What to Feed Your Rabbit
PER DAY:
- 1 cup leafy greens per pound of body weight
- High fibre rabbit pellets 25g-500 g per day (approx. 1 egg cup)
- Unlimited hay
- Unlimited water
- Fruit as and occasional treat
Hay should be 80% of rabbits diet. Feed roughly a bundle the same size or slightly larger than rabbit. Chewing hay will help shorten teeth and clean the gastrointestinal tract so is an extremely important part of your rabbits diet. One cup leafy greens such as Curly Kale, Spring greens, Rocket, Romaine Lettuce, Dark green cabbage, Beet greens, radish greens. Limited (one tablespoon) amounts of Broccoli, Celery, Jerusalem Artichokes, Celeriac, Bell Pepper. Small amounts of herbs such as Basil, Dill, Mint can be added.
Treats such as carrots, Brussel sprouts, apples, sweet potato are not an every day food! These foods can damage a rabbits teeth if feed in excess
Chewing for Tooth Care
I like to keep a small piece of branch in the hutch for the rabbits to gnaw the bark off. Suitable wood such as Willow Branches, Apple Branches, Citrus Branches. These help the rabbits wear their teeth down and prevent overgrowth.
Bad Bunny Foods
Rabbits can’t vomit, so feeding them the wrong things can cause catastrophic health problems.
Foods to avoid include:
Alliums – onions garlic, shallots, chives – cause hemolytic anemia Avocado – contains Persin, will cause breathing problems and death Broadbeans Buttercup
Cat or Dog Food – high in calories, contain animal protein – rabbits lack the necessary enzymes to digest meat. High levels of calcium can lead to kidney stones and urinary tract infections Cauliflower – can cause bloating Chocolate – contains methylxanthines: caffeine and theobromine. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning – Diarrhea, restlessness, temperature, trembling and panting. Daffodil Foxglove Fruit seeds and pips (including apple pips) – contain cyanide Hemlock Iceberg Lettuce – contains lactucarium – large amounts can cause diarrhea and weakness. Dark Lettuce i.e. Romaine are fine. Jasmine Kidney Beans Lily Mushrooms Nightshade Oak Parnips – high in starch, hard to digest Potato and Potato Leaves – Not poisonous but high in starch and difficult to digest Privet Raisins – High in sugar
Rhubarb – High Concentration of oxalates. Symptoms of rhubarb poisoning – Diarrhea, bloating, drinking lots of water, lethargy, swollen or sore mouth.
Snowdrop Sugary foods – high carb foods – can trigger Enterotoxaemia – severe diarrhea that can be fatal
Sweetpea
