Try to vary what you feed and avoid only feeding a single source of vegetables. This will help keep your rabbit’s interest and prevent him from getting bored with the food you’re offering. Is Meadow or Timothy Hay Better for Rabbits? Young rabbits need food that can meet the nutritional needs of their growing bodies. This junior rabbit food contains all-natural ingredients that mimic a rabbit’s natural diet, with no added sugars and a low caloric count. It’s also fortified with the extra ingredients that a growing bunny will need. If you’re at all unsure about the best way of feeding your animal or have any concerns about specific nutritional requirements at different times of their life, ask your local veterinary practice for advice. The best way to ensure your rabbits get all the nutrition and fibre they need is by following the 5-step Excel Feeding Plan, developed in conjunction with one of the world’s leading small-animal vets. Rabbit pellets should only make up 5% of your rabbits’ daily diet. RWAF recommends around one egg-cup full of rabbit nuggets, fed twice a day, per rabbit. What rabbit food do vets recommend?

P elleted rabbit food– around one egg cup a day per rabbit. Rabbit nuggets help ensure your buns get all the vital vitamins and minerals they need. This is really important for ‘fibrevores’ (as we call them at Burgess) such as rabbits, because fibre is by far the most important part of their diet. Nuggets supplement a rabbit’s diet when fed alongside 85-90% feeding hay.Junior rabbits need a little more protein and calcium in their diet, and as long as the food you offer meets these requirements, you can feed junior or adult food. However, junior food is usually formulated with higher protein levels and fortified with additional calcium. Pellets may also be a little smaller and easier to chew. Dwarf rabbits have a similar dietary requirement to young junior rabbits. Changing Food Fresh Greens: Can be fed as a treat to add variety and provide additional nutrition. Special care must be taken, however, as some greens – such as savoy cabbage and spinach – should only be fed occasionally, and some not at all. Carrot – Rabbits don’t naturally eat root vegetables and their digestion isn’t designed to cope with them. While indoor rabbits might roam the lounge rather than the great outdoors, they still need to get all the nutrients from their diet that a rabbit would find grazing in the wild. Good-quality guinea pig nuggets are formed from a range of ingredients – including grass meal and wholegrain wheat, beneficial dried herbs such as mint and oregano, along with other nutritious ingredients like dried nettles and dandelions. These make up a typical forage-based diet and provide a natural guinea pig food.

To help ensure that your rabbit has the healthiest diet possible, we have put together a guide on rabbit requirements and choosing the best food to meet them. Rabbit Diet There are a few items that are classed as unsafe food for rabbits and therefore should be avoided altogether. These include:

Rabbit Awareness Week

You should never switch a rabbits food for a clean swap one day to the other. To introduce a new food, mix a slight bit in with their current and gradually increase the ration until they are happily eating the new food. In general, good quality nuggets or pellets, along with feeding hay, is the ideal bunny food. This is because nuggets: Treats should be a very occasional feed. They can promote the emotional attachment of your rabbit but are often also high in sugars and should be limited. My Rabbit Doesn’t Like Their Food – What Can I Do?! You can also include some yummy, healthy rabbit treats to your rabbit diet chart to add enrichment. These are great for training and hand feeding, helping you to build your bond with your bunny chums.

unlimited grazed grass (not grass cuttings) or high-quality feeding hay (not bedding hay, which may have poor nutritional value). As a guide, provide each rabbit with at least their own body size in feeding hay every day. In terms of nutritional requirements, the food has 17% protein, which is slightly higher than recommended for pet rabbits, but this shouldn’t cause any problems for a healthy rabbit and makes it suitable for nursing mums. It also contains 16% fibre, which could be a little bit higher to reach recommended levels. 4% fat means that there is no added fat, and is considered a healthy amount. There are various sub-types out there. Timothy, orchard, oat or meadow grass hay is best for adults as it contains less calcium and more fibre. For young (under one year), pregnant or nursing rabbits, opt for legume hay such as alfalfa or clover Pellets/Nuggets Excel Tasty Nuggets: Should be fed as a supplement to rabbit feeding hay or grass to ensure that your rabbits get all the vitamins and minerals that they need. This makes up most of your rabbits diet. They should eat a ball of hay the same size as themselves every single day, which will be around 80% of their daily diet intake.

Rabbit Feeding Hay FAQs

When it comes to feeding your rabbits, we recommend following our Excel feeding plan, which comprises five easy steps for a healthy diet. These are: This combination provides a high-fibre diet that rabbits require. By ensuring you feed good green vegetables and a good-quality pellet, you can also meet all nutritional requirements while providing a variety of food that won’t become boring. It will also ensure that your little one grinds its teeth down to a manageable and healthy level. Image Credit: jatocreate, Pixabay Nutritional Requirements