Contrary to popular belief, rabbits need a lot more to eat than just carrots and lettuce. They require a balanced diet of grass hay, pellets, fresh veggies and can even have a little fruit on occasion.
Rabbits have very sensitive digestive tracts, so the transition to new pellets, or the introduction of new fruits and vegetables, must be done gradually to allow the rabbit’s system to adjust. A rabbit's health is closely related to its diet. They are strict herbivores and grazers by nature, so they need to be fed a high fiber diet to keep their gastrointestinal system moving steadily.
Their diet must be at least 18% fiber (but we love to see it around 22%)
Bunnies that are not fed a diet high enough in fiber are at risk of diarrhea and GI Stasis: two of the most common causes of death in pet rabbits. Your bunny's daily diet needs to consist of fresh pellets and unlimited grass hay.
HAY: Why is it so important?
Hay is made up of long fibers that help the muscles of the bunny's gut stay strong. Because rabbits have a complex digestive system, they need to constantly snack on hay throughout the day to keep things moving inside, and help prevent blockages (the most common being fur, due to their self grooming habits.) Blockages can often be fatal. If a rabbit doesn't eat enough hay then this can slow down the rabbit's intestinal functions and cause serious problems. Unlimited good quality hay is the foundation of a healthy diet for a pet rabbit; it not only keeps them occupied for long periods of time, which reduces boredom and helps prevent behavioural problems, but chewing hay grinds their teeth down! Rabbit teeth continually grow, including all of their back ones (did you know rabbits have 28 teeth?!) If these aren't kept in check by wearing them down on hay, they can grow out of control and could cause painful abscesses. Other foods (even hard pellets) do not wear the teeth down like the side-to-side jaw action used when eating hay.
Is all hay the same?
The quick answer is no, not all hay is the same and the kind of hay you feed your bunny is very important. There are many different types of hay and if you shop around you'll see that hay can range from dusty and/or yellow short pieces (avoid!) to luscious, long stemmed and sweet smelling green hay. Timothy and Orchard Grass hay are the most popular and what we recommend to feed. Most of the bagged hay sold in stores is old, dusty and very short stemmed, so look for a store that has a wide range. Or alternatively (our recommendation) find a farm or feed store local to you that sells hay bales. You will be able to find a fresh bale of high quality hay that will last your bunny for several months for around $15 a bale!
1st cutting hay
If you see hay classified as being "first cutting", that means it was the first hay cut in that field for the season. First cutting will always be the coarsest hay (wonderful for our bunnies teeth!). In fact, coarseness from the stems not only helps with wearing down teeth, but it's also great for their digestive tract as it pushes things along. First cutting hay is great for bunnies that just need "maintenance", meaning the bunny is healthy and you just want to maintain their current weight and condition.
2nd cutting hay
As the second cut of hay in the field there is a shorter growing season and that results in this hay being leafier, greener, and softer (still good for bunnies, but won't be as coarse as first cutting). Second cutting also tends to have higher nutrional values, including higher protein. It's a great option for young growing bunnies, aging senior bunnies or bunnies who may suffer from dental issues/pain (softer hay=easier to eat).
3rd cutting hay
Third cutting hay is typically even softer and leafier than second cutting. Because there's a short growth period between second and third cutting, this makes for a higher leaf-to-stem ratio. The higher leaf content generally means higher protein content and overall energy, making third cutting hay the richest of them all.
We feed a combination of 1st and 2nd cutting to our rabbit herd.
How much hay does a bunny need?
Rabbits should eat a bundle of hay the size of their body, every day! They need access to clean hay daily (no one likes dirty or stale food!) and in unlimited portions. Make sure wherever they are, that they have access to fresh, clean hay to snack on and access to fresh water to keep the hay going down nicely.
My rabbit doesn't like hay, how can I get them to eat it?
This can actually be a common problem with rabbits! Bunnies love to eat and nibble on things, and will always choose tastier things than hay given the chance. Here are some tips to get your rabbits eating more hay:
Cutting down on pellets will encourage them to snack on hay. Try feeding pellets for breakfast and only provide hay throughout the day. WARNING: Slowly reduce the amount of pellets you give them - if they're not used to eating hay then suddenly taking away their main food source could be dangerous
Offer them a variety of hays (try asking for sample packs so you don't have to buy a big bag each time or contact a local hay farmer)
Mix treats in with their hay encouraging them to forage in there, such as grass, herbs or oats.
Stuff toilet roll tubes or small cardboard boxes with holes cut out, with hay to make fun games for them.
Rabbits like to eat hay while they're peeing/pooing, so put a pile of hay in or above their litter tray.
If you're currently using a hay rack to feed hay, try removing the hay rack and offer the hay straight off the floor, or inside their litter box. Because rabbits are foragers, they like to dig and pick through their hay.
Lightly spray pineapple juice on some hay and let it dry, they'll like the sweet taste
Different rabbits like different hays so take notes and once they start eating hay, try ones that have previously been 'dismissed' by them, as they may like them now they have a taste for hay!
Choosing and Feeding Pellets
Most pelleted rabbit foods will provide all the nutrients your rabbit needs. But do notice the use of the word, “most.” Be wary of buying commercial rabbit food at a pet shore or grocery store in small 5 to 10 pound bags, especially if it contains colorful “treat pieces.” You will be paying much more per pound for this feed than if you buy a freshly milled 25-50lb bag, and it wouldn't be nearly as fresh or nutrient dense.
Take a close look at the nutrition facts
Including all treats and supplements given. A pet rabbit’s feed should contain 14-16% protein, approximately 3% fat, and at least 18% fiber. Pregnant and nursing females can use a slightly higher protein content, but an 18%+ protein content is too rich for most small rabbits. You should also watch out for “low cost formulas” which do not have a fixed list of ingredients, because they use whatever is cheapest at the time. Rapid changes in a rabbit’s diet is a leading cause of death!
Your bunny's food pellets should be firm, green and fresh in appearance and they should have a very clean and fresh hay smell to them. Avoid all pellets that appear brown, smell stale and tend to crumble / turn to powder.
Pellet brands we recommend
Worry not, Dallas has already done the work in finding appropriate rabbit pellets for pet and breeding bunnies alike so you don't have to!
1. Haystack Rabbit Pellets This is our #1 choice and we hope it becomes more readily available across the US soon! The Haystack company is a local family-owned business and one of their feed mills is only about an hour from our Homestead. They provide the FRESHEST feed to our animals and their rabbit pellets in particular are spectacular! If you are in Oregon or Washington (and maybe California?) ask your local feed stores if they carry Haystack or would be willing to order any! It will fly off the shelves anyway. At approx. $16 for a 50lb bag of fresh, fragrant green pellets with limited ingredients, you CAN'T beat this brand!
2. Sherwood Rabbit (adult and baby formulas) Sherwood is a top-notch formula created by an exotic animal Veterinarian (Dr. Sherwood) and it has been a saving grace for us in the past with special needs rescue bunnies who had extra delicate digestive systems. While we love and respect this brand and their variety of formulas, it is incredibly costly and not sold in large quantities. It may be an appropriate option for 1-2 pet bunnies but likely not sustainable for a herd. 3. Oxbow Garden Select Adult Rabbit Oxbow has a large variety of different formulas including ones marketed towards "baby" and "adult". While we love Oxbows brand as a whole (their toys and a few of their treats are very loved within my Bunny AND Guinea Pig herd) we don't particularly love all of their formulas (that doesn't mean they're unsafe, just not our first choice). The "Garden Select" formula is the one we would feed if we had too.