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​What To Feed Your Rabbit

​House Rabbit Society
Miami , FL
(305) 666- BUNN

edited by Susan Horton, DVM
What should I feed my bunny?

Plenty of exercise and a proper diet will help keep your rabbit happy and healthy for life!  A rabbit is a lagomorph, not a rodent. His or her digestive tract is physiologically more similar to that of a horse than to any other animal.  Here are the most important dietary items.   Click here to see what healthy stool looks like

HAY-Such as Timothy or Orchard grass
The single most important item of the rabbit diet is grass hay and it should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby rabbits.  This is because a rabbit fed only commercial rabbit pellets does not get enough fiber to keep the digestive tract (intestine, cecum, colon) in good working order.  The fibers in the hay ensure good gut motility.  They also aid in cecal digestion by maintaining a good cecal pH and providing surface area for the cecal bacteria to attach to.  This helps prevent intestinal impactions, which are actually a symptom of slowed gut motility.  This condition is known as GI stasis (ileus).  It is very common in poorly fed rabbits, and can be life-threatening if left untreated!  It also serves as forage material to prevent boredom and behavioral problems such as fur chewing.  Dental exercise and optimal dental wear are provided by good grass hay diets.  

Pellets
When we say pellets, we mean pellets – NOT those dangerous seed/nut/pellet/fruit “gourmet” and “treat” mix products which can eventually KILL YOUR RABBIT.  A food quality rabbit pellet should have at least 20% crude fiber, no more than 14% protein, and no more than 2% fat.  Check the label on the rabbit pellets before you buy.  Baby rabbits should be fed unlimited pellet, but by the age of eight months, feed no more than ¼ cup per day for every five pounds of rabbit to avoid obesity and avoidance of hay.  For adult rabbits, we recommend a timothy hay based pellet.  

Fresh Vegetables
These are as important as hay in maintaining a healthy intestine.  Try Romaine lettuce, parsley, carrots (with tops!), endive, escarole, dill, basil, mint, cilantro, cilantro, tomato, and any other dark green leafy herb that appeals to you and you bunny.  Experiment and see which types your rabbit likes best!  Baby rabbits should start receiving greens very gradually at the age of about three months.  Add one item at a time, and if you see no intestinal upset, add another.   A five pound adult rabbit should receive at least four heaping cups of fresh, varied vegetables per day.  Serving them wet adds important liquid to the diet, which helps keep intestinal contents well hydrated and moving easily. 

Fresh Fruit
These are considered treats, and should be fed in very limited quantities (no more than one tablespoons a day for a five pound rabbit!).  Good choices are apple, apricot, banana (rare treat!), cherries, mango, peach, plum, papaya, pineapple, berries…just about any fruit you would like is okay for your bunny.  Just don’t overdo it, as this can cause an imbalance of the cecal flora and runny stool.  

Plenty Of Fresh, Clean Water 
This may be the most important, yet most commonly overlooked item in the rabbit’s diet.  Keeping the intestinal contents well hydrated ensures that they do not become impacted, and helps the intestinal muscles push food through at a healthy rate.  A rabbit can drink from a sipper bottle, but will usually drink more if offered water in a heavy ceramic crock.  Be sure to wash and change the bowl daily!

…but don’t feed these potentially dangerous treats!

NEVER feed your rabbit commercial “gourmet” or “treat” mixes filled with dried fruit nuts and seeds. These may be safe for a bird or hamster ---BUT THEY ARE NOT PROPER FOODS FOR A RABBIT!!!  Unlike a human or a rodent (rat or hamster), a rabbit is a strict herbivore.   The high fat and simple carbohydrate content of these “gourmet” products will give your rabbit fatty liver disease and can contribute to severe intestinal disorders.  The sole function is to lighten your wallet:  the manufacturers of these terrible products have no knowledge about or interest in your rabbit’s health and longevity. Don’t be victimized. 

Also avoid iceberg lettuce, cruciferous vegetables, cookies, crackers, nuts, seeds, sugary snacks, breakfast cereals, (including oatmeal or any other “high fiber” cereal – they are not high fiber to a rabbit!)  or other starchy snacks.  These promote obesity and liver disease.  

Love your companion rabbit. Feed her a proper diet and she will reward you with good health and love. 

If you have any NON-EMERGENT questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709
​sEE OUR lINKS PAGE TO FIND A VET NEAR YOU

  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Invertebrate Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
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      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
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      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
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  • Contact
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