Rabbit Nutrition

Taking care of a rabbit requires lots of time, patience and money. One of the many things that rabbit owners need to know is about what they are feeding their rabbit.

A rabbit's diet should consist of hay, water, pellets, and vegetables.

 1. Hay

Hay should make up of at least 70% of your bunny's diet. Timothy hay is the most common hay that you see and is one of the best. If timothy hay is not available around you, orchard grass would also be a option. There are many different kinds of hay out there of which most are fine to feed your rabbit, although alfalfa hay is not recommended as it contains a high amount of sugar. You should be giving your rabbit a unlimited supply of hay. It should be available to him at all times....24/7. 

2. Vegetables

Vegetables are also a important part of rabbit nutrition. Bunnies should get approximately 2 cups of vegetables for every 5 lbs of body weight daily. It is best to have at least three different kinds of veggies and to rotate kinds every couple weeks.

3. Pellets

Most people seem to think that pellets should be the main part of the rabbit diet, but as you have already learned, 'tis not the case, as hay should be the main portion. Pellets are actually one of the lesser items. Pellets are mainly given to rabbits for the extra nutrients, so some people who already have a good amount of nutrients in the diet don't feed pellets to the diet. But it doesn't hurt to feed your rabbit pellets if you have a good brand. When you are buying pellets, you should first look at the ingredients. Timothy hay, timothy grass, etc. should be at least in the first three ingredients, the pellet needs to be timothy based. Also, it should have 18% or higher fiber, 13-14% protein, and no more than 3% fat. Most rabbits should get about 1/4 cup of pellets for every 5 lbs of body weight daily.

4. Water
A rabbit should always have a unlimited supply of fresh, clean, water.