Nutrition

Nutritious diet gives your bunny the best chance at staying healty.

Bunny Physiology -- bunny choose to eat primarily in the early moring and at night. They have an interesting way of digesting their food. I used Pfau's pellets feed, I think Pfau's has the best amount of nutrients. I feed my bunnies in the morning and at night. I give each rabbit about a handful of food. Make sure the bunny has fresh, clean, cold water all the time.

Young rabbits, under 6 month of age should be fed as much as they want. When they reach 6 months and up, reduce the amount of feed you give them, to prevent them from being over weight.  

When you have young rabbits learning to eat pellets you should give them steam rolled oats, and hay. Oats are easier on the young bunnies stomach then the pellets. After a few days you can try mixing the oats into the pellets.

Pellets: The main deit of bunny should be Rabbit Pellets. Pellets are premixed, formed pieces of food. several companies manufacture them for sale at pet stores and feed stores. Good quality pellet should be 16% to 18% protein, and at least 16% fiber. Always look at the pellets when you buy the feed, they should be green and smell fresh, make sure they have no mold on them. Can cause illness in your rabbit. Only buy enough pellets to feed your rabbits for about a month.

Hay: Hay should also be a regular part of your bunny diet. Hay helps reduce hairballs and blockages in the intestines which can kill your rabbit. I preferable type of hay is TIMOTHY hay, it provides the best fiber and lowest levels of calcium. ALFALFA hay is higher in calcium and protein and lower in fiber. Rabbits should have hay all the time, but I usually give mine hay every other day, sometimes daily. 

Vegetables/Fuits: Carrot tops, carrots, broccoli, parsley, chicory, endive, and raddichio are all good choices. Dandelion greens are also healthy. Lettuce is another good choice as long as it is a dark leafy variety. Apple is very good choice of the fuits.

NOTE: Fresh papaya juice, papaya extract, or pineapple juice is often recommedned to help rid your rabbit of hairballs.

Also, never give rabbits under the age of 6 months any kind of vegetables or fruits. This will get them sick and they will have diarrhea. Sometimes older rabbits will get diarrhea when you give them carrots, if this happens, take the carrot away and give them some oats.

GOOD

Apples (no seeds), Grapes Pears (no seeds), Oranges, Strawberries, Cherries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Papayas, Pineapples, Melons, Mangoes, Peaches (no pit), Tomatoes, Peas, Beans, Kale, Carrots, Carrot Tops, Mustard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Sugar Beets, Parsnips, Parsley, Potato, Peels

BAD

Acorns, Almonds, Apple Seeds, Apricot Pits, Asparagus Fern, Azalea, Bleeding Heart, Carnations, Cherry Pits, Clematis, Creeping, Charlie, Daffodil Bulbs, Daisy, Eucalyptus, Gladiola, Hyacinth Bulbs, Iceberg Lettuce, Iris, Ivy, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Jonquil, Lily of the Valley, Milkweed mistletoe, Mustards, Nutmeg, Oak, Peach, Pits, Pear, Seeds, Peony, Philodendron, Plum, Pits, Poinsettia, Rhododendron, Rhubarb Leaves, Skunk Cabbage, Tomato Leaves, Tulip Bulbs

Dietary Adjustments: Whether you are introducing a new food or changing the quantities of different foods you feed your bunny, make the change over four or more days. For example, give only a 50% sized on the first day. Double the amount every day thereafter until you are feeding as much as you want to in order to balance your bunny diet.