I’m not sure about a pumpkin’s outer skin for chewing.

What is highly recommended for bunnies who are ill or having tooth trouble is canned, unsweetened pumpkin. We often mention it as an additive for taking meds that don’t taste good for example. So an opened pumpkin with cut up pieces from inside, or mushed up, is fine for bunnies.

That doesn’t really answer your question, however. Maybe someone else knows about the skin and rind. I suspect it’s not great, since it may have been exposed to pesticides as well as other potential issues. Anyone else know?

I know of someone who buys a pumpkin for her rabbits to chew on every fall. They pretty much demolish it (eating the outside) and apparently have never had any bad effects from it. I’m not sure if she gets the pie pumpkins or the bigger ones for carving. I know that she doesn’t buy the mini pumpkins. I might be afraid of getting those mini pumpkins, which is what I think you are wondering about. They always look so shiny, like they’ve been coated with something. The pumpkins intended to make pies with, would certainly have no coating on them. They may be too large for your decorative purposes, even though they aren’t near as big as the carving pumpkins.

Have you tried searching for info on this subject? I know you said it’s not on any of the approved lists, but you may be able to find something about it in a search.

I want to do the same for Foo since I am Halloween obssessed but didnt know if it wad safe. Im also hoping having her own pumpkin will keep her from chewing the rest of my decorations.

I really like this idea….
tobyluv- wish you could ask them but since you only know of them…may not be possible.

I don’t see why the outside would be worse for them than the inside…but then again better safe than sorry.

You could see if your bun is even interested in chewing on it and check for signs of chewing often…and of course check for gas and any changes in the poo if she does consume it…and who knows maybe she won’t chew on it at all…or if she does she may not swallow any of it.

Hmmmm…well if we get a definitive answer that the whole pumpkin is safe-well what a neat toy/treat to give! But better safe than sorry, maybe someone will know for sure though!

My own personal opinion is that it will start rotting and it will also attract gnats and fruit flies…it doesn’t sound terribly practical and honestly your rabbit doesn’t understand the festivity of having a pumpkin in his condo.

After seeing the size of pie pumpkins at the store yesterday, I’m sure that my friend gave her rabbits the regular big carving pumpkins. She has sent me pictures of the pumpkins after her bunnies used their teeth to carve them. I think that they would chew/eat them down pretty quickly, then she would remove the remainder of the pumpkin. There was no time or chance for it to go bad and rot.

I’m going to email her and ask for the details, but she is so busy and I may not get an answer right away.

My friend got back to me. She said that it was quite by accident that her bunnies got a taste of pumpkin at first. She had one out as a decoration (the large ones), then found a bunny nibbling on it. She did some research and found that it’s safe for bunnies to eat. So she let them nibble and eat the outside and the pumpkin flesh, but not the stringy insides and seeds. She would turn the pumpkin around so that they could eat some more of the outside and keep them away from the insides. Then she would take it away when most of the outside was gone

I just did a search on pumpkins and rabbits and found this link which lists pumpkin as a rabbit safe vegetable. (I thought it was a fruit). Scroll down, pumpkin is listed with the squashes. I don’t know how old this web page is, but it was written with a consultation by a vet.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/rabbit_nutrition.htm

Here is another website that lists pumpkin as safe, this time it’s on the fruit list. This list came from Rabbits for Dummies 2nd Edition and from personal experience of the writer, who is a bunny mom.

http://suite101.com/article/safe-foods-for-rabbits-a317975

I’m not advocating that anyone go out and buy a pumpkin for their rabbit to chew on and/or eat, but I thought I would let you know the info that I found. I would definitely keep those mini pumpkins away from them, the ones that are usually sold with gourds, since they seem like they could be coated with something.