Why is the issue of feeding so important in rabbits?

Incorrect feeding is the single greatest cause of ill health in pet rabbits.

• 80% of pet rabbits are fed incorrectly.
• 30% of pet rabbits are OBESE.
• 75% of rabbits’ health problems are due to dental problems which are caused by poor nutrition.

What should I feed my rabbit?

It’s all about grass!!

The closer you can mimic a wild rabbit’s diet, the healthier your rabbit will be. They are designed to spend a significant proportion of their day grazing and chewing-a rabbit chews 120 times a minute! Also, a rabbit’s teeth grow continuously, by as much as 2-3mm a week, to cope with the constant wear and tear from chewing on fibrous herbage. By feeding concentrates, a rabbit gets all its nutrients relatively quickly, meaning it’s not grazing for long periods of time and it spends less time chewing; this means it is less active and its teeth overgrow. Feeding mainly concentrates also means that rabbits do not eat enough fibre and since they often just pick out tastier morsels from their concentrates they don’t eat the correct balance of minerals. These factors cause digestive upsets, bone and dental abnormalities.

In summary:

1. Provide as much access to natural grazing as possible, all year round.
   
2. Provide plenty of good quality hay, at all times. (Hay is dried grass and if good quality- Western Timothy Hay is one of the best-will provide the right balance of nutrients, plenty of fibre and lots of chewing!)
   
3. Feed only a very small amount of concentrates or none at all!
   
4. If feeding concentrates, use the “Excel” range; these are well balanced and each “nugget” is the same, preventing rabbits from just picking out the bits they like.
   
5. As long as it is not wet and windy, encourage rabbits to feed outdoors; the exercise and exposure to sunlight is important. (Sunlight is crucial for the action of vitamin D which helps rabbits to absorb calcium- vital for healthy teeth and bones).
   
6. Avoid leafy vegetables totally and view carrots and apple as the equivalent of a chocolate snack-ie feed only small amounts. (They are very sugary)
   
7. Avoid sugary proprietary snacks like chocolate drops.
   
8. Do pick and offer fresh herbs, dandelion leaf and clover. Parsley is a healthy snack, and can be easily grown or bought. Dried dandelion leaf can be bought at New Era.
   
9. Ensure there is always access to fresh water. If using a water bottle, check every day that it has not jammed.

Finally, an interesting fact about rabbits is that they produce two types of faeces; the familiar, dry pellets but also a softer type known as a caecotroph. Even though it sounds revolting, rabbits eat these as they pass them! They provide an important source of certain nutrients. Obese rabbits, physically cannot reach around to eat them, depriving them of these nutrients and causing their back ends to become soiled and the rabbit vulnerable to “fly-strike”.