Rabbit Food Varieties

From vegetables to water and hay, a rabbit’s diet isn’t particularly varied but it provides them with what they need. Although fruit is a nice treat, it shouldn’t be something you regularly feed your rabbit as it can end up obese. Because of the fact rabbits can dehydrate quite quickly, a constant water supply is essential to keep them healthy. In order to help you care for your rabbit properly, please find below some rabbit food tips.

Pellets

Many rabbits get fed pellets which can be bought from a variety of different outlets…you may even want to try looking online for a good deal. An interesting fact is that pellets were once primarily used by the breeders who needed inexpensive food.

Hay

Of course, we all know that rabbits need some hay. A steady supply of hay will help prevent digestive tract problems in rabbits. As well as this, hay is also full of vitamins which your rabbit needs. Most rabbits enjoy nibbling on hay and this prevents them from chewing other things, so it is definitely useful to have.

Treats

You can also find many rabbit food treats for your furry friend.   Don’t overdo the treats though, as they are bad in large quantities. Most treats sold in pet stores are filled with sugar and high food energy carbohydrates. 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.

Another tip worth noting is that lettuce isn’t all its cracked up to be – it actually shouldn’t be fed to rabbits because it has very little nutritional value and could also cause death.

Cecal pellets

Do not be alarmed if you see your rabbit eat some of his faeces. These are called cecal pellets, and are a vital part of his diet. The cecal pellets are a rabbit’s only way of obtaining vitamin B12, which is an essential part of staying healthy. 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.



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