Meet the rabbit in China that loves chilli peppers

Publish date: 2024-09-20

Spicy dishes are not for everyone - or every pet - but this rabbit in China has an insatiable appetite for chilli peppers.

The bunny's owner, Huang Chao, said the animal ate a dozen chilli peppers a day and would eat more carrots after being fed the mouth-numbing vegetable.

Mr Huang and his pet live in Chongqing, a city in south-west China known for its spicy cuisine.

Who cares about carrots! A rabbit in China likes chilli peppers so much it eats a dozen a day The bunny's owner Huang Chao said the pet was growing healthily

Who cares about carrots! A rabbit in China likes chilli peppers so much it eats a dozen a day

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The 31-year-old owner said his pet was growing very well.

A video shared by People's Daily on YouTube shows the bunny nibbling on a green pepper before eating several dry red chilli peppers.

Mr Huang said the rabbit liked dry red chilli peppers the most, which are spicier than the others, according to Chongqing Evening News.

Apparently, the rabbit eats a dozen chillie peppers a day: around four before breakfast and dinner respectively and around six before lunch. 

The mouth-numbing vegetable is only an appetizer for the fluffy animal. Mr Huang said the rabbit could eat more carrots after nibbling on the chilli peppers. 

He said before the rabbit started eating chillie peppers, it ate three carrots per meal; but now the bunny could eat five carrots. 

Mr Huang, who bought the pet last October, said he discovered the rabbit's dietary preference by accident.

He said last December, some of the chilli pepper he had bought fell to the ground at his home. When he came to brush the floor, he realised the rabbit had eaten nearly all of them. 

Mr Huang, the rabbit's owner, said the pet would eat more carrots after being fed chilli peppers Mr Mou told MailOnline: 'Because a rabbit doesn't have a sharp sense of smell or taste, it is less sensitive to the taste of spiciness'

Mr Huang, the rabbit's owner, said the pet would eat more carrots after being fed chilli peppers

A local rabbit expert told Chongqing Evening News that it was rare to see a rabbit eating chilli peppers. 

The expert said it was possible that the rabbit's stomach had been stimulated when it was little, so it grew used to the taste.

Mr Mou, a vet from Xingwang Animal Hospital in China, said it was possible that the rabbit had mistaken the chilli peppers for carrots or fruits.

Mr Mou told MailOnline: 'Because a rabbit doesn't have a sharp sense of smell or taste, it is less sensitive to the taste of spiciness.'

The vet added that chillie peppers are an alkaline food and herbivore animals, such as rabbits, horses and cows, are better at digesting alkaline foods.

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