Feeding Your Rabbit

Rabbits are vegetarians, in the wild they eat grass and graze on vegetation. When feeding your pet rabbit remember that they have a unique digestive system, which best suits a high fibre, low protein, low energy diet. A high fibre diet, as well as being essential for digestion, also helps them to keep their teeth trim. All a rabbit really needs is a good quality rabbit mix containing cereal grains, minerals and vitamins, a constant supply of fresh hay, fresh water and small quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Sometimes your rabbit will not eat everything that is in its feed dish, picking out the favourite bits, this means that it will not receive a balanced diet. One way to stop this is not to throw away the leftovers but to put a small amount of new, fresh food in the dish, the rabbit will then eat everything therefore getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs. Hay is a good source of natural fibre and calcium, and should be given fresh on a daily basis. Be very careful when feeding fruit and vegetables, always introduce them in small amounts and occasionally as they may cause dietary upsets.

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A rabbit can suffer from digestive problems and it cannot be sick if it eats too much. Never feed fruit and vegetables straight from the fridge, always wait until they are at room temperature first. Some of the vegetables that can be fed include cabbage, carrot, broccoli etc. Fruit includes apple, banana, melon and pear. You should never give your rabbit grass cuttings as the go mouldy very quickly. Rabbits are also prone to obesity if they are given too many treats which contain sugar, honey and seeds. These ingredients are all high in fat and your rabbit requires a low fat diet. They can accumulate fat in their liver and arteries. If your rabbit is overweight cut back on its food and make sure it gets plenty of exercise. If you want to give a treat read the label first or give it a piece of fruit or vegetable. Once you have your rabbit on a balanced diet stick to it as changing it too often can cause dietary upset.

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Article courtesy of PetPlanet.co.uk

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