Just like humans, rabbits require a well-balanced diet to live a long and happy life. Many people associate rabbits with carrots, thanks to characters like Peter Rabbit and Bugs Bunny. However, a healthy rabbit diet is much more than just a bucket-load of carrots. This comprehensive guide provides detailed information on what to feed your rabbit and why, complete with a printable rabbit diet chart for easy reference.
Understanding the Rabbit Digestive System
Before diving into specific foods, it's essential to understand how a rabbit's digestive system works. Rabbits are herbivores, meaning their diet consists exclusively of plants. They have a sensitive digestive system, and a lack of essential nutrients and vitamins can lead to serious health problems, such as Gastrointestinal (G.I.) Stasis. Even a quick change in food or introducing too many new treats can significantly impact their digestive system.
G.I. Stasis involves a change in the bacterial ratio within a rabbit's digestive tract and can be caused by various factors, including diet. This is why understanding the specifics of a rabbit's digestive system is crucial.
The Foundation: Hay
Hay is the single most important component of a healthy rabbit diet. In fact, most adult rabbits should consume a diet consisting of approximately 85% hay. Throughout their lives, rabbits of all ages need access to hay, but the amount and type of hay should vary based on their age, development, and individual health needs. Consulting with a rabbit-savvy veterinarian is crucial for adjusting your bunny’s diet to meet their specific needs.
Why Hay is Essential
- Fiber: Hay is extremely high in fiber and low in protein, fats, and sugars, which is exactly what a rabbit needs.
- Dental Health: Rabbits' teeth continuously grow, and eating hay helps grind them down, preventing overgrowth and potential dental issues. Without enough hay, their teeth can become so long that it prevents a rabbit from eating.
- Digestive Health: Hay provides the necessary roughage to prevent hairballs and other blockages in the digestive system. It ensures the gut is constantly moving and functioning correctly.
Types of Hay
There are several varieties of hay to choose from:
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- Timothy Hay: A popular choice for adult rabbits due to its lower calorie and calcium content compared to alfalfa. SDHRS recommends a blend of timothy and orchard hays as a good base.
- Orchard Hay: Another excellent option for adult rabbits, often mixed with timothy hay.
- Meadow Grass, Ryegrass, and Oat Grass: These are also good options that can be included in a rabbit's diet.
- Alfalfa Hay: Usually too nutrient-dense for healthy, adult rabbits. Alfalfa is suitable for young bunnies, nursing mothers, and elderly or injured rabbits. However, it doesn’t contain enough fiber to produce large, light-colored droppings that indicate optimum digestive health.
The Role of Pellets
Pellets should be considered a supplemental food, not the primary component of a rabbit's diet. A pellet-centered diet is akin to humans eating energy bars for every meal. Some rabbits experience chronic intermittent diarrhea or constipation, some produce too many cecal pellets, and many are very overweight from a diet based primarily on pellets instead of hay.
“The uncontrolled feeding of a pelleted diet to a house rabbit can lead to obesity, heart and liver disease, chronic diarrhea, and kidney disease as a result of the high concentration of calories, low fiber, and high calcium levels in the pellets,” says Dr. Susan Brown of the Rosehaven Exotic Animal Veterinary Services.
Choosing the Right Pellets
Think of pellets as dietary supplements that supply a more concentrated amount of vitamins and minerals than you find in hay and veggies alone. There are some healthy choices available and we can safely include pellets to “round out” bunny’s diet. Some rabbits don’t need pellets, depending on their health, energy needs, and the quality of their hay and vegetables - talk with your rabbit-savvy vet about what your rabbit needs. If you feed your rabbit pellets, make sure the primary ingredients are hay, preferably timothy; these pellets will be dark green and well compressed.
- Ingredients: The primary ingredient should be hay, preferably timothy hay.
- Avoid: Pellets that contain seeds or fatty grains like wheat or corn. These products are too high in sugar and carbohydrates and can cause obesity, diarrhea, and other serious digestive upsets, resulting in long-term health issues and many visits to the vet.
Recommended Pellet Brands
SDHRS recommends high-quality timothy or alfalfa blend pellets be fed, following the label on the pellet bag for recommended quantities. They are available through several different sources, including:
- Oxbow Essentials for Rabbits: Relatively high in fiber and low in protein.
- Zupreem Nature’s Promise: A good-quality soy-free timothy pellet.
- Sherwood Pet Health: Options include a pellet made of alfalfa and timothy. This product is grain-free and soy-free and can be good for rabbits with a delicate GI system.
- Supreme Selective Naturals: A high-fiber pellet made with timothy hay and without corn or wheat. They offer a grain-free option as well.
When switching to a new brand of pellets, remember to make the change gradually.
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Fresh Greens and Vegetables
Fresh greens help house rabbits stay hydrated and provide fiber and essential nutrients. Many people find it helpful to split bunny’s salad into two meals: breakfast and dinner. This helps you keep better track of whether they are eating regularly or may be experiencing digestive problems. Note, too, that if you decide not to incorporate pellets into your bunny’s diet, it can be a good idea to raise their greens intake, so consult your vet periodically about their dietary needs.
Feed a minimum of 1-2 cups of fresh leafy greens for each 4 lbs. of body weight, or as directed by your rabbit’s vet. Select at least three types of greens daily to obtain a variety of nutrients. When trying new leafy greens, introduce only one new item to the diet at a time. Eliminate a green if it causes soft stools or diarrhea and try something else.
Safe Greens and Vegetables
- Alfalfa and clover sprouts
- Basil (sweet, lemon, or purple)
- Beet greens (tops)
- Bok choy
- Brussel sprouts*
- Carrot** and carrot tops
- Celery leaves
- Cilantro
- Clover
- Collard greens*
- Dandelion greens
- Endive
(*Limit quantities. If your rabbit has a delicate GI system, do not give. **Limit carrots to tiny pieces daily or as a small weekly treat.)
Treats: Fruits and Carrots
Fruits like apples, bananas, and berries are a treat because of their high sugar content. Bunny may ask for fruit often, but limit this type of food to once or twice a week, and keep portion sizes small. Carrots are also high in sugar and should be considered a treat as well. Remember, too many sweets will cause your rabbit to become obese and can cause soft stools and diarrhea, and dental problems, potentially causing long-term health problems.
Offering fruit as a treat once or twice a week is fine, but needs to be limited to very small piece: one grape (cut in half), 1/4” slice of banana, a 1-inch cube of apple or carrot, etc. Overfeeding your rabbit fruits is not worth the risk.
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Water
Rabbits should have access to fresh water at all times. We recommend using a large ceramic bowl, or crock, to provide water for your bunny. Lighter bowls will be easy for rabbits to tip over or toss, but a large crock will help prevent spills.
We do not recommend using a water bottle, unless your rabbit is already accustomed to drinking water this way. If your bunny does drink out of a bottle, try offering a bowl of water as well to see if they will use it. Rabbits do not naturally lap up water with their tongues like dogs or cats do, so licking the ball at the end of a water bottle is an unnatural way for rabbits to drink.
Foods to Avoid
- Meat and Animal Products: Rabbits are herbivores and should never consume meat or any animal products.
- Gassy Vegetables: Some vegetables cause gas in rabbits and can lead to G.I. Stasis.
- Muesli-Style Pellets: These contain colorful bits and pieces that look delicious but are actually unhealthy.
- Processed Human Foods: These are especially dangerous for rabbits and their delicate digestive systems.
Feeding Schedule and Monitoring
The rabbit feeding guide with the measurements above are best split into two feedings while giving constant access to hay and grass and an assortment of veggies and greens. I know I sound like a broken record about having unlimited hay, but it’s only to make sure you know it’s absolutely crucial, so a rabbit’s gut is constantly moving and getting what it needs. Rabbits are grazers, so they don’t have set meal times. Monitoring your rabbit’s diet is important for detecting health issues and identifying specific dietary needs.
The best way to monitor your rabbit’s health is through their diet. So, you’re already setting yourself up for success by reading this rabbit feeding guide. The next part of that is monitoring how your rabbit’s diet is being digested. A round “cocoa puff” is completely normal, meaning that your rabbit is digesting everything properly. Cecotropes look like bunches of grapes. They may seem unusual, but they’re actually healthy. Any runny, misshapen, or discoloured feces usually means something is wrong.
If you’re introducing something new, be sure to do it gradually over several days. Never just switch up food brands. This can cause stomach upsets and other digestive issues. When your rabbit isn’t reacting well to a certain type of food, it’s okay to not-so-gradually subtract it, especially if it’s causing something severe like diarrhea. If you don’t know what’s causing the reaction, adjusting your rabbit’s diet can be a process of trial and error.
An excess of calcium will usually present itself in your rabbit’s urine. It will be too dark and sometimes there will be tiny stones or bladder sludge. Usually, rabbits need a very low-protein diet. However, there are a few circumstances that call for an increase in protein.
Obesity is pretty obvious especially in smaller breeds. If your rabbit is a little on the heavy side, you can simply adjust by scaling down the pellets your rabbit’s getting and increasing exercise. Underweight rabbits can be a bit trickier to spot, especially in long-haired breeds. However, if you pick up your rabbit and it feels really thin and boney, that’s a sure sign.
Special Dietary Needs
Some rabbits have special dietary needs. Your vet might recommend different proportions of hay/veggies/pellets in your rabbit’s diet in special circumstances. Mother rabbits nursing their babies need access to unlimited pellets and hay.
Young Rabbits (Kits)
Rabbits grow very quickly, which means their diet changes a lot throughout the first few months. For the first 3 weeks of their life, rabbits only need their mother’s milk. Mom will also likely need a little more protein in her diet to make up for nursing. Once baby bunnies are ready to eat pellets and hay at around 4 weeks of age, you’ll need to feed them pellets made for younger rabbits with the nutritional ratios they need while they’re growing. Once your rabbit is around 6 months old, it’s considered an adult. That means you should start switching to adult rabbit food and timothy hay.
Senior Rabbits
Senior rabbits usually eat most of the same things that adult rabbits do. There’s no need to switch their food or hay unless they need something different. However, older rabbits are more likely to develop an excess of calcium.