Bell peppers are sometimes called capsicums and are sweet and mild vegetables that come in a number of different colours. They are sometimes confused with chillies but are actually related to them.
Although they come in different colours, they are essentially the same vegetable which has been allowed to ripen and mature to differing degrees from green which is the youngest, then comes the yellow, orange, red, purple and black. They are at their best when they are glossy, firm, and evenly coloured without any soft patches.
There are other types of bell peppers which are called Romano, and are sweet but have a flavour which is similar to the green type of bell pepper.
They can be found all year round and the season can depend on the country that you live.
So can rabbits eat bell peppers and if they can, how much of the can be eaten?
Lets take a look at their nutritional data and find out more about them.
Energy 84 kJ (20 kcal)
Carbohydrates
4.64 g
Sugars 2.4 g
Dietary fiber 1.8 g
Fat
0.17 g
Protein
0.86 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
beta-carotene
lutein zeaxanthin
(2%) 18 μg
(2%) 208 μg
341 μg
Thiamine (B1) (5%) 0.057 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (2%) 0.028 mg
Niacin (B3) (3%) 0.48 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(2%) 0.099 mg
Vitamin B6 (17%) 0.224 mg
Folate (B9) (3%) 10 μg
Vitamin C (97%) 80.4 mg
Vitamin E (2%) 0.37 mg
Vitamin K (7%) 7.4 μg
Trace metals
Calcium (1%) 10 mg
Iron (3%) 0.34 mg
Magnesium (3%) 10 mg
Manganese (6%) 0.122 mg
Phosphorus (3%) 20 mg
Potassium (4%) 175 mg
Sodium (0%) 3 mg
Zinc (1%) 0.13 mg
Other constituents
Fluoride 2 µg
source wikipedia
The good news is that Rabbits can eat almost all varieties of bell peppers this includes Green, Yellow, Red, orange and Purple.
However, they are a little acidic and a hint of phosphorus but they also have plenty of vitamin c. When they do eat them they should be no more than about 15 % of the diet (About 1 tablespoon per 2 lbs of body weight per day). The majority of their diet should be hay, water and rabbit pellets to give them the nutritional intake that they need.
So it doesn’t matter what colour bell pepper you buy for your rabbit, they will love all of them.
Can Rabbits eat Bell pepper seeds?
The seeds dont offer any nutritional benefit to them and there is always the danger that they lodge themselves in the rabbits throat, so I personally dont feed them the seeds.
Can Rabbits eat Bell pepper stems?
They are not great fans of the stems so I have always left them out and just fed the main flesh.