# Basic Rabbit Diet



## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Aug 31, 2009)

I've seen alot of talk over on Backyardchickens about the proper diet for domestic rabbits. I cannot say for everyone that what I do is the best, but I have extremely healthy rabbits and have never lost one yet to anything.

 Tha vast majority of rabbit fanciers and breeders agree that the main staple of the diet should be hay so we will start there.

 Hay:
 Most rabbits benefit greatly from having free choice hay. It's not rocket science either, Orchard or Meadow grass or Timothy hay for adults and Alfalfa for babies and nursing does. Free choice, meaning toss in a handful in the morning and when that's gone add some more, or use a wire hay rack, etc. Just always have hay available. 
 Just like humans need 6-8 glasses of water a day, I feel that all rabbits need hay. They need it for roughage for their digestive system and to keep their teeth well ground down. Chewing hay also reduced stress in rabbits and they tend to sit and chew hay and have large amounts of bowl movements at the same time, the act of eating hay is just good for them overall.
 I have heard the argument of "Well my rabbit doesn't like hay and won't touch it". To this I can only say "Try harder" Your rabbit is probably getting completely full on the amount of pellets you are offering and therefore doesn't want the hay. Reduce the amount of pellets drastically for a few days or offer hay and then feed pellets a few hours later. I bet you'll start to see little cottontail turning over a new leaf!
 You can also trying making it fun! Stuff some into an emtpy toilet paper tube, put some into a plain brown cardboard box with no labels or anything on it, add some applewood sticks for chewing and let bunny have a blast opening his own present! The possibilities are endless!
 Also another tip! DO NOT buy those teeny bags of Timothy hay from the petstore. They are usually VERY stale (think years in some cases) and you are being RIPPED OFF price wise! Some of those small bags can cost $10+ when you can buy an entire bale of hay for less than that at the feed store! What if I only have one or two rabbits? Won't I waste all that hay?! Nope. When I only had one rabbit two years ago, I would buy an entire bale and it would only last me 5-6 months. Stored well and kept dry and free of yuck it will be just as fresh in 6 months as it was when you bought it. I kept mine split up in big rubbermaid tubs with lids inside my garage. Worked perfectly.

 Pellets-
 Feeding pellets is important. Feeding high quality pellets without junk is even moreso. 
 These Rabbit Diet concoctions from Wal-Mart and the major chain petstores are GARBAGE! If you're rabbit food has colorful pieces of "fruits" and "veggies" and dyed bird seeds, you really need to throw that junk out and go buy soemthing better... All of that stuff is un-needed and like feeding them candy all day long.
 You want to look for a Timothy based pellet. Yes, your rabbit pellets are made based on pulverized hay, or let me say they SHOULD be anyway!
 I love the Blueseal Brand personally and I feed Show Hutch Deluxe by them. One of the reasons I love it is that it contains Papaya and I have Angora rabbits. Papaya is known to help prevent wool block in rabbits. 
 A quality rabbit feed should be high in fiber, 18% min.

 Water-
 Might seem kinda dumb to have to write this but fresh water should always be available. I have found that the pin style water bottles are tough on rabbit teeth and that senior rabbits tend to enjoy drinking out of a bowl over a bottle. I bleach out my water bottles and bowls once a month.

 Veggies, Treats, Supplments-

 Supplements:
 You can buy a variety of nutritional supplements for your rabbits. Again, I like Blueseal Sunshine Plus. But there is Show Bloom, and Doc Rabbit something or other, and many more... Mostly these are used by show people to bring on the "bloom" of a showing rabbit, meaning to put them in top condition for showing and breeding.

 Veggies-
There are a ton of different acceptable veggies to give as treats to rabbits. The key is to use sparingly. You can "kill them with kindness" essentially. 

 Treats-
 Most of the commercial rabbit treats on the petstore market are junk, like going out and buying a bag of cheetoes for yourself. I imagine a little now and then wouldn't hurt but don't overdo it!


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## trestlecreek (Sep 1, 2009)

Good post Jenna!
I would just add the emphasis that grass hay is all that is needed. Alfalfa has too much calcium for a rabbit. The idea of hay is gut motility; not nutrition.
For toys, please don't use toilet paper rolls; they have germs from human fecal matter/urine on them. Use the cut up paper towel rolls instead.


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## Hobby Farm (Sep 1, 2009)

Thanks for the great post.  Very iformative.  I am new to rabbits and have been feeding them Manna Pro Grow formula.  What is your opinion on this brand of feed?


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## Zephyr Farms (Sep 7, 2009)

Great post, just wondering if I could add a few things. Bannanas(sp?) are a great treat but as JoieDeViveRabbitry said should be fed sparingly. Another thing thats great for teeth is wood sticks( you can get them at pet stores). Not only does it keep the teeth down, but it also keeps the rabbit busy. When rabbits chew on the wire, they could pull their teeth on the wire which could cause mallucolusion(sp?), which is a disqualification from show. 

Thought it could be helpful.


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 8, 2009)

Hobby Farm said:
			
		

> Thanks for the great post.  Very iformative.  I am new to rabbits and have been feeding them Manna Pro Grow formula.  What is your opinion on this brand of feed?


I would say this is a nice feed.


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 8, 2009)

Zephyr Farms said:
			
		

> Great post, just wondering if I could add a few things. Bannanas(sp?) are a great treat but as JoieDeViveRabbitry said should be fed sparingly. Another thing thats great for teeth is wood sticks( you can get them at pet stores). Not only does it keep the teeth down, but it also keeps the rabbit busy. When rabbits chew on the wire, they could pull their teeth on the wire which could cause mallucolusion(sp?), which is a disqualification from show.
> 
> Thought it could be helpful.


Certainly, any other opinions and ideas are welcome!
 A money saving tip:
 Instead of buying fruit wood sticks from the petstore, if you happen to have apple trees that HAVE NOT been sprayed with pesticide you can certainly give them to the buns for chewing! I do and they love them!


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## Zephyr Farms (Sep 8, 2009)

I didn't mean the fruit ones, I don't like them at all. I meant the ones that look like natural wood, the only thing is that they're really tiny. Willow sticks are good as well as long as JoieDeVive rabbitry said as long as the trees have not been sprayed by anything. 

I really like Manna Pro feed, as I feed Manna Pro Sho. Manna Pro Grow is a good feed as well.


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 8, 2009)

Zephyr Farms said:
			
		

> I didn't mean the fruit ones, I don't like them at all. I meant the ones that look like natural wood, the only thing is that they're really tiny. Willow sticks are good as well as long as JoieDeVive rabbitry said as long as the trees have not been sprayed by anything.
> 
> I really like Manna Pro feed, as I feed Manna Pro Sho. Manna Pro Grow is a good feed as well.


What I was reffering to was that here anyway, in the petstores all of the "chewing" sticks they sell for rabbits are Apple or Peach tree wood...
 I certainly wasn't talking about those brightly colored fruit flavored hunks of "wood" they sell, which I would hope no one here would even consider LOL

 I have heard good things about Manna Pro. They do not sell it here locally or I would look at it more seriously, we only have Blue Seal and Nutrena, hence why I use Blue Seal exclusively.


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 8, 2009)

And I didn't know about willow sticks! Good tip


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## trestlecreek (Sep 8, 2009)

Yep, I have heard good things about Manna Pro.
I have really good results from the Purina Show Chow, so I just stick to what works for me. I tried Formax last year and did not care one little bit for that stuff; had to switch back.
I would watch the willow branches,...ya know, way back when, they figured out how to make aspirin and it was from the willow tree!!


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 9, 2009)

trestlecreek said:
			
		

> Yep, I have heard good things about Manna Pro.
> I have really good results from the Purina Show Chow, so I just stick to what works for me. I tried Formax last year and did not care one little bit for that stuff; had to switch back.
> I would watch the willow branches,...ya know, way back when, they figured out how to make aspirin and it was from the willow tree!!


Reallly?! Fasinating!


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## trestlecreek (Sep 9, 2009)

Yep, isn't that neat!!? That is one of the few natural found drugs that has been a detrimental part to medical science.
I don't know the exact history on it, but people found that by eating the leaves/bark, their pain and swelling would be relieved. So they studied the willow and chemically made aspirin.


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## Kooshie (Sep 9, 2009)

Thank you!  So sensible and practical!


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Sep 10, 2009)

Kooshie said:
			
		

> Thank you!  So sensible and practical!


 My pleasure, I'm glad you found it useful. Don't forget to read the responses from other breeders/raisers though! They have some great ideas too!


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## Zephyr Farms (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks!! Manna Pro isn't sold here locally, the nearest dealer is a hour away from us!!


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## chinbunny1 (Sep 13, 2009)

Good post, but I should point out that pellets should be the most important part of the rabbits diet, followed by hay. They get all their nutrition from the pellets. Hay is provided to them to keep their gut moving. Most of us that breed and show feed alfalfa pellets not timothy. You want something with high fiber, and low protien that is free from toxins. per the manna pro. really watch the feed we (brreders that feed it) have been having problems with losing rabbits to it lately. As far as I know nobody is having problems witht he gro. Its the sho and pro formulas we are having problems with. I lost a bunch of rabbit to it a couple of weeks ago.


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## Zephyr Farms (Sep 13, 2009)

I didn't know that about willow sticks!  Would have never guessed!!


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## trestlecreek (Sep 13, 2009)

Yep, the willow/aspirin thing was so neat, I never forgot it,..LOL.
Have your tried finding the Pen Pals feed? I heard that they screen for the toxins.....


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## Spinster (Nov 8, 2009)

chinbunny1 said:
			
		

> Good post, but I should point out that pellets should be the most important part of the rabbits diet, followed by hay. They get all their nutrition from the pellets. Hay is provided to them to keep their gut moving. Most of us that breed and show feed alfalfa pellets not timothy. You want something with high fiber, and low protien that is free from toxins. per the manna pro. really watch the feed we (brreders that feed it) have been having problems with losing rabbits to it lately. As far as I know nobody is having problems witht he gro. Its the sho and pro formulas we are having problems with. I lost a bunch of rabbit to it a couple of weeks ago.


UH OH!!!  I am about to get 2 FA does, and 2 days ago bought 50# of Manna Pro (red/white/blue bag) at Tractor Supply.  They don't carry the Gro or Sho.   I bought it because Manna feed is what they are on now (Gro, though).  Now I'm half afraid to use it! 

Also, in reading up on rabbit care, they said 80% of does that are not spayed will get uterine cancer by the time they are 3 or 4!  I don't plan to breed, but saw spaying as an unnecessary expense.  That is scary too!


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Nov 9, 2009)

Spinster,
 Just me, but I would bring it back or keep it and use it change them over to something else. 
 Have I mentioned my love for Blue Seal products? I feed my FA's Show Hutch Deluxe and Sunshine Plus as a show supplement. They look GREAT. I am in no way affiliated with the company either, I just did alot of research and trial and error and I really love their food. EVERYTHING on my farm eats blue seal. 

 I haven't read their stat on non spayed rabbits and cancer, but I would say that if you are 110% positive that you are not going to breed your does it certainly wouldn't hurt to have them spayed. It will make them more stable in the temperment department. 
 Here is RI there are several vets who do rabbit altering all in the $60 range which I find reasonable if you spent a good amount of money for a pet rabbit that you really care about.

 Just my two cents.


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## chinbunny1 (Mar 2, 2010)

pellets should be the most important part of the diet followed by a good quality grass hay. That is where they get all their nutrients from. Its shouldn't be just any pellets either. You want to feed the best quality you can find. 

Veggies make make nice treats but aren't nutritionally necessary.

Oops forgot that I already posted in this thread. LOL!


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## JoieDeViveRabbitry (Mar 3, 2010)

I SO need to update this, as my point of view has changed dramatically on some things...


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## MelodyLee (Mar 3, 2010)

JoieDeViveRabbitry said:
			
		

> I SO need to update this, as my point of view has changed dramatically on some things...


ooh do! preety please?  I found your post really helpful though....


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## dntd (Mar 3, 2010)

wow only $60 for a rabbit spay? the only vet in town wanted $500 to fix our male mini rex! It was easier to keep him away from the females. He did die at the age of 6 though he might have lived longer!


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## chickenrunnin (Aug 31, 2011)

JoieDeViveRabbitry said:
			
		

> I've seen alot of talk over on Backyardchickens about the proper diet for domestic rabbits. I cannot say for everyone that what I do is the best, but I have extremely healthy rabbits and have never lost one yet to anything.
> 
> Tha vast majority of rabbit fanciers and breeders agree that the main staple of the diet should be hay so we will start there.
> 
> ...


well written


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## hoodat (Sep 5, 2011)

I found out something about water bottles the other day. Some of my weaning rabbits were having trouble getting the hang of using water bottles and when I tried water bowls they would foul them so fast I had to keep cleaning and refiling them. I had a water bottle with a larger spout that is made for puppies. They have a larger ball and give more water with each lick. The ones who were having trouble with the rabbit water bottles caught on to the puppy bottle in no time and after that they started using the regular rabbit bottles.


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## Ms. Research (Sep 5, 2011)

hoodat said:
			
		

> I found out something about water bottles the other day. Some of my weaning rabbits were having trouble getting the hang of using water bottles and when I tried water bowls they would foul them so fast I had to keep cleaning and refiling them. I had a water bottle with a larger spout that is made for puppies. They have a larger ball and give more water with each lick. The ones who were having trouble with the rabbit water bottles caught on to the puppy bottle in no time and after that they started using the regular rabbit bottles.


Thanks for the heads up.  I think the best for kits are water bottles and knowing this will definitely help.


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