Hay, Hay & More Hay!

A good quality hay such as oaten, timothy or meadow should comprise around 85% of the diet. Hay is high in fibre, but also contains nutritional elements which are lacking in straw. Lucerne (also known as alfalfa) can be fed in limited amounts, but is higher in protein than oaten hay and tends to cause weight gain and over production of cecotropes; hence only a good option for underweight rabbits or as a special treat. Choose clean, bright hay that smells sweet and fresh. Avoid dusty hay that smells moldy or musty, as age and incorrect storage have a big impact on nutritional value and won't be appealing to your rabbit. We recommend providing hay in a rack to keep it clean and contained. Some rabbits prefer to eat hay from floor level, so experiment to see what works best for you.  Top up with fresh hay each day to help entice your rabbit to eat more. A diet high in fibre (long stranded hay) will help guard against dental and digestive health issues.    

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A rabbit has no knowledge of a healthy diet and will be inclined to eat the tasty options first. For some rabbits, this means they may fill up on pellets/mix and greens and therefore consume less hay. If this sounds like your rabbit, limit the quantities, or divide the pellets/mix into two serves (am/pm) to allow him time to graze on hay during the day. You can also make hay fun by stuffing it in a hay rack, hay wheel, or in cardboard boxes or tubes to make it a game for rabbit to pull out.

A limited amount of pellets; quality pellets are a convenient way to ensure your rabbit receives adequate nutrition. It can be difficult to ensure your rabbit receives a correct balance of vitamins and minerals through feeding hay and vegetables alone. At Abbey Green, we have developed a quality chaff-based mix with a good balance of pellets and other ingredients to ensure nutritional needs are met, while keeping the diet interesting. We have several options, depending on your rabbit’s taste preferences and activity levels. There is also a pellet free option for rabbits with particularly sensitive digestive systems that can’t tolerate pellets. Click here for details.

Fresh vegetable matter; Provide fresh leafy greens such as kale, bok choy, celery, carrot tops, wheatgrass, herbs etc. Limit vegetables high in natural sugars such as carrots, apples, bananas etc. You can allow your rabbit lawn time, as long as no fertilizers or pesticides have been applied, but don’t give lawn clippings from the lawn mower as these tend to ferment quickly and cause gut problems. I also like to give my rabbits herbs (mint, parsley, basil, rosemary, lemongrass) and citrus leaves and sticks to chew. We recommend hiding the vegetables in boxes or peg on the side of the cage to encourage natural foraging behaviour. 

Limit treats; Many commercial treats are high in sugars and fats. These are often labelled as molasses, sucrose and fructose; although most pet products don’t require an ingredient listing. Many commercial feed mixes also contain high amounts of seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and an array of colourful biscuit type pieces. While these look delicious, they are not a good choice for rabbits – regardless of what the packaging claims! You can hand feed your rabbit's pellet ration as a food reward for training, or very small quantities of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, rolled oats, crushed wheat-bix. Avoid special treats if your rabbit is prone to being overweight.


Is the diet right?
A good gauge is to examine your rabbit’s droppings. They should be relatively large, round shape, firm and dry consistency, and a medium brown colour. It should crumble easily if squashed. Darker droppings often indicate a high protein diet.

The cecotropes should have some form and look like a collection of small balls (similar to a miniature bunch of grapes). They should have a slightly darker colour, look shiny and be somewhat sticky to the touch. If the droppings are small or hard, the rabbit needs more fibre in the diet, so try increasing the hay. Refer to In the Litter Box for more information. 

Always make gradual changes to fine tune your rabbit's diet. Avoid changing brands of food. If you must, mix the two brands gradually over the course of a week to allow the rabbit to get used to the new food. Rabbits may refuse to eat or experience digestive upset when faced with sudden diet changes. Never completely remove all food sources as a rabbit needs to graze continually throughout the day (hay is a good option). Don’t suddenly cut out pellets as the rabbit will be at increased risk of a potentially fatal condition hepatic lipidosis (liver damage). 

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