What should I feed my rabbit?

1

The rabbit is a herbivorous animal with a specific diet that must be respected, with the risk of serious consequences on its health. In fact, many problems affecting rabbits arise or are aggravated by their diet.

So how to feed a rabbit properly? A simple rule to respect: the rabbit’s diet must be broken down as follows:

01 – Hay

Hay should be the basic food par excellence for your rabbit. In addition to loving it, hay will provide all the fibre your pet needs for transit, will help wear down his teeth and will keep him busy for most of the day. The rabbit must therefore have some constantly available, both during the day and at night.

However, not all hay is the same and not all hay is recommended. The hay should be green, smell good and contain as little dust as possible. Caution! Some brands of hay have the unfortunate tendency to dye their transparent plastics green to fool consumers, so be very careful before buying your hay. For my part, I only use Crau A.O.P. hay.

Finally, in order to facilitate access to hay for your rabbit, I advise you to use a wooden or plastic rack. Don’t use metal racks which can be dangerous when the rabbit fetches it. You can place the rack near the litter box because rabbits generally relieve themselves during or directly after eating. This tip will therefore make it easier for you to educate your rabbit.

02 – Vegetables

The rabbit has a rather fragile digestive system and is very different from other mammals. For this reason, even if the rabbit has to eat vegetables every day (only valid for an adult rabbit), the vegetables must be specifically chosen and of course always washed and dried. To find the list of vegetables recommended for rabbit, I invite you to read my dedicated article here. Don’t hesitate to vary the vegetables every week, according to the season, so that your rabbit doesn’t suffer from any deficiency.

For my part, I advise you to give a good bowl of vegetables in the evening. Why in the evening? Because rabbits are less active at night, it’s better not to give them too rich and heavy a meal, to avoid any overweight problems.

03 – Pellets

Pellets are the last important food for rabbits. It is a complete, rich and easy to use food, which should be given once a day, in the morning and in limited quantities (about 2 tablespoons per rabbit).

Not all pellets available in pet shops are ideal for your rabbit. It is important to select specific pellets for rabbits only and in adequacy with their age (junior if your rabbit is less than 6 months old and adult if your rabbit is more than 6 months old). You should only use vegetable granules and not cereal-based granules which are very bad for the health of your little companion. I can advise you to use granules from the Selective brand that I use every day or from the Bunny brand that I have always heard is the best.

Now I can only tell you to go to your stoves and wish your little fur balls an excellent appetite.