Green olives are found all across the Mediterranean area and have been cultivated and grown since ancient times.
Olives are found in mainly black and green colours but can also come in other shades of colour which reflects the differing stages of their maturity and will greatly depend on when they are picked.
They are tended to be harvested in fall when they are quite immature.
Their main use is in the production of olive oil but are also pickled, marinated and salted.
Info source; bbc good food
So can rabbits eat green olives, and if they can, how much can they eat?
Let’s take a look at their nutritional data and find out more about them. In particular their sodium, sugar, fat, phosphorous, acidic, protein and calcium content particularly of interest.
Marinated green olives
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 609 kJ (146 kcal)
Carbohydrates 3.84 g
– Sugars 0.54 g
– Dietary fiber 3.3 g
Fat 15.32 g
– saturated 2.029 g
– monounsaturated 11.314 g
– polyunsaturated 1.307 g
Protein 1.03 g
Vitamin A equiv. 20 μg (3%)
– beta-carotene 231 μg (2%)
– lutein and zeaxanthin 510 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.021 mg (2%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.007 mg (1%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.237 mg (2%)
Vitamin B6 0.031 mg (2%)
Folate (vit. B9) 3 μg (1%)
Choline 14.2 mg (3%)
Vitamin E 3.81 mg (25%)
Vitamin K 1.4 μg (1%)
Calcium 52 mg (5%)
Iron 0.49 mg (4%)
Magnesium 11 mg (3%)
Phosphorus 4 mg (1%)
Potassium 42 mg (1%)
Sodium 1556 mg (104%)
Source: USDA Nutrient Database
As you can see green olives contain a lot of sodium, a little calcium, a hint of phosphorus, sugar and fat.
Because of their sodium content they are very dangerous for rabbits to eat and even poisonous. This means that they cannot eat them at all and are best avoided at all costs. If your rabbit does eat a small amount of green olive, then they should be okay but anything more than this and they will need veterinarian attention.