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Pet Health Tips |
| Rabbit Nutrition |
| One of the simplest yet most overlooked aspects of proper rabbit care involves feeding the proper diet. By starting and maintaining rabbits on the proper foods, you will find that they will live many years longer with fewer health problems along the way. |
| Pellets: Many rabbit owners assume that the pelleted food they buy at the pet store is a complete diet for their pet. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that most of pelleted foods were designed for the rabbit meat and fur industry to fatten up rabbits going to market. These foods are formulated to produce the largest amount of growth and weight gain in the shortest amount of time. Make sure when you select a pellet food for your rabbit, that it is one with no less than 18% fiber contentÑthe higher the fiber the better. Do not purchase pellets that contain dried fruit and seeds as these have too much fat and sugar. The amount of pellets fed to a rabbit also has to be limited. A good rule of thumb is no more than 1/4 cup of pellets per five pounds of body weight. |
| Hay: Rabbits should be provided an unlimited supply of hay. This form of roughage is imperative to maintaining a healthy rabbit and should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet. Only timothy or grass hay should be fed, since alfalfa is too high in calcium for rabbits, and may lead to urinary problems. |
| Vegetables: The next important part of a rabbit's diet is fresh leafy greens. Greens are not only good sources of fiber, but also of moisture. At least three different types of fresh, leafy greens should be provided each day. Many different vegetables are suitable for rabbits. These include: collard greens, cilantro, celery, carrots (with the tops), brussel sprouts, broccoli (including leaves), beet greens, dandelion greens and flowers, escarole, mustard greens, parsley, raddichio, radish tops, red leaf & romaine lettuce, and watercress.
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| Any changes in a rabbitÕs diet should be made gradually over 4-5 days. Sudden changes may disrupt the delicate balance of healthy bacterial flora living in a rabbit's gastrointestinal tract and cause diarrhea. |
| Kingsbrook Animal Hospital is proud to be a member of the House Rabbit Society. If you have not heard of this wonderful organization, please check out their website at http://www.rabbit.org. |
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