Wild rabbits are obligate herbivores, meaning their diet consists entirely of plant matter. This allows them to extract sufficient nutrients from low-quality forage. The survival of common wild species, such as the Eastern Cottontail, depends on a continuous intake of high-fiber plants found within their local environment. Understanding their natural food sources reveals the adaptations that enable them to thrive in diverse ecosystems.
The Core Natural Diet
The foundation of a wild rabbit’s diet is fibrous plant material, primarily grasses, which they consume both fresh and dried. They spend a significant portion of their day grazing to meet their nutritional needs and keep their digestive system continuously moving. This constant foraging is necessary because the grass they consume is relatively low in digestible energy and protein.
Alongside grasses, rabbits consume forbs, which are broad-leafed weeds and herbs found in fields and meadows. Dandelions, clover, and plantain are frequently sought after, providing moisture and a wider range of vitamins and minerals. The high silica content in these plants is also important for continuously wearing down their teeth, which grow throughout their life.
Seasonal Shifts and Survival Foods
The composition of a wild rabbit’s diet shifts considerably with the changing seasons and the availability of preferred forage. During the warmer months, their diet is rich in tender green plants, flowers, and fresh growth of herbs. This period allows them to build up energy reserves before the scarcity of winter arrives.
As winter approaches and green vegetation dies back or becomes covered by snow, rabbits rely on less palatable, lower-nutrient survival foods. They turn to woody browse, such as the bark, buds, and small twigs of trees and shrubs like sumac, willow, or maple. Consuming the bark of young trees helps them maintain a necessary intake of fiber when ground-level plants are inaccessible.
Digestive Peculiarities and Toxic Plants
The rabbit digestive system is adapted to process a high-fiber diet through hindgut fermentation. Food first passes through the stomach and small intestine, but the most complex part of digestion occurs in the cecum, a large pouch where beneficial bacteria break down tough plant cellulose. This microbial breakdown releases volatile fatty acids and produces a soft, nutrient-dense dropping called a cecotrope.
Cecotrophy is the process where the rabbit consumes these cecotropes directly, effectively passing the food through the gut a second time. This reingestion allows them to absorb B vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients manufactured by the cecal bacteria that were not absorbed during the initial pass.
Wild rabbits generally learn which plants to avoid, but they can still encounter toxic vegetation. Numerous common garden and wild plants contain harmful compounds, such as the leaves and stems of potato and tomato plants, or ornamental flowers like foxglove and lily of the valley.
Human interference, such as leaving out lawn clippings or processed foods, can severely disrupt a rabbit’s delicate digestive balance. This disruption often leads to serious illness.