Don’t we all love the smell of cooked corn? Sure we do, and it’s believable that our pets find it tasty as well. But are we allowed to share some corn kernels with them?
Although we have seen many animals, both carnivores and herbivores, consume corn as a treat often, we can still have some doubts when it’s our pet that’s concerned. For example, can rabbits eat baby corn?
Baby corn, or regular corn – doesn’t matter. This is not something you should heavily rely on when your rabbit’s diet is concerned. Looking for a reason?
Well, you’ll have to stick around and continue reading this article if you want to find out why this cereal grain should be excluded from your rabbit’s diet and what happens if you fail to do so.
Can Rabbits Eat Baby Corn? A Definite “No”
Let’s take a second and recall some important rules concerning the diet of our rabbits.
In case you keep more rabbits on your property, you should be familiar with their nutritional requirements. If you know the least about it, then you are undoubtedly aware of the consequences that can follow if a rabbit eats the wrong food.
In this case, the wrong food is actually baby corn.
Don’t get me wrong – you don’t necessarily have to influence this. Once you let your rabbit run around the backyard or garden – it’s impossible to predict what might happen.
In the worst case, your rabbit may eat something that is not meant for it.
Since I’ve been dealing with animals for a long time now, I have heard and seen a million cases in which your domestic rabbit came in contact with corn and, after that, had inevitable health consequences.
As for the rabbit breed, domestic rabbits are more likely to come into contact with this cereal grain than wild rabbits that spend most of their lives in forests, where corn is a rare term.
However, they are not 100% safe either – the forest sometimes hides much more dangerous foods.
When it comes to rabbit diets, opinions can intersect.
You will come across farmers who claim to have given their rabbits leftover corn kernels or that this has been an integral part of their diet for years and that nothing has gone wrong.
Believe me, these are all made-up stories.
Even if other people’s rabbits ate corn, they could not be in good health. Excessive amounts of this grain can cause very severe stomach problems.
Also, it doesn’t matter which corn it is. It can be baby corn, or it can be regular corn – it’s just not recommended.
Important: You should never give purchased frozen corn to your rabbit. This can cause instant food poisoning.
Note that we are only at the beginning of this chapter concerning the relationship between corn and your rabbit’s diet.
There is a lot of other very important information behind this food that you may not have known about before.
Baby Corn Vs. Regular Corn
There is a difference between baby corn and regular corn, and it wouldn’t hurt to know the difference.
Baby Corn | Regular Corn | |
---|---|---|
Description | Bigger in size and thicker | Smaller kernes and leaves |
Name | Young corn, Candle corn | Maize |
Type | Only baby corn | Sweet, Indian, Dent corn |
Harvest | Only before maturity | Before of after maturity |
To the naked eye, the difference is visible. However, we are interested in baby corn at the moment.
Nutrition Facts And Side Effects
Here’s what one fresh baby corn contains.
Total fat | 0.8 g |
Sodium | 17 mg |
Carbs | 1.49 g |
Sugar | 0.28 g |
Protein | 0.21 g |
The number that strikes us here is the amount of sodium contained. Although we are talking about small baby corn, this just doesn’t seem right.
For small animals such as rabbits, any substance that exceeds normal amounts is dangerous – obviously.
This time, it is about large amounts of sodium in baby corn. So, if your rabbit consumes too much of this food, the consequences usually include increased pressure or heart disease.
With increased blood pressure, the symptoms generally include:
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Vision problems
- Dizziness
Thankfully, all of these symptoms are visible if you pay close attention to your rabbit.
Solving this problem is also very easy.
First of all, you need to remove this food from the rabbit’s environment and give it some fruit or water in return. In case your pet has taken this hard, don’t rely on salty foods for the next few days.
The next thing that can await us if a rabbit eats too much baby corn is heart disease.
Of course, there are other influences that can cause this to happen, but ingesting toxic foods is the easiest way.
In case you have noticed that the rabbit has already eaten a lot of baby corn and you are afraid of heart failure, these are the symptoms that say that something is wrong:
- Weakness
- Reduced appetite
- Bloating
- Sudden weight loss or gain
- Increased breathing rate
The symptoms of heart problems are much more common than those with increased blood pressure, so any sudden change should catch your attention.
In order to make an accurate diagnosis and assess the degree of risk, it is very important to take this situation seriously and take your rabbit to the vet.
It will probably be necessary to do some additional tests or scans – depending on the severity of your rabbit’s condition.
As for treatment, this depends on the case.
With mild cases, treatment will mainly be based on a modified diet, increased hydration, and regular check-ups at the vet.
This is just something you and your rabbit get used to.
With slightly more severe cases, you may be prescribed medications that you will need to give to your rabbit with food for a longer period of time. You mustn’t stop the medication until your veterinarian tells you to.
Also, buying medicines at your own risk is strictly forbidden and can cost your pet’s life.
Are there any other health risks you should be concerned about? Well, yes.
One of the common consequences of eating more baby corn than recommended is stomach problems. Too much of this food can stop regular digestion and trigger stool problems.
The most common stomach problem is, of course, diarrhea.
Some people take this issue too lightly and continue giving their pets baby corn thinking that at one moment, they will get used to it. Believe me, this is not advisable.
Diarrhea can harm your pet’s diet and leave long-lasting consequences. With some severe cases, you would have to change your pet’s diet from scratch and get it used to all the new ingredients. And anyone with pets knows that this is practically mission impossible.
It is important to remove the baby corn in time and prevent bloating.
Another consequence of constantly consuming baby corn is tooth decay. This is especially dangerous for rabbits because their teeth usually take longer to develop.
Baby corn, because of its hardness, accelerates the decomposition process.
Corn Turned Into Snacks?
So far, we have been talking about exclusively fresh corn. But what if we turn that fresh corn into a snack like popcorn?
By no means! This is still not allowed for your rabbit. With popcorn, the amount of salt is very important. This is too much for your pet’s organism, and it won’t be able to digest it properly.
Some people also consider boiled or dried corn a snack, however, the rule remains the same. Cooked corn, especially while still hot, is by no means suitable for your rabbit.
When cooked or dried, it loses most of its nutritional value, and there is no point in giving something like this to your pet.
Be Aware Of Them
Since we are on guard today, it is very important to state that baby corn is just one on the list of many foods that are forbidden to your rabbit.
Sometimes they are sweet, sometimes salty foods, and sometimes it is simply food that we humans consume every day. Unfortunately, we have learned that we cannot share everything.
Don’t worry; here is a list of foods that should be avoided at all costs if you have a rabbit in your household.
- Yogurt – Avoid giving your rabbit yogurt as it can contribute to the development of bacteria in your pet’s stomach.
- Sweets – This does not need any particular explanation. It is clear to you that the sugar level is high and dangerous.
- Onions – The acidic composition of onions is toxic.
- Cereal – Any type of cereal (muesli, corn flakes) falls under the category of processed food which is forbidden.
- Meat – Rabbits are herbivores, which means that any type of meat is unacceptable.
- Potatoes – Although we love this veggie, its high carbohydrate and starch content makes it poisonous for rabbits.
- Walnuts – Walnuts are just one of many that your rabbit isn’t allowed to consume because of the high fiber content that can mess with its digestion.