The Best Daily Rabbit Diet For Your Pet Bunny
A balanced diet is essential to keep your bunny healthy, happy and live a longer life.
Rabbits should be taken care of well just like any other animal. Therefore a proper and balanced diet is essential. A balance in fruits and vegetables is critical in ensuring healthy rabbits. Rabbits at different stages need to be fed differently for better health improvement, proper digestion, and excellent weight management. Abrupt changes in diet are not advisable. Introduction of new foods can take effect in gradual levels. Fresh water should be available to your rabbits at all times. Below are some rabbit foods for a good diet.
Pellets:
Loose pellets should contribute the smallest part of a rabbit’s diet. They are more important to young rabbits because they contain high levels of nutrients and thus appropriate in ensuring proper weight gain. They are high in fiber content and nutritionally balanced. Mature rabbits should feed on less of this food and more hay and vegetables. Feeding pellets to growing rabbits can cause obesity and other medical complications.
Alfalfa Hay:
It contributes a high percentage of a rabbit’s diet and should be available all the time. Those below seven months old may eat Alfalfa hay while the older rabbits may have grass hay or oat hay. This food is outstanding in a rabbit’s health because it helps in the reduction of the danger of hairballs and blockages.
Fresh Water:
It should be available all the time and should be changed every day to avoid contamination. Giving dirty or contaminated drinking water to rabbits may cause illness or health problems. Water bottles or dishes may be sanitized on a weekly basis using mild dish detergent. They should be rinsed carefully before adding more fresh water.
Fresh Vegetables:
These foods give beneficial roughage and essential vitamins. Young rabbits of three months can be introduced to vegetables one by one at a time. This practice helps you to identify the cause of the problem in the case of a digestive issue. Vegetables of different colors are healthy. The ones with dark leaves and also those with roots should be preferred. When the rabbit gets used to vegetables, you may now feed them at least three different kinds on a daily basis so that you mix nutrients. Examples of vegetables rich in diet include; Kale, broccoli, mint, mustard greens, spinach, carrots and carrot tops, green papers, basil, clover among others.
Chewing Material:
Chewing is also necessary for the dental development and health of your rabbit. A diet without enough chewing may cause uneven tooth wear and this in return may cause enamel to grow on the sides of the teeth. These causes oral pain and excessive salivation. Giving rabbits chew sticks and cardboard tubes is vital. Fruits may be given to rabbits in large amounts because of their calorie content.
Rabbit Food By Age
Rabbits of different ages should be fed differently, for good health and development. Various types of foods are supposed to be introduced at each development stage. Below we look at the different stages of rabbits and the kinds of foods given.
Baby rabbits
It feeds on the mother’s milk for almost the first three weeks. After three weeks it starts feeding on some hay and pellets. By seven weeks, they are fed on lots of alfalfa hay, pellets plus the mother’s milk. Weaning is carried out at the age of eight weeks, and it also depends on the breed.
Juveniles
These are young rabbits between weaning to seven months. They can take as many pellets and alfalfa hay, and it should be available all day. Small amounts of each vegetable are advisable at this age, each at a time.
Young adults
They are from age seven months to one year. They may feed on timothy, oat, and grass hay the fiber in the hay is important because it enables the digestive system to work as required. They need little alfalfa hay and small amounts of pellets. Vegetable intake at this stage of growth must increase. Feeding them fruits at this juncture is also vital
Mature adults
These are grown-up rabbits which are mature. They should feed on large amounts of Timothy, grass and oat hay. Pellets intake should decrease. Vegetables should be available to this age in large quantities. Greens of dark leaves from three different types should be in bulk on a daily basis. Dark yellow and orange vegetables are an added advantage. Treats are essential at this stage.
Seniors
They are rabbits which are over six years of age. They eat the same diet as mature adults if there are no weight issues. In the case of weight loss, you may need to increase the number of pellets and alfalfa given. It is highly recommended to do yearly blood checkups to determine the level of calcium in the blood.
