Hay: The staple of a rabbit's diet The bottom of a rabbit food pyramid would contain long-stemmed fiber, in the form of hay, which makes up 80 to 90 percent of a rabbit's diet. As grazing animals, rabbits need to have an unlimited supply of fresh hay daily.
High Quality Hay
A rabbit's favorite food should be hay, though you may have to take steps to ensure that your rabbit is eating enough before adding in other foods that your rabbit loves. Hay should make up at least 80% of your rabbit's diet, then it's off to the races with fresh veggies and other treats!
They will want to dig, chew, and play with any available toys. If your rabbit is kept in an enclosure (as opposed to free roam), this is an excellent time of day to let them out and get some exercise. You can also spend some time interacting with your rabbit to make sure they get enough socialization.
Please ensure your rabbits have access to shade and fresh water when outdoors. Positive interactions with humans, such as training, playing games and grooming, are excellent forms of environmental enrichment. Spend quality time with your rabbits several times a day [3].
A rabbit's bedding must keep them safe, comfortable, and warm. Rabbits often eat their bedding, so it cannot be toxic. Shredded paper, Aspen shreds, specialist litter or pellets, and hay are all safe options.
Some fruits that rabbits enjoy include: Strawberries. Raspberries. Bananas.
Green, leafy vegetables are good for bunnies. You can include arugula, basil, bok choy, broccoli leaves, carrot tops, celery, clover, collard greens, dandelion leaves, dill, endive, kale in small quantities, romaine and dark leaf lettuce, mint, mustard greens, parsley, and watercress.
Treat your rabbits with natural sweet treats instead such as fruit eg. a bite of banana or apple, or small chunks of 'sweet' vegetables such as carrots and broccoli. Dried pineapple (in small doses due to high sugar content) contains enzymes which are thought to be good to help break down ingested fur.
What Makes the Best Rabbit Bait? The best bait for rabbits includes brussel sprouts, carrots, lettuce and apples; you can also spray the inside of the trap with apple cider. Unusual rabbit baiting tips include crumbling up cheesy biscuits and placing them inside the trap.
Do NOT feed the following: cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, corn, beans, peas, breads, biscuits, sweets, sugar, breakfast cereals, chocolate or any garden plants that are toxic to rabbits (see links below).
Veterinarians suggest feeding rabbits fresh vegetables as well as grass and hay as primary sources of nutrition. Pellets are high in calories, so rabbits fed too many may develop health issues.
Leafy lettuces
Leafy lettuces (including red, green, escarole, romaine and more) are a staple for your rabbit's daily vegetables. I always include a lettuce leaf or two with my rabbits' greens.
Rabbits love bananas because of their sweet taste. A rabbit will continue asking for more because sugar is highly addictive. Offering too much banana can cause your rabbit to lose interest in other, more nutritious foods, such as leafy vegetables. Some rabbits may even beg for bananas and refuse to eat anything else.
In general, rabbits like to play with toys they can chew, dig, or toss around. Cardboard, twig balls, apple sticks, and natural hay-based toys are often favorites of pet rabbits. Rabbits also commonly enjoy hanging mobile toys and tossing around hard plastic baby toys.
During their lives, rabbits will gravitate toward their favorite flowering plants throughout the growing season, relishing pansies, and tulips in the spring, snacking on impatiens, oakleaf hydrangea, and hybrid lilies in the summer, and celebrating a fall harvest of asters come September and October.
Bunny Sweet Spots
The nose, face, cheeks, and ears seem like safe areas to try. Under the chin might or might not be a problem area, depending on the rabbit. The back is likely safe. The belly, feet, and rear end seem like no-go areas.
If rabbits live in small hutches with nothing to do and no space to move, they get bored. Boredom can cause some serious health problems: Bored rabbits will fill their time by eating. If they eat too much and don't move around they'll put on weight.
Rabbits must have access to plenty of fresh water at all times. Rabbits eating lots of fresh grass and greens will drink less, whilst those eating mostly hay will drink more. Bowls are better than bottles as lapping from a bowl is more natural to rabbits.
Apricots, peaches & plums – cyanide in seeds/pits, high-sugar fruits. Onion bulbs, chives and garlic – can cause fatal gastric upset. Parsnips – contain psoralens, which are poisonous to bunnies.
Any fast or sudden movements, loud noises, unfamiliar smells or larger creatures – including their owners – can trigger a fear response. 'We're predators from a rabbit's point of view,' explains clinical animal behaviourist Rosie Bescoby, who runs animal behaviour consultancy Pet Sense.
Like walnuts, peanut butter—which is also high in fat—should be avoided. The creamy snack will do nothing for rabbits, except possibly give them a tummy ache.
Rabbits need high fiber diets, with very little fat, making cheese unsuitable for them to eat. Secondly, cheese has lactose in it, which rabbits cannot digest properly, and this is likely to cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and possibly gas buildup.
Yes, it is safe for rabbits to eat cucumber! Most rabbits will love the fresh taste. Rabbits can also eat cucumber leaves. Before feeding cucumber to your rabbit, wash it in cold water to remove pesticides.
Do not give broccoli to rabbits. It will give them painful gas. Never give your rabbit kale or spinach. Kale and spinach can cause health problems over time, due to the high amount of oxalates and goitrogens.