Good Eats?
Co-written by Olaf the Ruby Eyed Rabbit and his dream team
Just like our humans, bunnies enjoy eating a good balanced meal too. Everyday your bunny should be given a nice mix of fresh hay, vegetables, pellets, as well as fresh water.
Good Quality Pellets
My Humans, when shopping for a good quality pellet, make sure you read the list of ingredients. Adult rabbits need a pellet with a fiber content of at least 18-20% and a protein content of around 12-14%. Young rabbits need a higher protein level of around 16% as they are still developing. Avoid pellets that have mueslis mixed into them such as; seeds, corn, fruit, carrots etc... A good quality pellet made by Oxbow or Sherwood is what my bunny friends like to eat. If your bunny is already eating pellets with muesli, you will need to slowly remove them from your bunny’s diet. Gradually mix in the healthier pellets while reducing the bad. This should be done over several weeks to avoid serious digestive upsets.
Hay
Did you know that a rabbit's proper diet should consist of 85% hay?
It should be made available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days per year!
Hay provides the fiber needed for a healthy digestive system. My bunny friends like to eat a mixer of hay like Timothy, Orchard and Three-way. Click here to take a look at the kinds of hay that are good for your rabbit.
Veggie
Coming from a rabbit, my bunny friends and I look forward to salad time. Eating fresh vegetables daily and having a small piece of fruit now and then for dessert, makes us very happy. Click here to see what veggies are bunny approved.
What to feed your rabbit according to age
What quantities of food should I feed babies and “teenagers”?
Birth to 3 weeks–mother’s milk .
3 to 4 weeks–mother’s milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
4 to 7 weeks–mother’s milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
7 weeks to 7 months–unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)
What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)
introduce timothy hay, grass hay, oat hay, and other hays; decrease alfalfa
decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
increase daily vegetables gradually; make sure your rabbit can tolerate
fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)
What quantities of food should I feed mature adults? (1 to 5 years)
Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, other hays including brome, Bermuda, etc.1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight; always introduce vegetables and greens slowly to make sure your rabbit can tolerate
fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.
What quantities of food should I feed senior rabbits? (Over 6 years)
If sufficient weight is maintained, continue adult diet
Frail, older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets to keep weight up. Alfalfa can be given to underweight rabbits, only if calcium levels are normal. Annual blood workups are highly recommended for geriatric rabbits.
List created by: HRS