How To Tell If Your Rabbit Is Eating The Right Food

Most pet owners know that a rabbit’s diet will consist of things like water, pellets and vegetables. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities, as they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Your furry friend also needs a supply of water to prevent them from dehydrating, which is a common problem with rabbits. Now lets look at some more information to guide you in the right direction with your rabbit food.

Pellets

Feeding rabbits pellets is common practice and these are available from a wide range of pet stores, both online and offline. Although still a popular choice with pet owners, pellets were originally used by breeders.

Hay

As well as pellets, all rabbits need hay in their hutches. A steady supply of hay will help prevent digestive tract problems in rabbits. Hay doesn’t cost a lot, yet it provides essential nutrients which rabbits can benefit from. Rabbits enjoy chewing on hay, and always having hay available for the rabbit may reduce its tendency to chew on other items.

Treats

In addition to hay and pellets, there are also many different rabbit food treats available. But do bear in mind that treats can be very unhealthy if you give them out too often. In pet stores, you will often find that a lot of the treats are full of carbs and high in sugar. If an owner is determined to feed the rabbit treats, the best treat to provide it with is fruit.

Here is a helpful list of just some of the fruits that are best to feed your rabbit: Peach, Banana and Pineapple…and bear in mind that any seeds should eb taken out before giving it to your pet.

Fruits or other treats must be given in moderation, as rabbits easily become overweight and suffer health problems.   Their diet should consist of no more than half a tablespoon of fruits or treats per day.

Just like with humans though, fruits don’t digest quickly, so don’t give fruit to your rabbit who is under 4 months old.   It can cause enteritis that causes death within 48 hours.

Please also note that lettuce isn’t recommended either, as it can also cause rabbit death due to the lack of nutritional value.

Cecal pellets

Although an unpleasant sight, some rabbits do eat their own faeces, so please don’t panic if you see this. The official name for these is ‘cecal’ pellets and they are actually an important part of a rabbit’s diet. A rabbit needs to stay healthy, and cecal pellets help to give your bunny a good supply of vitamin B12. Because of the way a rabbit’s digestive system is designed,  they cannot get the vitamins they need directly from their food and therefore need to eat their faeces. This is perfectly normal though.