Rabbits enjoy herbs as treats and they are usually pretty safe eating basic, cilantro, dill, peppermint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Ideally, you might consider planting these herbs in pots or in your garden. New rabbit owners often find rabbit pellets in the pet store and assume that these are the best possible diet for their pets.
Pellets were actually originally created by those who were raising rabbits for meat. Those pellets were intended to promote rabbit growth and some weight gain. Nowadays there are some pellet-based diets that are formulated for pet rabbits, but be sure to check out a food carefully before you choose it.
Rabbits have delicate digestive systems and some will not do well on a pellet diet. Even if pellets are used as a secondary source of food it is important to provide fresh hay as often as possible. Baby rabbits need more protein than adults. You can purchase high protein commercial foods that are intended for young rabbits.
Some people believe in feeding only commercial diets to baby rabbits but this should really depend on what your bunny has been eating. If the breeder was feeding a pelleted diet and you immediately switch to lots of raw vegetables and grasses, your small rabbit may have problems with digestive upset.
Once they have adjusted you can add in small amounts of fresh food to get them used to it. For nutrient purposes, you may want to feed a mix of mild hay, commercial baby-rabbit food, and treat-quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables. Rabbits need a great deal of indigestible food content which is called fiber. Most rabbits get the majority of their fiber through hay although there are some commercial pelleted foods with high fiber content.
This still usually comes from chopped hay that is in the pellets themselves. You can also purchase hay in compressed squares. This can cause constipation, impaction or even full gastrointestinal stasis. A rabbit that is constipated may do fine if given some additional hay but if the problem persists, take them to a rabbit veterinarian.
Once a rabbit gets an impaction in the digestive tract or gets GI Stasis this can lead to severe illness. It is considered an emergency situation. Untreated GI Stasis in rabbits is fatal. In the wild young rabbits would begin to eat fresh foods as they are weaned. New rabbits owners may overfeed foods like carrots to young rabbits and then run into trouble right away. Ask your breeder what they fed the babies and the mother. If the mother was on a strict pellet diet your young rabbit may not have any experience with fresh hay and vegetables.
Go slowly with any changes. You should introduce good grass hay and fresh vegetables slowly, especially after your rabbit is over 6 months of age. You can slowly introduce one or two new foods at a time. You will want to start with just vegetables and avoid sugary fruits at first.
Once your young rabbit is eating hay and vegetables regularly you can begin to transition toward an adult diet. By the age of one year, your rabbit can eat a normal adult diet of hay, fresh vegetables, pellets as supplements if desired and some treats. Commercial food for small rabbits is high in protein and a bit higher in fat to encourage growth. These foods are too rich for adult rabbits.
Rabbits should produce lots of feces. They should be round like peas and of a uniform size and shape. If your rabbit is eating but is producing small amounts of feces this could be a medical crisis. If the feces seems normal but has hair in it, this is similar to the type of hairballs that are found in cats.
You can purchase a rabbit-safe hairball remedy or get something from your veterinarian. If your rabbit has loose or runny stools and it does not clear up quickly, see a veterinarian. Wild rabbits typically eat grasses, grains, flowers, weeds, and other vegetable matter. Wild rabbits will naturally eat large quantities of fresh and dried grasses which provides them with plenty of fiber. They must be given high-fiber foods like hay or pellets in addition.
Rabbits may enjoy some human foods that are not good for them. Pet rabbits naturally gravitate toward the same foods as their wild cousins. To answer this question, though, one has to know what the pet rabbit has been eating. This will be a disaster for their digestive systems. If they are transitioned slowly, though, rabbits can all eat any good quality diet that is high in fiber and has adequate protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Root vegetables e. Don't feed other treats as they may harm your rabbits. The amount they eat and drink monitoring. View the rabbit poo infographic to see why. Find out how to use dietary enrichment to improve your rabbit's welfare. Join us in some myth busting and find out what rabbits really need to eat to stay healthy. Share this Unhealthy muesli. Common myths. Rabbits love sugary fruit and will eat too much of it, which is bad for them. Therefore it's up to you to limit it! They can taste very strong so offer a little to start with to get your bunnies used to them.
You can see a list of some poisonous plants by clicking here. Hay and grass keep your rabbit healthy by keeping the gut moving and preventing blockages and GI Stasis. Chewing on hay grinds your rabbit's ever-growing teeth down to a safe level, preventing ulcers, abscesses and eye problems. Rabbits need to eat their body-size in fresh hay each day… continue reading. A lot of pet shops sell 'treats' that are full of sugar and very bad for your rabbit and his health. Rabbits need a natural high-fibre vegetarian diet.
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