Feeding Your Rabbit
This is a very in-depth subject. Opinions vary from person to person so if anyone has anything to add, please feel free to do so.

A rabbit's digestive system is very sensitive. If you change feed or hay you should always do it gradually. Most vets suggest switching over a two week period. Start with a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio. (Two thirds of the old feed to one third of the new feed) Then switch to half and half, followed by a few days of two thirds new feed to one third old feed. Finally, after a few days, they should be accustomed to the new feed and transition with no problems.


Water

The single most important thing you an give your bunny on a daily basis is water. Without water a rabbit wont eat. You should provide unlimited, clean, fresh water daily. Another thing to keep in mind is that some buns wont drink "foreign" water. If you plan on traveling with your bunny it might be a good idea to take along water from the water source they're accustomed to.

Hay

Hay is very important to a rabbit's diet. It helps to keep their digestive systems flushed and can help to prevent GI stasis. (a blockage in the digestive tract which can be deadly) Most references will suggest unlimited hay daily. Some breeders argue that pellets provide all the fiber your bunny needs so hay isnt necessary, while others ration hay on a weekly basis. It's a personal decision that you'll have to make but you cant over feed hay. My motto is better safe than sorry. So, I give hay daily.

It's suggested to give rabbits under 6 months old alfalfa hay since they are still growing and need the extra protein. After 6 months of age a bunny should be switched to timothy hay, which is lower in protein. Older buns dont process excess protein as well as younger bunnies so it's important to make the change.

Pellets
Pellet feeding your bunny varies with age as does feeding hay. A young bunny has different requirements than an older bunny. It's suggested to feed a bun under 6 months old alfalfa based pellets which will be higher in protein to meet the needs for growing buns. Rabbits under 6 months of age should be free fed. That is, make sure they always have pellets in their food bowl.

A rabbit over 6 months old will need lower protein content in their feed. A good pellet for an adult bun would be 14 to16% protein and 16 to 18% fiber. (Mine is 15% protein and 19% fiber) I feed an ounce per pound. e.g. A six pound rabbit would require six ounces of feed.

Since rabbits are crepuscular, more alert at dawn and dusk, with most of their "awake" time being at night, I prefer to feed in the evenings. Regardless of what time of day you decide to feed, it's best to feed at the same time each day.

Vegetables

I will admit that I am not very knowledgeable on this part of feeding. I feed my buns veggies but as treats daily and probably not anywhere near what the "House Rabbit" would get. So, I'm adding info from The House Rabbit Society, and some things they suggest. I'll also add the "Safe Foods List" for those of you that feed veggies daily.


As taken from The House Rabbit Society site...

What kinds of vegetables?
"There are different opinions regarding which vegetables are the best for rabbits. Nearly everyone agrees that carrots, carrot tops, broccoli, and parsley are safe, and that beans, potatoes, and some lettuces are potentially problematic. HRS members and fosterers have used many veggies with success, including collard, mustard, dandelion and turnip greens, spinach, kale, endive and Romaine lettuce.

It is best to feed at least 3 types of greens daily (along with carrot, perhaps), because feeding one type only can lead to nutrient imbalances (Brown 1994). However, such imbalances are less likely to occur if at least a small amount of pellets is given each day.

Kale, mustard greens and spinach contain high levels of oxalates, the salts of oxalic acid, which can accumulate in the system and cause toxicity over time. Rather than eliminating these veggies from your list (because they are highly nutritious and loved by most rabbits), limit your use of them to 1-3 meals a week. One method is to feed kale (with other veggies) for several days until 1-2 bunches are gone, then avoid buying it again for a week or so. The same precautions can be taken with the veggies that are high in calcium if your rabbit is prone to urinary tract stones. Particularly for rabbits who eat no or few pellets, try to include at least one veggie daily that is high in vitamin A (such as carrots, collard or mustard greens, endive, or parsley).

If all these instructions seem complicated, simplify things by making sure you vary your rabbit's diet as much as possible to avoid giving too much or too little of any one food. This makes good sense for all of us!

The most important aspect of increasing the amount of vegetables in a rabbit's diet (and the amounts mentioned here represent a radical increase for most rabbits) is to do so gradually. Even if a particular vegetable is safe for your rabbit, giving her a cupful when she is unaccustomed to such riches could wreak havoc on her digestive tract. Instead, begin with something that has been previously successful, such as carrot. Increase the amount slightly, and as long as no diarrhea occurs, add a small portion of a new veggie every few days. This way, you can be sure which food is the culprit if digestive problems are experienced.

The best fresh foods for rabbits are those that have been grown organically, without the use of pesticides; in any case, be sure to wash your rabbit's vegetables thoroughly. Rather than scraping carrots (which removes the nutritious skin), scrub them with a vegetable brush. The key is to remove any dirt or pesticide residue, and to check carefully for rotted areas. Unless you are sure wild dandelions are protected from pesticides, check at your local health food store for organically grown ones."

A list of safe foods can be found here.......

http://earthhome.tripod.com/saferab.html

This list is pretty comprehensive. You should keep in mind that carrots and fruits are high in sugar and should be limited.

I Hope I covered everything. If I left something out please feel free to add to it.


Disclaimer: Opinions very widely on how to feed a bunny. These are only guidlines. They are in no way meant to replace any advice ect offered by a vet or trained professional. :)

Bananas! Don't forget nanas!!!! LOL

I had a banana while playing with one of our little ones and he decided to help me with it! He REALLY seemed to like it!

Yep. Just as a treat. and I had a piece of bread the other night (I like fresh italian bread plain lol) and Bo hopped up and grabbed a bite before I could react!

well... they don't need the bread but he liked it.

My show bunnies, and breeding bunnies get an unlimited supply of Timothy hay, and water. I feed Blue Seal Bunny 16%. Thats what most of us use down here, its inexpensive, but is a really awesome pellet. I've been using it for 14 years. They also get a small treat such as parsley, or cherrios. I accually give them those super small yogurt drops, just a couple. My French Lops get a bowl of oats a day.

You can tell they like them by the amount of noise they make when they eat them!
:shockbun:

Smack, what, slurp, lick, do you, smack, lick, mean, smack smack, grunt, JimD? ;)

Mona really likes oranges, just a small peice, with peel. I rarely give it to her cause they are so acidic, but she tears into them and I havent noticed any problems with her eating them, other than they are sweet and presumably high in calories.

i know someone who occasionally feeds thier show rabbits oranges and no harm comes of it, when used in limited amounts.

If you have banana loving bunnies sweet plantain is also an option lol

Very informative! Thanks! :razz: :razz:

What about yams or sweet potatoes? Yams are different than sweet potato, no? What is the difference and can bunnies eat them? :confused:

Hi!

According to this site...

http://www.adoptarabbit.com/articles/toxic.html

Sweet Potatoes and Yam Root (I'm not sure if that is the same thing) are toxic.

I've always thought Sweet Potatoes and Yams were the same. I'm not sure though. ;)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SWEET POTATO AND A YAM?

Several decades ago when orange flesh sweet potatoes were introduced in the southern United States producers and shippers desired to distinguish them from the more traditional white flesh types. The African word "nyami" referring to the starchy, edible root of the Dioscorea genus of plants was adopted in its English form, "yam". Yams in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes with relatively moist texture and orange flesh. Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label "yam" always be accompanied by "sweet potato."

Source

An acquaintance of mine says she has been feeding small amounts of cooked sweet potato to her rabbits for years with no bad effects. Would cooking alter its poisonous properties?

I, too, thought it might be bad for bunnies, but it is hard to tell someone who has done it for years that it is harmful.

I'm not sure. :(

potato sprouts are supose to be deadly, it is said it's the raw potato skins that are harmful, as they are part of the deadly nightshade family. people are not supose to eat the raw skins of potatos but cooked ones are fine, so i woudld thing it surely does alter them..

something buns are supose to like simular to potato is jerusalem artichoke.. my grandfather grew them years ago..

Correct me if I'm wrong, Lanna, but I think alfalfa gives junior buns the calcium that they need, I'm not sure if it's protein...but I could be wrong.

Other than that, great information! Thanks for putting it together...I can always use another list of safe veggies! :clap:

I don't know about the calcium it might be good for them too at that age :D, but it's protein that alfalfa's recommended for :P Growing bunnies and all that :D

:D Calcium may be a plus, but it is the protein that alfalfa is reccomended for, Vanessa. ;)

alfalfa has both high calcium and protien :)

I don't use alfafa. I give them regular pellets. Straw for bedding which they do chew on. And the occasinal treats every week or so. :tiny:

I feed Oxbow Basic T pellets and Timothy Hay to 9 month old Pebbles.

But I do have Alfalfa pellets ( the round ones), and Zupreem Parrot Food for treats, because Pebbles loves to crunch down on them.

You're right, it is calcium and protein! Goodness all around!

EDIT: OOPS! I just realized we had one stickied. :oops: I must be blind.

First off, they're are 2 different views on what to feed a rabbit -- the North American and European (in general). The North American view is that rabbits only need pellets (some also say hay, some don't) and veggies should be a treat. The European view is that rabbits need veggies and hay because that's what they eat in the wild and can be given pellets to keep weight but pellets are not essential. People with the European view cut back pellets when trying to slim a fat bunny and not veggies.

I feed somewhere between the 2. I give pellets, but not as much as the pellet diet states and I feed veggies but not as much as the veggie diet says. When I'm trying to slim them down or add more weight, I decrease or increase both rather than just one.

Why do I do this? Because I can't get a good quality feed in my area so I thought that feeding veggies might help compensate for that. The result was 2 bunnies with much nicer coats and a lot less shedding in Spice (he used to shed a lot year round).

The bottom line is that you have to find something that works for you and your rabbit. Something that worked for me might not work for you but experiment if you're not happy with what you're feeding.

P.S.- Please be careful when adding veggies to a diet. The rabbit should have a diet change introduced very slowly. And please go with foods that are classified as rabbit safe.

I go by the HRS website for veggies because since they like to follow a veggie diet, I figure they should know a little more about what's safe and good and what's not.

:D That was fun! I just merged two topics!

Carry on....... :ph43r:

:lol: Because I'm blind and didn;t see this one in the first place! lol.

Well, yeah, but I had fun learning to merge! B)

Ok, so I did that on purpose so you could learn how to merge posts, ok? ;)

Sure! :ph43r:

:ROFL: I go off for a day and you're even learning new things Bo... *thinks she may go off for a week* :P

:D

This just came to mind today while I was cleaning out my hay shed.

I'd like to encourage people to check hay daily when they feed for mould. It's simple enough, all you have to do is smell it for a mouldy musty smell. Even allergy sufferers -- but take an allergy pill first! Oh ya, and same goes for straw -- check it when you replace bedding.

This came to mind earlier because I was cleaning up all the fine dust from my bales and I noticed a musty smell. It was the dust on the bottom that had soaked up some moisture (no idea from where) but it hadn't gone into the rest of the bale. Anyways, I always check my hay daily but it was just a reminder of how important it is to check. Never feed mouldy hay.

Now I'm off to take an allergy pill because I didn't take one before, lmao.

And always check the hay thoroughly for funny looking weeds or really brown hay, thorns etc. because sometimes those do make it into the bales, believe it or not.

I could never pick all the thorns out of my hay. I go through two 60 lbs bales of hay in 10 months. It hasn't affected my boys yet and As far as weeds go, most people probably can't tell the difference in a bale.

It's good suggestions but it's not always possible to do that.

I always sniff the hay :P and being allergic to hay I'm not fit to be seen for at least half an hour after I've done the rabbits :confused: , but since last autumn when just about everything I bought was mouldy and I had to keep trying type after type I'm permanently paranoid. I'm already wondering where I can start stockpiling some in case the same thing happens this year.

i was just wondering. Can i give my rabbit a little plum??

The only list Ive found that mentions plum says the whole plant is poisonous. I did several different searches and couldnt find anything that said it was ok. I wouldnt give it.

I have a question, is it better to have the right amount of protein and a less amount of fibre (when being free fed hay of course) or a pellet with more fibre and a higher than suggest protein?

The reason I ask is because I recently found out that the feed store has 2 kinds of pellets, 16% and 18%. I didn't know that before and always got the 18% protein which had 16-18% fibre, now I got the stuff that 16% protein and 14-16% fibre. I can;t get anything else except the pet store junk here so I'm stuck with this brand but I have them on unlimited Timothy hay and I feed veggies nightly in hopes to even out there diet and give them the right amount of nutrients they need.

Let me see if I can answer this. LOL It's late so my mind is kinda slow and if someone else can answer better later...please do.

Since everything Ive read says that 14 to16% protein and 16 to 18% fiber is the healthiest food for your bunny...I would thing that feed you have would be ok. The feed is still falling in that range...maybe a hair lower on fiber...but theyre getting extra fiber from their hay and in some of their veggies. If youre really worried about fiber you could try some pumkin a few times a week to supplement.

I always smell the hay to make sure it's fresh and not mouldy, I look like a nutter in the shop when i stand there smelling the bales! But I will not feed hay that smells old and dusty!