Rabbit Nutrition

     In my opinion, all a rabbit needs to be healthy is a good quality commercial pellet, grass hay and water.  Feeding too many fresh fruits and vegetables does not provide a balanced diet and there are too many variables.  Too many times these types of fruit and veggies leads to many gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea.

    Pellets: No one can tell you what the best brand of pellets is.  Pellets are milled locally and the ingredients and dyes used at mill will vary, affecting the quality.  You can try talking to other breeders in your area and see what has been working for them.

    First, you want to be sure you will be able to have access to a fresh product.  After 3 months, pellets will lose their nutritional value so try not purchase any pellets that are older than 1 month.  One plus to buying a commercial brand from a feed store rather than purchasing pet store feed, is that feed from a feed mill will have a milling date on the bag so you know that your pellets are fresh.  Most pet store brands will not put a date on their bags as they know the pellets have a chance of sitting on the shelves for a long period of time.

    Be sure you getting a brand of pellets that is only pellets!  Pet store brands that contain dried bits of fruit and other colored garbage are just that: garbage!  This is junk food and the rabbits will eat that first and not want to eat their pellets.  Rabbits fed these mixed and fortified brands are often obese or unhealthy.

    A pellet should be green and smell fresh.  A smaller pellet is also usually better as rabbits tend to waste less when fed a pellet with a smaller diameter.  Look  thru the feed and in the bottom of the bag.  Is there are of dust (fines)?  All pellets will have a small amount of dust, but a lot of dust indicates poor quality.

   Nutritional requirements to look for:  Protein:  15%-18%, Fiber:  Around or Above 20%.  I prefer to use a pellets that has a fiber level above 20% and a protein level that is at or below 17%.  Some people have success with feeds with an 18% protein level but I found that this higher level caused my rabbits to moult more, moult longer and I did have some problems with does and conception.

   Remember that scientists researched and formulated rabbit pellets to be all that a rabbit needs to remain healthy.  While a wild rabbit does eat grasses and seeds in the wild and has access to fresh foods, wild rabbits also have a very short health span.

    Grass Hay:    While your pellets may contain a high amount of fiber, the fiber found in pellets if often too finely ground.  A rabbit does need fiber too help keep it's gut motile and healthy.  An abundance of fiber will also help prevent hair blockages, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal related problems.

   A good quality grass hay should be fed several times each week.  Grass hays include timothy (my preference), oat, bermuda and orchard. Alfalfa hay may be fed in small amounts, and I do give alfalfa cubes to my young rabbits and to pregnant does, as alfalfa contains more protein and calcium than grass hays.  But grass hay does contain more fiber so it is more benefical.  Also, most pellets are alfalfa based, so additional alfalfa is not needed.

    Water:  Water is the most important thing you can provide your rabbits with.  Without water rabbits will not eat.  Be sure to provide fresh water at least once daily.  In the winter months when water may freeze, it should be changed several times each day.

    Additional supplements: 

    Rolled Oats:  I provide rolled oats daily.  Rabbits love them and they are an extra source of fiber.  One suggestion is to provide them at a different time than feeding time or to give them on TOP of the pellets as most rabbits will dig thru the pellets to eat the oats first, spilling out most of the pellets in the process.  A suggested amount of oats is under 1/4 cup per day.

   Calf Manna:  Calf Manna can be used as conditioner to prepare rabbits for show.  It contains additional amounts of protein and calcium.  It can also be used as a calcium source for does with litters who are not producing enough milk and need a boost.

    Black Oil Sunflower Seeds:  This is a hot feed, so be cautious when introducing this.  Feed in small amounts.  The additional fat and oils in the seeds can help additional shine and condition to rabbits.  When feed in slightly larger amounts, it will induce a moult.

    Treats:  Anything other than pellets, hay and rolled oats I consider a treat.  Treats should be fed in moderation.  Too many can lead to diarrhea and obese (unhealthy) rabbits.  When introducing treats to young rabbits, remeber that rabbits under 3-4 months of age should not be fed treats and that they should be introdued slowly and in small amounts.

   Acceptable treats:

Apples, bananas, carrots, comfrey, whole grain bread, shredded wheat, yams, kiwi, parsley, pineapple, papaya, cheerios, pumpkin.

Parsley can also be used to help stimulate appetites.

The papain in papaya and the bromelin in pineapple are great to help prevent and treat hair block.