Dinner time! What should you feed your pet rabbit?

One of the most important aspects of proper care for a pet rabbit is providing it with a healthy, satisfying, and well-balanced diet.

Fortunately, doing so is relatively easy, as there is a general consensus on what is good for rabbits and a wide range of excellent food pellet options. Rabbits can also eat many of the fruits and vegetables you probably have on your table each night (see below for recommendations and serving sizes).

granules

Rabbit pellets, available at your local pet store, online or by mail order, can be the backbone of your pet’s diet. They provide plenty of nutrients in a dense manner and make your job as a feeder a breeze. However, you do not need pellets to keep your rabbit healthy. Hay, vegetables, and the occasional treat of fruit can be an equally or even more effective diet. After all, wild rabbits subsist on hay, grass and vegetables…why should domestic rabbits be any different? On the other hand, pellets are easy and widely available. The choice is really up to you.

If you choose to feed your rabbit pellets, alfalfa pellets are recommended, as are the excellent rabbit pellets offered by Oxbow (Bunny Basics), Purina, or Manna Pro. Feed your rabbit a small amount twice daily ( morning and night).

Buy in small bags if possible (not jumbo size) to ensure they are as fresh as possible by the time your bunny actually eats them. Domestic rabbits are widely known as picky eaters who respond poorly to sudden changes in diet, and may balk if you try to feed them pellets that are spoiled or have gone stale or stale.

Vegetables

Pellets are a great starting point, but they are only one part of an overall balanced diet. Rabbits also love to eat vegetables, and many vets recommend giving pet rabbits a small amount of a variety of vegetables each day.

Here are some vegetarian rabbits they love:

Alfalfa sprouts

Basil

Brussels sprouts

carrots

Celery

Clover

green peppers

mint

Parsley

mint leaves

radish tops

wheat grass

While you may have seen rabbits munching on carrot sticks in cartoons, it’s important not to just feed carrots or overfeed your pet with too many carrots. Carrots contain vitamin A, and too much can cause problems. On the other hand, vitamin A is essential for good nutrition, so aim for one item that contains it per day. In addition to carrots, some vegetables that contain vitamin A are:

beetroot tops

Broccoli

Endive

romaine lettuce leaves

Lion teeth

Be careful not to feed your rabbit too many vegetables, as they are high in water content and can cause diarrhea or loose stools. If this happens, reduce or eliminate vegetables from the diet.

Also, don’t give your bunny so many vegetables that he starts eating them on his own and neglects his pellets. Vegetables should be a supplement, not a main staple.

fruit

Although you should give your rabbit more vegetables than fruits, some fruits can be a good treat for your pet. Only give fresh fruit, never canned (which often has added sugar). Again, give only small amounts, as too much can cause watery stools.

Rabbits usually like apples, bananas, kiwi, and strawberries. Papaya and pineapple are also great choices, as they both contain papain, which is an enzyme that helps keep rabbit hairballs at bay.

Be consistent!

Rabbits tend to be quite sensitive when it comes to changes to their diet or feeding schedule. In fact, if there is a sudden change or interruption, a rabbit may lose its appetite or become ill.

Therefore, it is important to maintain consistency. Establish an eating routine that is easy for you to stick to every day. Set your timer and fix the feeding schedule into your own daily routine. Make sure you have plenty of rabbit food (be it hay, pellets, greens, etc.) on hand so you don’t run out unexpectedly.

Feeding your rabbit a consistent, balanced and healthy diet is one of the best ways to ensure that your pet lives a long and happy life as your precious companion.

by Andrea Austin

http://www.conejos-n-conejitos.com

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