Feeding your Rabbits


     Feeding your rabbits properly is probably the most important thing you will ever do for them.  I feed a pellet and timothy hay based diet.  This is not to say that the rabbits don't get  'extras' but pellets and hay are the staple in the diet.
 


    My rabbits are fed twice a day, the dwarfs are fed 1/3 cup of pellets,  and the hollands are fed 1/2 cup of pellets.  The pellets are fed in the morning, then free-choice hay is given in the evening.  I use timothy hay because alfalfa is known  to be high in calcium content,  which may be a cause of bladder stones.  Make sure that the pellets are dark green, and don't have a lot of dust.  I use timothy hay that is quite coarse, and is ALWAYS free from mould.  Mouldy hay is toxic to rabbits.  Although some breeders may disagree, I feed hay to my young rabbits as well as the older ones.  I also use hay in the nesting boxes instead of straw.


 

TREATS

     I like to feed my rabbits so they get a wide variety of different foods.  I figure the more variety they have in their diet the more I can be sure that they are getting all of the vitamins that they need.  Natural souce vitamins are far superior to artificial source.
BREAD I keep a box in my kitchen, and fill it with bread that has gone stale.  After a few days it becomes hard and ALL of my rabbits like to gnaw on chunks of it.
FRUIT I like to give slices of apple and banana.  Other fruits that I give on occasion are- cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, pears, and peaches.  Most of these fruits I am able to either grow myself, so that I am sure that they haven't been sprayed with any chemicals.
VEGETABLES I myself eat a ton of carrots, so this is the most common veggie given to my rabbits.  I buy them with the tops still attached, and to the rabbits I give the tops.  Even if given the whole carrot they will still eat the tops first.  Some of my guys won't even bother to eat the bottom part.  Picky Bunnies!!  Other vegetables that I give on occasion are- peas, corn (on the cob), and beet tops( which the rabbits LOVE).   I also feed the rabbit dandelion greens, which they also seem to really enjoy.   Again I make sure to pick them from areas that haven't been sprayed with any pesticides.


        I hope that this has helped you to plan your feeding regime for your rabbit.   There are many vegetables that are considered safe for rabbits that I haven't listed here.   These are simply the vegetables that I find myself feeding the most frequently.   One important thing to keep in mind when feeding you rabbits food with a high water content (fruits and vegetables) - make sure you start out giving VERY small quantities, so as not to give the rabbit diahhrea.   Once the rabbits digestive system has become accustomed to high water content foods, THEN you can increase the quantity given.

Veliraf Rabbity
Nicole Heath
Conn, Ontario
(519) 323-3641
Netherland Dwarf Rabbits