Niacin is important for energy metabolism, maintaining a healthy digestive tract lining, skin integrity, and nervous system function. Rabbits obtain niacin from both dietary sources and cecal bacterial synthesis. A healthy cecum producing normal cecotropes provides a substantial portion of the niacin a rabbit needs, supplemented by niacin present in hay and fresh greens.
A small serving of peas (about 20g, as an occasional treat) provides roughly 0.4mg of niacin — your adult rabbit needs approximately 2 to 5mg of niacin per kilogram of diet, with cecotropes providing the bulk of this requirement alongside dietary sources from hay and greens.
0.01% of daily nutrient intake
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) makes up 0.01% of your domestic rabbit's total daily nutritional requirements by weight. That's a tiny amount — but it matters.
Poor appetite, diarrhea, skin lesions, and general failure to thrive. Like other B vitamins, deficiency is most likely when cecotrope consumption is impaired.
Niacin has a wide safety margin and is water-soluble. Excess from dietary sources is excreted in urine without issue.
| Life Stage | Size | Min | Max | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | — | 2 | 5 | mg | Per kilogram of diet. Supplied through cecotropes and dietary sources. |
Source: NRC 1977, general veterinary consensus
