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Published on Monday, April 9, 2012
Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems. Knowing what a healthy diet consists of will help prevent serious digestive issues and promote a long healthy life. There are different diet requirements for growth stages.
We follow the House Rabbit Society's diet recommendations.
Note: Nursing mothers and breeding rabbits may need different diet requirements that are not covered on our site. You will need to seek out other resources in these cases. Our site is focused on non-breeding neutered rabbits only.
This is extremely important for a bunny's digestive system. Always have it available. My bunnies eat more hay when they have a variety of hays.
Hay Tip - A great trick that encourages more hay consumption is add a little fresh hay on top of the existing hay, or take the hay that has been sitting there all day, put in back in the bag, mix it around and grab a new big handful. I don't know why this works - maybe the fresh scent of hay being resurfaced - For some reason this entices them to eat more, even though they still had plenty of hay in their rack.
General Serving size - 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lb bunny
Greens/Veggies (Minimum 3 different types)
Minimum 2 cups of chopped leafy greens per 6 lbs. See the HRS recommendations for which leafy greens are best.
See Veggie/Fruit List for a comprehensive list.
When introducing greens for the first time - offer just one at time. Add new one in after a few days. If a bunny snubs a particular leafy green. Just keep adding a little bit to the diet even if they have snubbed it before. I've done this thinking my bunnies would never eat it, but then one day they decide to try it and end up liking it. And even if your bunny snubs one or two types permanently, there are plenty others to choose from.
Veggie storing Tips from a BinkyBunny Forum Discussion
1 oz. to 2 oz. max per 6 lbs. body weight.
High in calories, but still a better treat than some of the "junk food" treats that are sold at pet stores.
See Veggie and Fruit List
Bladder Stone Problems
Jack had a calcium oxalate stone removed.
A special diet was recommended to help prevent any reoccurrence.
She had a VERY sensitive tummy. She also suffered from e.cuniculi and aa crooked spine. Whether that played a part is not fully known, but we really had to go through major trial and error to get a diet that kept the bouts of poopybutt down.
Check out our trial error to get to a diet that worked best for her.
Categories: Healthy Diet