Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn? (9 Interesting Facts)

If you happen to keep rabbits as pets, it can at times be tempting to share your popcorn with them. But is it proper for rabbits to eat popcorn? This article has the answer.

Can rabbits eat popcorn? No, rabbits shouldn’t be fed popcorn. Their bodies are unable to digest popcorn. It can therefore cause them stasis, intestinal impaction and other issues. Popcorn can also be a choking hazard for rabbits. And it is of no real nutritional benefit to them.

Then again, if your rabbit happens to accidentally munch on a piece of popcorn that has strayed from your hands, you don’t have to panic too much.

One or two pieces of popcorn ingested by a rabbit may not cause much harm. But deliberately feeding rabbits on lots of popcorn can cause great harm.

Is Popcorn Toxic To Rabbits?

If popcorn has ingredients like chocolate, then it can be outright toxic to rabbits.

Popcorn for rabbits can also be harmful – even if not outright toxic – on account of ingredients like salt, sugar and oil.

To be sure, plain popcorn for bunnies may not be outright toxic. But other ingredients that go into making of the popcorn can cause a lot of harm to a rabbit.

Some like chocolate are outright toxic. Others like salt, sugar and oils can be extremely harmful to a rabbit, even if not outright toxic.

Thus if you find a bunny refusing popcorn, it may be on account of it (instinctively) sensing that the popcorn is not good for its health.

Is Popcorn Beneficial For Rabbits?

Popcorn is not beneficial for rabbits.

It is important to understand that rabbit’s bodies are unable to digest corn. Therefore there is no easy way for a rabbit to extract any of the nutrients that may be in the popcorn.

It therefore follows that popcorn can’t be said to be beneficial for rabbits.

There are those who may talk of corn being rich in things like iron and fiber. But what use are those to a rabbit, if its body is unable to digest the popcorn and digest them?

Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

The simple answer to the can rabbits eat popcorn question is ‘no’. So far, we have established that popcorn can be harmful to rabbits. In fact, if it contains ingredients like chocolate, it can be outright toxic to rabbits.

It has also become clear that popcorn isn’t really nutritionally beneficial to the rabbits. Since the rabbit’s bodies are unable to digest corn, there is no viable way it can be beneficial to them.

How can a rabbit eat popcorn, against that background?

Yet it is important to appreciate certain things. For one, not all people are aware of the fact that popcorn can be harmful to rabbits.

Not all people are aware that popcorn, if it has certain ingredients (like chocolate), can actually be toxic to rabbits.

So that is how you find someone asking, can rabbit eat popcorn? Or, to bring it closer home, can my rabbit eat popcorn?

The simple answer to these questions is ‘no’. Popcorn can be harmful to rabbits. In fact, if it contains some ingredients like chocolate, it can simply be toxic to rabbits.

Popcorn is also not of much nutritional benefit to rabbits. Their bodies are unable to digest corn. They thus can’t extract any nutrients in it.

Thus if you were wondering, can my rabbits eat popcorn, now you know the answer is ‘no’.

Indeed, if you research on what human food can rabbits eat, you will not find popcorn in the list.

The same applies, if you research on what can rabbits eat for a snack?

Why Is Popcorn Unsuitable For Rabbits?

There are at least 5 factors that make popcorn unsuitable for rabbits.

Firstly, popcorn can be a choking hazard for rabbits. This is especially the case for young rabbits, whose throat passages are small. It is also the case for old rabbits, whose throat passages are often weak.

Secondly, popcorn has ingredients that can be harmful to rabbits. Things like salt, oils and sugar can cause lots of problems for rabbits.

Thirdly, popcorn can cause internal obstructions in rabbit’s bodies.

Fourthly, popcorn can cause gastrointestinal stasis in rabbits, which can in turn trigger lots of other serious problems. It can eventually lead to organ failure.

Fifthly, popcorn is not of much benefit (nutritionally) to rabbits. They are unable to digest corn, and extract any nutrients in it.

Is There Any Type Of Popcorn That Is Good For Rabbits?

Popcorn comes in many varieties.

Those may include plain, popped, sweet and salted. There are other rarer varieties like white cheddar popcorn.

That leads to more specialized questions like, can rabbits eat plain, salted, sweet or white cheddar popcorn?

Or can rabbits eat buttered popcorn? Can rabbits eat toffee popcorn… Therefore such types of questions normally arise in discussions like this one.

So, is any of these types of popcorn suitable for rabbits? The simple answer is ‘no’. But let’s look specifically at some of the actual types of popcorn in turn.

Can Rabbits Eat Plain Popcorn?

Plain popcorn is not good for rabbits.

True, the plain popcorn doesn’t have the more worrisome ingredients like chocolate. Neither does it have the non-toxic, but still potentially harmful ones like sugar, salt and  oil.

But it still has some problems.

One problem with plain popcorn is that the rabbits are still unable to digest it. This means that it can cause issues like gastrointestinal stasis, as well as impactions.

Another problem in plain popcorn is in that some rabbits may choke on it.

Yet another problem with plain popcorn is that feeding a rabbit on it is pointless. The rabbit can’t digest it. Therefore the rabbit can’t extract nutrients from it. So what is the point of feeding the rabbit on it?

Can Rabbits Eat Popped Popcorn?

Rabbits shouldn’t eat popped popcorn.

Popped popcorn is usually quite hard, and can therefore easily turn into a choking hazard for rabbits.

Moreover, the often rough nature of popped popcorn can hurt the internal parts of the rabbits’ digestive systems.

And some ingredients in popped popcorn can be quite harmful to rabbits.

Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn Kernels?

It is very wrong to allow rabbits to eat popcorn kernels.

Popcorn kernels for rabbits can easily cause choking. Or if they pass through the throat, they can still cause impactions and gastrointestinal stasis further down the tract.

It may actually not be too uncommon to hear a rabbit owner crying out “Help! Rabbit ate popcorn kernels” and is now having intestinal obstructions, with symptoms such as bloating and pain.

In any event, the digestive system of rabbits can’t handle the popcorn kernels. Even if they don’t cause issues, they just go through the digestive system, and come out whole.

So what would have been the point of the rabbits eating the popcorn kernels?

Can Rabbits Eat White Cheddar Popcorn?

Some of the ingredients that go into the making of white cheddar popcorn can be harmful to a rabbit.

The corn itself can cause issues like choking, gastrointestinal stasis, and impactions.

Then there are things like the oils, sugar and salt, which can wreak havoc on a rabbit’s health.

Thus, however tempting it may be to share your white cheddar popcorn with your rabbit, don’t do it.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Popcorn?

By definition, sweet popcorn contains sugar. And sugar is known to be harmful to rabbits. On that account alone, it is not proper to feed rabbits on sweet popcorn.

But besides the sugar, the sweet popcorn usually also has some oil. This too is not good for a rabbit.

And the actual corn is something that can cause many problems once in a rabbit’s body. Those are problems like bloating, stasis and so on.

So it is best not to give rabbits sweet popcorn.

While at it, one may ask, can rabbits eat caramel popcorn (which is a special type of sweet popcorn)? And the answer is still ‘no’ – on account of the factors outlined above.

Can Rabbits Eat Salted Popcorn?

By definition, salted popcorn contains salt. Salt can cause lots of harm to rabbits. It can impact their kidneys, leading to water retention and ultimately blood pressure issues.

Besides the salt, the oil and the corn itself is also quite harmful to a rabbit.

With all these facts in mind, there is really no reason to feed a rabbit on salted popcorn.

Can Any Type Of Rabbit Eat Popcorn?

There are many types of rabbits. Sometimes, people express interest in knowing whether certain specific types of rabbits can eat popcorn.

That is what leads to questions like, can domestic rabbits eat popcorn? Or to put it differently, can tame rabbits eat popcorn? What about the wild ones? Can wild rabbits eat popcorn?

Now the simple answer to all these questions is ‘no’. Rabbits – of whichever type – shouldn’t eat popcorn. But let’s look at some of those specific types of rabbits in turn.

Can Pet Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

Most of the people who show interest in sharing popcorn with rabbits are those who keep pet rabbits.

So, can pet rabbits eat popcorn? The answer is ‘no’. Popcorn can harm the rabbits. That is through things like being a choking hazard, causing impaction, causing intestinal stasis and so on.

And popcorn doesn’t offer much nutritional value to pet rabbits. Therefore they shouldn’t have it.

Can Bunny Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

Popcorn is not a suitable food for bunny rabbits. They shouldn’t eat it.

In case the popcorn happens to contain ingredients like chocolate, it can be outright toxic to the bunny rabbits.

Even in the absence of ingredients like chocolate, more common ones like oil, sugar and salt can still be problematic.

And this is to say nothing of the popcorn’s potential to cause various forms of obstructions in the rabbits’ bodies.

Can Dwarf Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

No, dwarf rabbits – like all other types of rabbits – shouldn’t eat popcorn.

Their bodies are unable to digest it, which makes it very problematic to them.

And because their throats are often small, popcorn can sometimes easily choke them.

This applies for all types of dwarf rabbits. Thus even if, for instance, you were wondering, can Netherland dwarf rabbits eat popcorn, that is the answer to the question.

Can Lionhead Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

It is very wrong to feed Lionhead – or indeed any other type of – rabbits on popcorn.

The nature of these rabbits’ digestive systems is such that they can’t handle grains like corn. And since they can’t digest them, they often cause issues like stasis, once ingested.

The additive ingredients in popcorn like salt, sugar and oils are also not exactly good for Lionhead (or any other) rabbits.

Can Baby Rabbits Eat Popcorn?

Absolutely not. For one, baby rabbits often have throats that are narrow. As such, the risk of them choking on popcorn is high.

Even if they don’t choke on popcorn, it may still cause other problems further down their GI tracts. For one, these are narrow GI tracts, through which popcorn is often unable to pass.

And their potential to be greatly harmed by popcorn ingredients like salt, sugar and oil is higher.

My Rabbit Ate Popcorn – What To Do?

If the rabbit ate just one or two morsels of popcorn, chances are that it will be just alright. That is unless there is choking, which can be a real emergency.

Still, you need to observe the rabbit, while on the lookout for things like bloating and pain.

You can help the rabbit by providing lots of water and grass hay. This is to make its gastrointestinal movements faster.

But if the rabbit ate lots of popcorn, you may have a bigger problem.

For instance, if the bunnies ate caramel popcorn, you may be looking at a situation in which their bodies will end up with more sugar than they can handle.

It may make sense to consult your vet, if your rabbit ate a truly huge amount of popcorn. That is, for instance, if the rabbit ate a whole bag of popcorn.

First aid measures that may be helpful are providing lots of water and grass hay. The idea is to hasten the movement of the popcorn through the rabbit’s digestive system.

If the rabbit shows signs like excessive salivation, bloating or unusual urination after having eaten lots of popcorn, take it to a vet urgently.

Final Verdict – Can Rabbits Eat Popcorn

Rabbits shouldn’t eat popcorn.

Popcorn can be a choking hazard for rabbits. Even if they manage to swallow it without choking, popcorn can cause obstructions further down the rabbits’ digestive tracts.

There is also the fact that corn is something that rabbits are unable to digest. Thus when you feed a rabbit on popcorn, you are giving it something it can’t digest.

Because corn is something they are unable to digest, it often causes rabbits complex issues like gastrointestinal stasis.

And because corn is something they are unable to digest, it is not of much nutritional benefit to rabbits anyway.

Meanwhile, other ingredients in popcorn, like sugar, salt and oil have lots of negative effects on rabbits.

For all these reasons, popcorn is not proper for rabbits. They shouldn’t eat it.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet rabbit a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️