Diet

A healthy diet is very important to keeping your rabbit(s) healthy and happy.

The two most important parts of a rabbit's diet are fresh hay, and clean water - both of which should be accessible to your rabbit all the time. Young rabbits can be fed alfalfa hay until they are around 7 months to a year old, when they should be switched over to timothy hay. Alfalfa hay is more fattening, which can be helpful to growing babies or older rabbits who have a hard time maintaining their weight, but it can be harmful to adult rabbits. It can cause obesity and urine sludge, among other things, due to higher fat and calcium content. Fresh grass hays should always be available to your rabbits - they'll eat it whenever they get hungry throughout the day.

It is not essential to feed your rabbit pellets. If you feed them plenty of hay, and fresh veggies, then they will have a balanced diet without the addition of pellets. Rabbit pellets are high in calories and low in fiber, and can lead to obesity if rabbits eat too much of them or don't get enough exercise. If you do feed your rabbit pellets, the recommended amount is about a half a cup to every 6 lbs body weight. Pellets do contain vitamins and minerals that hay doesn't - but if you feed your rabbit a balanced diet of greens and veggies, they'll get everything they need without pellets. If you do decide to feed pellets, get a good brand and don't overfeed. Overfeeding pellets can lead to health problems such as overgrown teeth, because your rabbit will most likely prefer to eat the pellets over their hay, and pellets don't wear down thier teeth. Make sure you feed a good brand of pellets as well. Look for a brand that's high fiber, but low fat.

Veggies should be part of your rabbit's everyday diet and they should be given about 2 cups for every 6lbs of body weight. Suggested veggies include clover, basil, beat greens, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, collard greens, dandelion greens and flowers, endive, escarole, green peppers, mint, mustard greens, parsley, pea pods, romaine lettuce, and wheat grass.

Fruits should mostly be used as treats because they have a lot of sugars in them. Suggest fruits include apples, bananas, blueberries, melon, oranges, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, plums, raspberries, and strawberries.

Other treats can be bought at pet stores, but only feed these sparingly. Instead of always offering unhealthy treats, give fresh fruits and more often pieces of fresh veggies.