Feeding your rabbit does not have to be complicated. In this article, I will show you how you can give your rabbit a long, healthy life with the proper diet.
What Should Rabbits Eat?
Even though rabbits can eat many different foods, there are three primary sources they should get their nutrition from to keep optimal health. The ideal diet of a rabbit is hay, fresh green leaves, and rabbit pellets.
You’ll learn more about the three primary food sources below:
Hay: The Main Course in a Rabbit’s Diet
Firstly, we start with these cute little rodents’ most important food source. Grass-based hay should be available for the rabbit at all times. This is because they will eat more than their body weight in hay monthly. This is because hay makes up 80% of a rabbit’s diet.
Giving the rabbit too much hay is impossible because they enjoy the fodder for dinner and making a cozy den. The grass is also one of the main factors in how they keep their teeth from growing too large. In addition, it helps them grind down their teeth, reducing the risk of dental diseases.
It would be best if you tried to get Timothy hay for your rabbit, but I can also recommend these types:
- Meadow
- Orchard
- Ryegrass
- Bluegrass
Why do I recommend Timothy? Timothy, compared to other types of grass, is more fiber-dense. It also provides a good amount of minerals and is very coarse. In addition, Timothy hay is very easily accessible for you; best of all, you can buy large quantities in your local farmer/pet store.
Fresh Leafy Greens & Vegetables
Fresh leafy greens and vegetables are the most nutrient-rich food for rabbits, but which one do you choose? There are many different kinds of leafy greens and vegetables, which can be confusing.
| Green leaves | Vegetables | Fruits |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce (green leaf, red leaf, arugula, romaine) | Fennel | Apple (no seeds) |
| Clover | Okra leaves | Banana |
| Dandelion leaf | Spinach | Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) |
| Okra leaves | Tomatoes | Cherries (no seeds) |
| Long grass | Kale | Zucchini |
| Carrot tops | Carrots | Bell peppers |
| Herbs (mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme) | Brussel Sprouts | Cucumber |
| Wheatgrass | Bok Choy | Pear |
| Basil | Radish tops | Plum |
| Plantain herb | Watercress | Watermelon |
Some foods a rabbit can eat. Green leaves, vegetables, and trees.
Rabbits can eat most leafy greens. The list of some vegetables and leafy greens they can eat goes like this:
- Lettuces like Green Leaf, red leaf, arugula, romaine
- Bell peppers
- Carrot Tops
- Dandelion leaf
- Cucumber
- Fennel
- Wheatgrass
- Herbs like Mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill, cilantro
- Carrots
- Clover
- Spinach
- Kale
If you live in the countryside and can access fresh greens, your rabbits will enjoy a stack of dandelion leaves in the summer. Remember that you don’t pick leafy greens close to farmland. The chance of pesticides on the greens can be pretty high.
Rabbit Pellets: Supplement
Rabbit pellets are the third option I will recommend you give to your rabbit. Pellets must be used as a supplement. A general rule is two tablespoons per kilo of your rabbit’s weight.
Pellets are packed with minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
The rabbit pellets should have high fiber content and be based on timothy hay. Be careful and look at the ingredients. Some of these poor-quality pellets have added seeds and dried corn.
Additional Foods You Can Give Your Rabbit
These types of additional food can be served 1-2 times a week as you see fit:
- Treats (fruits, no sugar treats from pet store)
- Fresh willow branches
- Apple (no seeds)
- Melon
- Pear
- Peach
- Nectarine
- Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
A rabbit’s stomach is susceptible to new types of foods, so introduce them slowly with smaller pieces at a time.
Water: Unlimited Fresh Water
After eating so much dry hay all day, these rabbits need water to help their digestion. A good tip is to use heavy bowls in the enclosure. This way, you ensure it is easy to clean the bowl, and they can’t tip it over. Water bottles are also good but harder to clean properly.
What Not to Feed Your Rabbit
The rabbit food stores might sell rodent mixtures of different dried seeds. Even tho the rabbit’s long intestines are way better at digesting grains and fibers than we humans. It is not ideal for their stomach – if you imagine their natural diet in the wild. Constipation can be fatal for rodents because they won’t let you know until it is too late.
We use a lot of iceberg lettuce in our salads, but you should try to avoid it for rabbits. They really like to eat it, but the lettuce contains lactucarium – and has close to zero nutritional value for them if you compare it to hay.
Avoid giving these foods to your rabbit:
- Anything with sugar.
- Rodent seed mixture.
- Iceberg lettuce.
- Dried corn.
- Seeds (in general).
- Cut grass (lawn mower).
- Onion.
- Nuts.
- Avocado.
- Cereal.
- Peas.
- Seeds in fruits.
- Rhubarb leaves.
- Bread.
- Chocolate.
Conclusion
The goal of this article was to make feeding a rabbit more digestible. As long as you follow the three staple foods for rabbits, you will have a pleased rabbit for many years. Personally, my Holland Lop rabbit lived 11 good years with this diet, and it proves it does not have to be more complicated!
