What should I feed my rabbit. conflicting information

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dsuis

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OK. I get a lot of conflicting info on rabbit diets. I've read some places that leafy vegetables should make up 75% of its diet. Other info says that vegetables are dangerous for rabbits and they should only have at most 1/2 cup of vegetables every other day. my rabbit loves cilantro, parsley, Brussels sprouts etc. but I am afraid now to give it to him.
 
You should refer to the house rabbit society, they are a great reliable source to get rabbit information from. And remember that these are basic principles to be followed, it's not a hard and fast rule.
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/
 
Hay is number 1. Unlimited amounts of grass hay (no alfalfa/lucerne after 6months old)

Limit pellets to 1/4 cup per 5lbs of body weight.

Veggies, do what you want as long as your rabbit still eats lots of hay. You will know your rabbit best.
My pair got a 2quart dog bowl filled every morning.

Lay off the brussel sprouts though (half of one to 1 per day max). Try and stay away from veggies that could potentially cause excess gas like sprouts and cabbages. (And just use less of the high calcium high oxalate foods like kale parsley spinach, their totally safe just dont give 2cups of kale a day haha).

Herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, basil, greens from root veggies like carrots or turnips are fantastic!
Leafy greens like red/green lettuces. (Just no iceberg) some types of lettuces can be bitter so know your bunny.

Fruit / carrots are to be a treat only. I would say no more then a tsp/tbsp per day. Honestly no fruit is needed at all. But if you learn your rabbit loves banana that might save you if you have to give meds at some point.

So no not 75% because most of their diet should be hay. But 1/2 cup every other day is just sad.

Somewhere inbetween. Make it up as you go :) there is no set in stone rule you have to follow. You know what your bunny will need.
 
All rabbits should have unlimited hay. If your rabbit is less than 7 months (or so), he can have alfalfa. You can feed your rabbit grass hay at anytime and should be given grass hay after 7ish months old (and no more alfalfa). Introduce fresh veggies when they are 4-6 months age. (Again this is not a hard and fast rule, the point is rabbits should have veggies in their diet, but not when they are very young. Hay should be the most of what the rabbit needs to eat always). 2 cups of chopped veggies per 6lbs is recommended daily. My rabbit is 2ish lbs full grown, she gets about a cup a day. And you didn't ask about pellets but you can refer to the link I sent you about pellets.

My advice... is follow the house rabbit society's diet plan for your rabbit. It may seem silly and stupid but I completely Underestimated how sensitive their GI system is, and I lost a rabbit once for not following the diet thinking I knew better and it was a very traumatic experience for me. Hope this helps :)
 
One more thing I wanted to add, it might be common sense but I have to have this conversation with my husband once a week.... you need to do what's best for your rabbit, not what your rabbit likes best.
Rabbits are not the smartest, they are instinctual. They will eat themselves to death if allowed. If your rabbit loves bananas, doesn't mean you should feed them a bunch of bananas. If your rabbit loves a certain food, doesn't mean you should feed him just that food. My rabbit hates to be combed and groomed. Hates it. But she's a lionhead, and sheds a lot and I groom her every other day even thought it's a fight to get her and she scratches the crap out of me at times. But the last thing I want is for her to ingest too Much fur and die from GI stasis. So the point is do your research from a reliable source like house rabbit society and do what's best for your bunny [emoji195][emoji2]
 
. And you didn't ask about pellets but you can refer to the link I sent you about pellets.

Hi katiecrna,
Please try and post the advice you give to other members so everyone can learn from it rather then hiding it in a pm (unless there are personal topics you are discussing). This also allows those with years of experience to correct if the advice given is wrong. The forum is an educational tool for everyone and when bits of advice are kept private, when its as simple as pellets, nobody is winning.
 
Hi katiecrna,
Please try and post the advice you give to other members so everyone can learn from it rather then hiding it in a pm (unless there are personal topics you are discussing). This also allows those with years of experience to correct if the advice given is wrong. The forum is an educational tool for everyone and when bits of advice are kept private, when its as simple as pellets, nobody is winning.



Oops I didn't realize I did this. I don't even know how to private message people [emoji15]
 
How does one private message someone? I honestly don't know how to. I can't say I won't do it again if I don't know how I did it in the first place.
 
I decided I'm just going to feed it a dish of the $4.73 bag of rabbit feed from Walmart a day and the vegetables and cilantro only a half cup every other day. Because this is what the first thing that Google told me when I typed in "can I give my rabbit cilantro" I already had a bout of gi stasis in my rabbit recently so I'm pretty scared to give him anything other than the exact thing I was feeding him when he got sick.
 
and I also give him about 8 or 10 pieces of Timothy hay every morning but I have to take them out because he doesn't eat much of it.
 
If youre worried about stasis a whole bowl full of walmart rabbit food a day might be one of the worst things you can do.
If your rabbit is prone to stasis issues you should be limiting pellets more then the normal. Many people have rabbits they dont feed ANY pellets too because of stasis issues. Quality pellets will make a difference. DO NOT give pellets that have a mixture of other bits and pieces in them.

You also didnt mention hay. Rabbits need hay to keep their gut moving. Hay is by far the most important part of their diet.
 
Here is a good diet summary that refers to the House Rabbit Society as well.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

It explains the importance of hay too. As Watermelons explained, hay is the most important thing to feed a rabbit to prevent GI stasis. It should be unlimited and available 24/7. A few pieces isn't near enough. A rabbit should actually be eating about its body size in hay every day!

Just know that they tend to be choosy about which pieces of hay they eat. They like to pick through a quantity of hay. They also eat more hay when it is refreshed, so adding more hay daily is important.

Cannot stress enough the importance of hay, lots of hay, every day -- the best way to keep a rabbit's gut healthy.
 
My rabbit died from GI stasis because I gave him too much pellets and not enough hay. There is a lot of wrong advice on google, please stick to a professional rabbit website like house rabbit society. You need to feed your rabbit less pellets and way more hay. It doesn't matter if he doesn't like it, if you stop giving him pellets he will eat the hay trust me.
 
no. guys. He eats the pellets with the little bits mixed into it and hardly any hay. I only give him about 10 pieces of hay a day and he doesn't eat any of it. I'm just going to keep giving him the pellet mixture and no vegetables and very little hay. thanks for the advice though.
 
The reason why I ask how old your rabbit is is because that determines what to feed your rabbit.

Don't be upset but I don't think your making a very good decision. If your rabbit doesn't eat enough hay, they will eventually get GI stasis and will die. Hay and vegetables are really all the rabbit needs in their diet. (Unless you have a baby rabbit).
 
He's about a year and a half old. he's been in stasis twice already so I know he is prone to it. All I ever fed him was the pellet mix from Walmart and I'll continue to do that because I think the veterinarians that work in the pet department and Walmart know best. because walmart sends them to vet school.
 
Sorry dsuis, but you are very much mistaken. Wal-mart does not know best and the average vets do not know rabbits. Rabbits are quite unique.

The House Rabbit Society has specialized in decades of rabbit knowledge. The link I provided above is written by a vet that specializes in rabbits.

Your rabbit has been in stasis twice likely because his diet lacks the necessary hay. Hay is critical. Many of us on this site have had rabbits for decades and have experience that goes way beyond a Wal-mart employee working in pet dept.

The suggestion about hay is not a "maybe offering more hay will be better" type of statement. It is an absolute, indisputable, "hay is critical for your rabbit's digestive health."

If you continue the current diet without adjustments, it is likely your rabbit will experience GI stress again.
 
All I ever fed him was the pellet mix from Walmart and I'll continue to do that because I think the veterinarians that work in the pet department and Walmart know best. because walmart sends them to vet school.

This is the furthest reach from the truth I have ever seen.
Walmart does NOT send anyone to vet school. Walmart does not employ vets to work in the pet section of their stores.
Anyone working in the pet section of walmart does NOT know best.


You came here for advice and we are giving it to you. You are choosing to ignore the advice despite the fact that what youre doing could potentially kill your rabbit. The diet you have your rabbit on is BAD.
 
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