Your Pet - Rabbit nutrition

Rabbits are designed to eat grass and even strip bark from trees.
In our climate it may not be practical to have access to grass all year round
so unlimited good quality hay is the cornerstone of healthy diet for your pet rabbit.
The importance of feeding your rabbit the correct proportions an variety of feedstuffs
cannot be over emphasised:
• Lots of hay/grass – at least 75% of the daily ration.
• A large selection of leafy greens and vegetables – must be consistent every day.
• Max 20% of complete commercial pellets
• Fresh clean water at all times. It is important for a number of reasons to get the
 diet of your bunny just right as this may help avoid a host of medical problems throughout their life.
Hay and grass are high in long fibre. This acts as an abrasive to wear teeth down and helps to
maintain a healthy gut movement. Also, nibbling hay reduces boredom therefore helping to prevent behavioural problems.
Very importantly however grass and hay also provide the correct proportions of calcium and phosphorus,
which help maintain healthy teeth and bones. Do not give grass cuttings as the oil from the mower
can cause stomach pain and digestive problems.
If used sensibly, as only a small proportion of the daily food ration, concentrate pellets can form
an integral part of a healthy diet for most rabbits. If overfed such low fibre, high calorie foods,
then obesity, dental disease and gut upsets can ensue.
Often rabbits have a sweet tooth, but if allowed to overindulge they will suffer from obesity and
tooth decay. More importantly, excess sugars may upset the delicate balance of helpful bacteria
they naturally have in their gut, so the intake of such foods must be kept to an absolute minimum, if any at all.

Remember – it is really important that you take your rabbit straight to see a vet if he/she stops eating.