One-Minute Facts: Bunnies Can’t Barf

Yep, it’s true. Rabbits can’t vomit. Or burp. Colour me astonished.

Most mammals throw up if they need to. But, bunnies can’t vomit.

The bunny digestive system evolved to meet the needs of wild rabbits. They graze constantly, and food moves through their system fast.

They have a one-way digestive system. Their sphincter muscle is so strong that it doesn’t allow anything to come back out of the stomach through the mouth.

This also means that they don’t burp. Makes sense. I mean have you ever seen a burping rabbit?

Bunnies share this system with other rodents, horses and frogs. While most non-puking mammals can get really sick if they have a stomach problem (because they can’t throw up), frogs have a fail-safe solution.

Many frogs can throw up their entire stomachs. They then clean them out with their front feet and swallow them again.

That’s impressive. But way icky. Sorry to put that picture in your heads.