Feeding Rabbits
A Balanced Diet
As with humans, it is important that a rabbit has a healthy, balanced diet. This consists of four elements: hay, water, dried food, fresh food. Getting the mixture of the four correct is important to ensure that your rabbit stays healthy and does not become overweight. Rabbits are strict vegetarians, so never feed them any meat – it will not agree with their digestion.
Hay
As with humans, it is important that a rabbit has a healthy, balanced diet. This consists of four elements: hay, water, dried food, fresh food. Getting the mixture of the four correct is important to ensure that your rabbit stays healthy and does not become overweight. Rabbits are strict vegetarians, so never feed them any meat – it will not agree with their digestion.
Water
It is a myth that rabbits get enough water from the fresh food that they eat. They need a supply of fresh water to be available at all times. A bottle with a drinking tube attached to the side of the cage or hutch is ideal for rabbits, your rabbit will learn how to use this immediately. Make sure that the bottle is big enough for the water to last all day, and change the water at least once a day. It should never be allowed to get empty.
Rabbits can also drink from a bowl, but if you leave a water bowl in the cage or hutch, it could easily get knocked over, so a bottle is better.
Dried Food
Dried rabbit foods that are available from pet shops provide all the nutrients that your rabbit needs. Feed according to the instructions for the type of food that you buy, and do not overfeed. Only a small amount of dried food is required. You should ensure that the food is suitable for rabbits, do not use a food that is meant for rodents (rabbits are not rodents!), as it may have lots of nuts in it and the fat content could be too high.
Most dried foods consist of various different flakes and pieces. If your rabbit picks out some pieces but always leaves a particular type of flake or piece, it may not be getting all the required nutrients. Change to a food that has all the nutrients combined into just one type of pellet.
Any changes between types of food should be done gradually. Mix the last of the old food with the first of the new.
Fresh Food
In addition to the above, you should give your rabbit small amounts of fresh vegetable or fruit every couple of days. There are many different fruits and vegetables that are safe, see our list of safe rabbit food. Feeding different types of fresh food gives your rabbit plenty of variety in its diet, and can be a treat for your rabbit.
Treats
There are many different types of rabbit treats that you may see at the pet shop – chocolate and yoghurt drops, popcorn sticks and various fruit or vegetable treats. These are safe to feed your rabbit (make sure you buy specific rabbit treats), but you should do so in very small quantities and not very often. Rabbits have a sweet tooth, and will eat as much sweet food as they can fit in, not leaving room for the healthy food. If you give them too many treats, they will become overweight, and could have teeth problems, as they won’t eat enough hay. A small piece of carrot or other fruit or vegetable is a much better treat.
What Should Rabbits not Eat?
Rabbits can’t always identify foods and plants that are poisonous to them, so you must make sure that something is safe for your rabbit to eat before feeding it to your rabbit. We have lists of some of the plants, fruits and vegetables that are safe for your rabbit.
Re-Digesting
Rabbits will eat some of their faeces. This is so that they can digest food twice, and is completey normal for them to do. It helps in the wild where most rabbits live on poor quality grass, and need to digest it twice to get all the nutrients that they need.
