A rabbit with a taste for more than carrots

People in Southwest China's Chongqing are known for their love of hot and spicy food. Now even a local pet rabbit is reported to be addicted to the pungent flavor.

Huang Chao, 31, first discovered his rabbit's taste for spicy food last December when his wife accidentally spilt a bag of dried red peppers. Just as Huang was about to clean the floor, he was stunned to see his rabbit gobbling down the peppers, reported cqcb.com.

Huang said he was then worried that the bunny may suffer diarrhea or other problems. However, it seemed normal the next day as if nothing unusual had happened.

After that, Huang fed his rabbit some more dried red peppers and fresh green peppers and it seemed to enjoy them each time.

Huang also noticed his pet has a better appetite after eating peppers. For example, the rabbit eats three carrots every day on average. After eating peppers, it can devour another two. Now peppers are on its daily menu.

"I understand Chongqing people love spicy food. But I don't know why my rabbit is so fond of peppers," Huang said.

Wang Xiaoyou, a researcher at Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, said he had never heard of such a case, although it's possible wild rabbits eat one or two peppers occasionally.

Online research shows that some owners feed their rabbits a small amount of dried peppers in winter to keep them warm and promote appetite. The effects is not confirmed by researchers.

Xiong Bibo from Xinsanlidikang, a rabbit breeding company in Chongqing, said this was a one-off.

"Maybe the bunny's stomach was stimulated since it was little and gradually got use to the flavor," Xiong said.