Animal Care Associates, Inc
840 Oakwood Road
Charleston, WV 25314
304-344-2244

Rabbit Diet

These are general recommendations

A rabbit's diet should be made up of good quality pellets, fresh hay (alfalfa, timothy or oat), water and fresh vegetables.  Anything beyond that is a "treat" and should be given in limited quantities.

Pellets should be fresh, and should be relatively high in fiber (18% minimum fiber).  Do not purchase more that 6 weeks worth of feed at a time, as it will become spoiled.  Pellets should make up less of a rabbit's diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day.

When shopping for vegetables, look for a selection of different veggies look for both dark  leafy veggies and root vegetables, and try to get different colors.  Stay away from beans and rhubarb.

Hay is essential to a rabbit's good health, provided roughage which reduces the danger of  hairballs and other blockages,  Apple tree twigs also provide good roughage.

Babies and "teenagers"

•  Birth to 3 weeks--mother's milk
• 3 to 4 weeks--mother's milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
• 4 to 7 weeks--mother's milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
• 7 weeks to 7 months--unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks)
• 12 weeks--introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 ounce)

Young Adults: 7 months to 1 year

•   introduce grass and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
• decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 pounds of body weight
• increase daily vegetables gradually
• fruit daily ration no more than 1 to 2 ounces per 6 pounds of body weight (because of  calories)

Mature Adults: 1 to 5 years

•  Unlimited grass hay, oat hay, straw
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 pounds of body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
• Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 pounds of body weight
•  fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz (2 Tablespoons) per 6 pounds of body weight

Senior Rabbits: Over 6 years

• If sufficient weight is maintained, continue adult diet
• Frail, older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets to keep weight up.  Alfalfa can be given to underweight rabbits, only if calcium levels are normal.
• Annual blood workups are highly recommended for geriatric rabbits.

NOTE:  When you feed a lower quantity of pellets, you must replace the nutritional value without the calories, which is done by increasing the vegetables.  Also, a variety of hay and straw must be encouraged all day long, we do this by offering fresh hay a couple of times a day.

(!)=Use sparingly.  High in wither oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time

(*)=Contains Vitamin A.  A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients.  Choose one each day that contains Vitamin A

Eating Night Feces

Rabbits engage in relatively uncommon but normal behavior when they deliberately eat small, soft, moist (often mucus-covered), light green fecal pellets directly from the anus. These special "night stools" are especially rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.  Rabbits must obtain these nutrients in this fashion. This behavior is most often carried out in the early morning hours and is rarely observed by rabbit owners.  Sometimes, however, they choose not to eat the night pellets, and you may notice these slightly different  droppings in the morning.

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