when the aerial parts are not readily available.

Mounding is another activity exhibited by rabbits where they dig the soil and uproot plants causing major interferences. This feeding practice assists them in enduring unfavorable environments but may occasionally lead to the destruction of plants as well as the disruption of ecosystems.

14. Seeds

Wild rabbits feed on seeds of different plants such as flowers and grasses. Seeds are important inputs of proteins and energy that assist rabbits in combating the effects of the various seasons.

They feed on seeds either on the floor or within plant structures themselves. This behavior not only serves to cater to their own nutritional needs but also has repercussions on plant species since it may limit the seed supply necessary for germination and growth.

15. Fruit

Wild rabbits feed on wild fruits such as berries (blackberries, raspberries) and trees such as apples. The fruits are delicious and can help the children get their needed vitamins and energy for activity.

Rabbits could possibly select fallen fruits and ripened fruits within the late summer and acceptable in the fall. Fruits keep them nourished and healthy but they cause harm by damaging parts of fruit-growing regions, therefore denying other wild animals and humans fruits.

16. Corn

In cornfields, wild rabbits can eat corn as well as their husks as part of the farming area's wildlife. Corn is an energy-rich food that is carbohydrate and nutrient-dense, especially beneficial for consumption in the cold season.

The rabbits, in turn, gain a rich and nutritious food source while the feeding damages the corn leading to losses to the farmer, and possible crop-rabbit conflicts.

17. Dandelion Leaves

Wild rabbits feed on dandelion leaves, which are easily available and contain vitamins and minerals. These leaves supply nutrients and are usually available in ecological environments therefore being a source of food.

The rabbits feed on the dandelion greens during the whole growing season and get nutritional values from these plants. It is therefore advantageous for rabbits to feed on dandelion plants but their feeding habit affects dandelion availability in an ecosystem and the overall ecosystem balance.

18. Burdock

Wild rabbits consume the leaves and roots of burdock which are rich in fiber and nutrients. Therefore, burdock is a source of some vitamins and minerals that are vital for rabbits’ diet.

These plants are most common in areas that have been disturbed and can become an important source of food during late summer and early fall. However, their use can lead to a decline in the burdock population and affect the plants within the local ecosystem.

What Wild Rabbits Eat in Winter?

Wild rabbits also switch their diets especially during winter in order to sustain themselves since they have to feed from what is available. The food habits majorly include woody vegetation, mostly barks, and twigs of trees, for example, willow, aspen as well as birch.

They also feed on evergreens and some neat grasses even though these may be slightly harder to come by. Moreover, they can munch on new buds and leaves of different plants, but those are not so plentiful in winter.

Rabbits, being herbivores, manage to get their nutritional needs from fibrous plant materials by transitioning to a diet without the availability of fresh greens. This is important for them to withstand the winter since they have to extract nutrients from these hard and fibrous materials to be able to garner the energy required.

Do Wild Rabbits Hibernate?

Wild rabbits do not hibernate as a rule. While there are other animals that hibernate to avoid using up much energy in the cold, rabbits do not hibernate during winter.

Rather than go dormant, they change their behavior according to the season and grow a thicker layer of fur that serves as an insulator.

They are still searching for food and their diets include woody plants, barks, and fibrous grasses since these are readily available even in the deep winter season.

While it may seem kind to provide wild rabbits with food, it is important to consider the potential consequences before doing so. Feeding wild rabbits is generally discouraged for several reasons:

Dependency Issues

One potential negative impact of feeding is that wild rabbits that are regularly fed will stop foraging in the wild and become dependent on feed given to them by people instead.

This dependency hinders them from accessing food on their own and can alter their normalcy and capacities, thereby leading to their inability to survive autonomously, in their environments.

Behavioral Changes

Hand feeding is likely to change the behavior of wild rabbits since they become familiar with the presence of people. Consequently, this might lead to lesser alertness to prospective predators and traffic hence exposing them to more dangers of being preyed on or getting into an accident.

It is important not to infringe on their natural tendency to be weary in their surroundings as it protects them.

Ecological Impact

Feeding directly in the wild can have an impact on the local ecosystems due to situations such as food pollution. It may increase the rate at which rabbits in specific regions cause pressure on plants and animal life and disrupt the natural flow of ecosystems.

Allowing wildlife to forage for their own food, enhances equilibrium and sustains health in the ecosystem.