Pellets:
Good quality plain rabbit pellets are the second part of a rabbitsdiet. Alfalfa pellets* are the most commonly available type, althoughtimothy pellets may be a better choice for rabbits over a year old.Whatever brand you buy, make sure they are fresh and appetizing.Pellets should smell good and look good (not dry and overly dusty orlight brown). Again, never feed moldy, stale, or damp pellets. Storepellets in a dry, cool environment, preferably in an air-tightcontainer.
A good pellet will be composed of approximately 14-16% protein, be highin fiber (17-18% minimum, the higher, the better!), and be low in fatand calcium. Avoid high protein pellets, as these are designed foryounger animals. Good brands are Purina or Oxbow. Mixes sold in petstores that are composed of all kinds of "junk" like seeds and grainsare not an ideal base food for rabbits, but may be fed sparingly as atreat. For the regular food, however, feed plain pellets.
A healthy adult rabbit will eat about a ¼ cup 1 cup of pellets perday, depending on the breed. I feed my 5.5 lb mini-rex ¼ cup of pelletsper day, while my Flemish Giant (15 lbs) gets ¾ cup of pellets a day. Agood general idea of how much to feed daily is a little less than anounce of pellets per pound of rabbit. If a rabbit is overweight anddoes not get much exercise, or ignores her hay in favor of pellets,decrease the amount of pellets fed. Young rabbits (under 6 months)should be fed unlimited pellets.
Feed pellets in a heavy bowl that cannot be tipped over easily orchewed up. Better yet are food bowls that attach to the side of thecage, and thus cannot be dumped. Clean and disinfect food bowls once aweek.
*Timothy pellets are becoming available more often. Some claim thattimothy pellets are better for older and overweight animals, but ifweight is an issue and you cannot find timothy pellets, simply cuttingdown on the amount of alfalfa pellets should suffice.
Veggies, Fruits & other Supplements:
Fresh vegetables and fruits are eagerly consumed by rabbits and are avery important part of their diet. The key to feeding these ismoderation and good common sense. It is better to feed less than toomuch fresh food, especially when starting out the diet. Be especiallycareful when feeding rabbits under the age of six months. Rabbitsyounger than 12 weeks should not be fed fresh food of any kind. Avoidiceberg lettuce and cabbage both are not good for your rabbit.
A rabbit that is fed too much fresh food all at once will get diarrhea,which can be dangerous even lethal. The best bet is to introduce anew food slowly and gradually, and never feed too much of it. Add onevegetable or fruit to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes softstools or diarrhea. Feed sugary vegetables and fruits sparingly.
I feed my mini-rex about 1 cup of veggies per day, while my Flemmiegets about 3 cups of veggies daily. Remember to start gradually andfeed no more than 3 cups of veggies a day even for the largest rabbits.Following my diet, rabbits should get about 1 cup of veggies per fivepounds of rabbit. Remember also that every rabbit is different, andsome may have different needs. Keeping an eye on the general health ofyour rabbit and its droppings is advised no matter what the diet.
Suggested Veggies (from
www.rabbit.org):
Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
Basil
Beet greens (tops)*
Bok choy
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)*
Brussels sprouts
Carrot & carrot tops*
Celery
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens*
Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)*
Endive*
Escarole
Green peppers
Kale (!)*
Mint
Mustard greens*
Parsley*
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
Peppermint leaves
Raddichio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)*
Spinach (!)*
Watercress*
Wheat grass
(!)=Use sparingly. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time
*=contains Vitamin A, highly recommended once per day
Suggested Fruits (feed sparingly due to sugar content)
Apple (remove stem and seeds)
Banana
Blueberries
Melon
Orange (including peel)
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Treats:
Everyone wants to give their rabbits a treat now and then! However, bevery careful what pet store treats you buy for your rabbit many aredesigned to appeal to consumers and are not especially healthy forrabbits themselves. Always check the ingredients and nutritionalinformation on the package, and steer away from those that have littleor no nutritional value, are high in sugar, protein, calcium, or fat,or contain ingredients not appropriate for rabbits such as animal mealand artificial preservatives like BHT and ethoxyquin.
That said, there are grain mixes and various types of treats availablein pet stores that can be safely fed in small amounts (about atablespoon per day of the mixes maximum). Try to avoid feeding a lot ofseeds, as these may be difficult to digest, and remember that althoughrabbits do have quite a sweet tooth, too much sugar isnt any betterfor them than it is for you. Overall, some treats of this nature arefine, but your rabbit may be better off given bits of fruit as treatsinstead of commercial treats.
