It is always a good idea to give dried food at a different time of day to fresh food or hay, as rabbits enjoy social interaction. Food should be given in a strong dish so that the rabbit does not tip it over. You can obtain a hay rack to attach to your hutch or cage to put fresh hay in.
Dry Food
Dried rabbit food can be identified as either pellets or muesli. Pellets are small, identical brown lumps of food.. Although pellets may look ‘boring’ in that there is no variety, they contain all of the nutrients that your rabbit needs. Muesli looks more appealing in that it has different coloured pieces of food. If a rabbit eats all of its muesli then it is getting a good healthy food, however there is the risk that the rabbit may ’selective feed’. This means that the rabbit will choose which pieces of food that it wishes to eat, and will leave the remaining pieces in the bowl (in the same way that some children choose chocolate and leave their vegetables given the choice). Because of this it is best to wait until the food bowl is empty before refilling. It is a personal choice whether you wish to feed pellets or muesli, but once your rabbit is eating a specific type or brand of food it is best not to alter the type of food too quickly as this can cause stress.
Hay
Fresh hay must be provided daily. Rabbits are fibrevores, which means that they need fibre in their daily diet. Hay contains magnesium and calcium, and fresh hay also contains grass and herbs. You can tell how fresh the hay is by the colour. Poor quality hay is yellow in colour, and is dusty. Fresh hay is greener in colour, and smells similar to freshly mown grass. Hay is sold by itself, or combined with grass (known as forage).
Fruit, vegetables and green foods
Rabbits love dandelion leaves and fresh grass, but you should make sure that the area you pick from has not been contaminated by animals, or sprayed with chemicals. For this reason it is always best to pick from your own property. Rabbits enjoy to eat fruit and vegetables, and these must be fresh and raw. If there are any leftover pieces they should be removed from the hutch or cage after an hour or so, before they become damp or rotten. Lettuce should always be avoided as it makes rabbits exceptionally sleepy.
Treats
To give your rabbit a treat, you can give them their favourite type of fruit or vegetable (it is easy to tell which is their favourite as they will eat it immediately once it is placed next to them) or you could give them a shop bought treat such as a chew-stick. You can give them a nice twig to chew on, suitable twigs are from deciduous or fruit trees. These will help to keep your rabbits teeth in good condition. Or you can give your rabbit a piece of hard, stale bread (not rotten), which again will help their teeth.
Do not give your rabbit a treat which contains lots of salt, sugar, or fat.
Water
Fresh, clean water should be provided at all times for your rabbit. It should be given in a clean drinking bottle, and bottles should be cleaned on a regular basis, as algae can build up inside of the bottle.
 |
