What is the best food for a bunny?

Answer 1

Alfalfa pellets. They should be green and fresh smelling. Just get plain pellets with a protein of 16-18% and as high of fiber as possible. Avoid pellets which have corn as an ingredient and do not get the pellets with seeds or treats in them. Manna Pro is a good name brand. Oxbow is also good.

In addition to alfalfa pellets, free-feed timothy hay. Timothy hay should be green and sweet smelling. Give your bunny as much as it wants.

Supplement with fresh green herbs (like parseley) and vegetables (like romaine lettuce) regularly.

Provide fruit occasionally---the high sugar content is harder for rabbits to digest and so too much fruit will cause problems. Bananas and apple slices are good fruits that bunnies enjoy.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Part of this answer depends on the age of your bunny. Just like most other mammals, a rabbit's nutritional needs change with his/her age. Under the age of 6 weeks, a baby bunny (called a kit) is still in the nursing and weaning process. Generally by the age of about 8 weeks a baby bunny is ready to switch over to complete self-feeding, and will start eating pellets (always buy a high quality alfalfa based pellet), and should have free access to alfalfa hay. Until a bunny is at least 6 months old, you don't want to offer it any fresh fruit or much in the way of veggies (between 4 and 6 months of age, it's okay to offer a few bites of romaine lettuce, or a few nibbles of carrot here or there, but not every day! They're digestive system isn't ready for the roughage yet!) Once a rabbit reaches the age of 6 months, you want to start offering timothy hay instead of alfalfa, as they don't need as much protein at this point, and alfalfa has a lot more protein in it than timothy does (you can also try an orchard grass mix...some rabbits prefer that to timothy and either one will work fine!) You should also start providing about 2 cups of fresh veggies a day per bunny (romaine lettuce, watercress, bok choy, carrot tops, dandylion greens, etc are good choices--I try to provide a mix of at least 3 of these per day so that my bunnies get a good variety of greens). You also want to provide constant access to fresh water of course! Those are the basics. I also tend to provide one fruit treat per day (1/8th of an orange, 1/8th of an apple, a few raisins, etc per bunny). As far as amounts of pellets, it usually goes by weight, and each feed is a little different. Most of them usually average out to between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup per day per bunny, but you should be able to find exact amounts on the bag. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail me directly at [e-mail] and I'll try to help!

Answer 3

You should provide your bunny with a constant supply of grass hays such as timothy, oat or wheat, and stay away from alfalfa and clover hays which have to much protein for rabbits. The hay is very important for keeping your rabbits intestinal tract running properly. Also provide your rabbit with a quality pellet that is at least 22% crude fiber, no more than approximately 14% protein. They will get other nutrients they need from the pellt that thay don't get from the hay.

Answer 4

Generally, before six months, bunnies' main diet should be hay, water, and lucerne pellets. Some say you can begin introducing vegetables at four months, some say not until six months of age. Most importantly, when you begin to introduce vegies, you must do it VERY slowly and gradually - begin with just one slice or one very small piece of your chosen vegie or fruit, and make sure it doesn't give her diarrhoea over the next 24 hours before giving any more. Please see my own website, where I've written articles on this, at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood

You should never give cabbage or lettuce to rabbits - lettuce and cabbage are both very bad for rabbits, can cause diarrhoea and bloat which can kill them -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html#lettuce

And please check out my site at
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyfood.html#safe&poisonous
for lists of safe and dangerous foods for bunnies older than six months of age, reproduced from the excellent "Rabbitlopaedia" by Meg Brown and Virginia Richardson.

Have a read of these great detailed rabbit sites too -
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rabbits/a/?once=true&
http://www.tagyerit.com/hopline/cold.htm
http://www.rabbit.org/
http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabbits.html - my own site - please have a browse and enjoy reading!

Answer 5

Timothy Hay pellets are best with an unlimited amount of loose timothy hay. You can find more food related articles on this website. http://www.rabbit.org

Answer 6

It's actually bad to feed carrots to a rabbit. Go with the alfalfa pellets and dark rich greens like spinach and kale.

Answer 7

the best food for a bunny i'll have to say carrots

Answer 8

Carrots

Answer 9

BASIC DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR THE HEALTHY RABBIT

ADULT RABBITS: The basic diet for a healthy adult rabbit should consist of unlimited access to grass hay (not pelleted, cubed or chopped) along with a variety of fresh vegetables and a limited amount of timothy hay-based rabbit pellets---every day.


BABY RABBITS: Alfalfa pellets and hay should be available in unlimited quantities to baby rabbits starting at about three weeks of age.

Hay is crucial to your rabbit's health as it is the main source of fiber/roughage which aids the digestion, helps prevent g.i. stasis and hairballs and it is helpful in keeping your rabbit's teeth in good shape. Grass hays should be available in unlimited quantities to all rabbits over three weeks of age.

Pellets should always be fresh. Don't buy more than a month's supply at a time or they may get stale and lose nutritional value. By the time your rabbit is 7 months to 1 year old you should begin switching over to a timothy hay-based pellet, such as OxBow Hay's Bunny Basics/T.


Vegetables should be fresh and free of pesticides. Feed at least 3 kinds of vegetables every day. See our Veggie/Fruit list for more information.


Time balance is just as important as nutritional balance. Divide the pellets and vegetables between the morning and evening meals. Hay should always be available.


Following are dietary recommendations for the different phases of your rabbit's life. ALL recommendations are based on a healthy rabbit. These are just guidelines. You should always consult your Rabbit Vet about diet and other health issues, especially for older, ailing or frail rabbits.

BABIES AND TEENAGERS

Birth to 3 weeks - mother's milk

3 to 7 weeks - mother's milk, unlimited access to alfalfa pellets and grass hays (timothy, oat, orchard)

7 weeks to 7 months - unlimited alfalfa pellets and grass hays

4-5 months - introduce *vegetables (one at a time, under 1/2 oz.)
YOUNG ADULTS: 7 MONTHS TO 1 YEAR

Decrease pellets to 1/4 cup per day per 5 lbs body weight, start switching rabbit to timothy hay-based pellet

Increase daily vegetables - slowly

Fruit, 1-2 times a week, no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL)
MATURE ADULTS: 1 TO 5 YEARS

Unlimited timothy, oat or other grass hays

¼ to ½ cup timothy hay-based pellets per 5 lbs body weight (depends on metabolism)

2-3 cups of veggies per 5 lbs of body weight, decrease if bunny is not eating enough hay

Fruit, 1-2 times per week, limit to 2 TBL - NO FRUIT for overweight rabbits
SENIOR RABBITS : 6 YEARS AND UP


If weight and health are OK, continue diet as above

Frail and/or older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets and/or other dietary enhancements to keep weight up

NOTE: For older rabbits it is important to have a blood workup done by your vet - at least once a year - to check the calcium level and kidney function (among other things)

Answer 10

i agree with everyone here,but, any thing that show a rabbit,is good for it,like go to your local walmart, any vegie is good for it too.fresh grass,u can also make your own rabbit food,here is how, add on pack of rabbit food,1 bag of farret/1 bag parret food/1bag of hamster,mix well -fed 1 to 2 cups aday,