rabbit feeding schedule?

Question

I have a 4.5lb rabbit who is a english spot. how often and how much should I feed my rabbit? I love her and care about her very much and I would like an answer from someone with experience.

Answer 1

I've raised and shown rabbits for going on 25 years and I have studied animal nutrition at Purdue University.

I recommend feeding your English Spot 1-2 times per day. I personally prefer feeding once a day because you can more easily notice if the rabbit isn't eating like it should and you have a less likely chance of over-feeding.

I recommend feeding a rabbit pellet ration with about 16-17% protein and 2-3% fat. Feed your rabbit just what it will clean up in 24 hours. The feed bowl should just barely be emptied at the end of 24 hours. Some rabbit nutritionists recommend only feeding what they will eat in 20-30 minutes, but I've found that rabbits tend to get bony over the back if fed that little.

If you are going to feed anything in addition to the rabbit pellets, the best thing I recommend to feed is a grass or stemmy hay such as timothy hay or orchard grass hay. A small handful a day will do.

I don't recommend feeding your rabbit vegetables, greens, or fruits. Here are some reasons why:

When you feed vegetables, you are increasing the amount of nitrogen, carbohydrates, and energy the rabbit is receiving. At the same time, you are reducing the amount of fiber your rabbit is receiving. All of these factors, increase the risk of your rabbit getting diahrrea by offsetting the chemical balance in the cecum allowing a larger percentage of bad bacteria to grow, creating the condition that causes diahrrea. The increase in nitrogen will also increase the amount of ammonia your rabbit produces through pooping and peeing, making the feces smell worse. The increased energy and carbohydrates also increases the production of fat, making your rabbit fatter. At the same time, while you are increasing the energy your rabbit receives, you are decreasing the percentage of protein your rabbit receives. Protein is what the rabbit's system uses to build muscle and maintain firmness. So what happens is that the rabbit is losing weight due to losing muscle and fluids, while at the same time gaining fat and becoming fatter. That's a bad, bad situation. People are right when they say giving your rabbit vegetables will make it lose weight, but it will lose weight due to muscle and fluid loss and at the same time will gain fat.

Another problem that can result due to feeding vegetables and/or fruit. Is that due to it increasing the amount of energy the rabbit receives, it can increase the metabolism of the fur follicle, which basically means. It can cause your rabbit to molt or shed more.

Fruit also can cause diahrrea due to the sugars in the fruit. The sugars increase the energy to the rabbit and offset the microbial balance in the cecum, increasing the risk of diahrrea.

You can tell if your rabbit is getting fat by grabbing the hide behind the neck. The looser the hide is, the fatter your rabbit is. If your rabbit isn't getting enough nutrients or protein, then your rabbit will tend to feel or look bony over the back. One thing to note is that English Spots since they are a running breed and have a full arch will tend to feel slightly bonier than most breeds with commercial or compact body types. So don't expect a healthy English Spot to feel quite as smooth over the back as say a healthy New Zealand, Dutch, or Florida White.

Water is also very important in a rabbit's diet. A lack of water can cause an increase in the metabolism of the fur follicles and increase your rabbit's chances of molting. Also, if your rabbit is not supplied enough water it will not eat to its potential and as a result will not grow like it should.

To help increase the amount of water that a rabbit drinks, a small amount of molasses can be added to the feed or a small amount of salt. Either will cause the rabbit to drink more. However, be careful not to add too much of either. Because too much molasses can cause a risk of diahrrea due to its sugar content. And too much salt can risk a salt toxicity to the rabbit.

Answer 2

I have a had a rabbit for 4 years now and I have had no problems with her. I just have a dish of food in her cage with food about half full all the time and she eats when shes hungry. She will not over eat when i leave the food inside her cage. The thing I find about rabbits is that they are very picky about food. Unlike my cat, my rabbit has never eaten anything bad for her even when she has the chance. As soon as she smells it she just ignores it. On the other hand, she loves her rabbit treats..so I definately suggest leaving those in a safe place. There is proably lots of places online where u can get an expert opinion on this from a vet if you are really worried about it.

Answer 3

I raised English Spots for about 3 years and then switched over to Tans since they have fewer culls. They have the same needs.

First of all, asses if your rabbit needs to gain weight, lose weight, or if she is at an ideal weight. Run your hand over her back. You should be able to feel her backbone, but it shouldn't stick out. If you can feel her pinbones' shape then she needs to gain weight. If you can't feel her backbone or pinbones then she needs to lose weight. If you feel a nice smooth curve and can slightly feel pinbones then she is right on track. Weight isn't really useful unless you are concerned that she is going over/under the weight standards for show.

We feed 1/2 a cup of pellets every day to maintain our rabbits. In the winter it increases to a full cup because we keep our rabbits outside. Overweight rabbits will usually lose weight if you keep them on this schedule, but if they are still overweight, you can decrease their feed or give them a waterbottle instead of a bowl of water. Underweight rabbits can be given a bowl of water instead of a bottle and that will increase their diet. For adding just a litle bit of weight, feed 1/2 a cup more than regularly and check your rabbit every week or so to see how she's doing. For the severely underweight rabbit, free feed them and you will see result in just a week or so.

Hopefully that helps, I think it was more than you asked for but it's good for every rabbit owner to know!

Answer 4

Feed about a Tablespoon (sorry, I don't do metric) of alfalfa pellets twice a day. Offer about a 1/4 cup of fresh food (split between the 2 meals). Mix some vegetables and fruit, all kinds will be welcome. Frozen is convenient and already mixed. Rabbits LOVE grape vines, they help wear down their teeth too.

This is how we fed our Rabbits when I was in Vet Tech training.

Cheers.

Answer 5

I have 2 rabbits,a lop-eared,Precious 9 years and Bunnie, a albino going on 13 years. This is my feeding schedule. They have Hay,which I get from the EXotic animal Vet-Coastal Hay which they love or you can get Timothy Hay from Petsmaart.Petco or any Petfood store(NO Alfalfa hay for too high in protein which acan cause serious liver,kidney problems.) Hay should be available ALL THE TIME for they chew which keeps teth from growing too long(wood,sticks-only from petstores for pesticide and sap free can also be given to chew, it also keeps food etc from moving through the system and hairs they swallow when they clean also is passed through.) 1/4 cup approx of pellets a day. Also feed in the AM 1/2bunch of either Parsley, OR 2-3 stalks of Kale or approx 15 stalks of Dandelion Greens-rabbits love and almost perfect food for rabbits-get my greens at a Farmers Market for can get fresh and much cheaper than at Grocery Store. Greens should always be Fresh for wilted will upset system which will require vet care.if greens not eated in 1hr approx Remove. then in afternoon give 1/2 carrot or 1 smaller carrot. Or 1/4 apple-do not give at the same time for both have fruit sugar, I'll switch 1 day carrot and next day apple. Then in the PM again the same amount of Greens that I gaave in the PM. The Treat foods for Rabbits(not all same day but different days) they LOVE Banana but only 1/4 -small piece for too much will soften pellets, apple-1/4 large and 1/2 small, Raisins but no more than 7-8 for if more will make pellets soft, strawberries-some rabbits love some do not care for the just have to try various types on your rabbit.DO NOT Give Grapes. Do Not.NEVER Give Iceberg Lettuce for can be toxic over time although any other Lettuce like Grren or Red leaf is good for them to have here and there. Also like Broccoli but do not give every day and NOT the leaves(leaves are toxic-poisonous to rabbits and some rabbits tolerate Brocccoli well but why i give approx 2xweek for can cause gas that can hurt ) Never give your rabbits SEEDS,NUTS for givs a lot of gas and hard to digest.Was told this by my VET-who only do exotic pets,a Vet that does dogs and cats doesn't have the same expertise for studied mainly cats,dogs. for a lot of petstores sell pellet food with seeds and treats with nuts,seed,honey----NEVER give a rabbit Sugarry stuff including Honey-upsets the balance of the digestive system..Am so glad you are a rabbit person for rabbits are such gentle and loving creatures-my first rabbit I found in my yard and had before never thought of having a rabbit for a pet but love mine and they are so affectionate. There is avery good book-How To Live With A URban Rabbit-the house rabbit Society prints and should be available from VETS that treat Exotic animals-birs and small animals. should be able to find in the yellow pages. Rabbits need a checkup once a year to keep them healthy AND Need their nails trimmed by a VET-do not try on your own for the first time but take to a vet who will show-its a 2-person job for cannot safely hold and trim the nails. I just take mine to the vet-approx 14-18dollars twice a year approx.There is no need to bathe your rabbit for are very clean and also catch respiratory infections very easy if they get chilled. If the rabbit gets a messy bottom-very seldom and usually in the older rabbits-can wash with either kitten or puppy shampoo-soiled area only-not the whole rabbit and must be dried thoroughly for a chilled rabbit taked no time to get very sick. Rabbits love boxes -I turn the box so the open part is on the bottom then cut opening in the side large enough for the rabbit to go in and out-keeps them having fun for hours,they also like a place to rest in. If your rabbit is caged-make sure cage has pullout tray for the pellets etc and that you put paper or hay on the Wire Floor for if a rabbit is on wire alll the time will break the hair down and get very painful sores on the bottom of their feet. Also rabbits hould get sv hrs of out of the cage time.My rabbits are now in a bunny proof room-have a litterbox-recycled paper only as litter and some hay which they use-I change 3-4 days or if I smell tghe ammonia from the urine. But when I had a cage surrounded with a large play pen(Wire panels hooked together which are too high for the rabbit to go over and hooked each end to the cage.Left the cage door down with a rug on the door to avoid getting nails,feet stuck in the rungs and the rabbit was able to go in and out. a caged all the time bunny just sits but a bunny that has some space will run,jump and glide through the air. The cutest thing is to have the bunny stand on its hind legs to get a treat-can';t do in a cage.You know you HAVE to brush your bunny-with a soft brush for have sensitive skin for gets loose hair off them for will swallow loose hair when they clean themselves and bunnies cannot throw up and if too much hair swallowd stays in the stomach and forms a large hairball-very dangerous. I brush every PM-bunnies love to get brushed and its also a good way for you to bond with your bunny. Wrote quite a bit but love sharing what I know so the owner will know how to care for it and the bunny will be well cared for and happy. Chow!