Exotic Birds Blog

How To Tell If Your Rabbit Is Eating The Right Food

Most pet owners know that a rabbit’s diet will consist of things like water, pellets and vegetables. Although fruit is a nice treat, it shouldn’t be something you regularly feed your rabbit as it can end up obese.   Rabbits require a constant water supply as they dehydrate quickly. In order to help you care for your rabbit properly, please find below some rabbit food tips.

Pellets

Rabbits are generally fed a pelleted feed available from pet stores, supermarkets, and farm suppliers.   Pellets were originally designed for rabbit breeders for the purpose of providing as much food energy and vitamins as inexpensively as possible.

Hay

Hay is essential for the health of all rabbits. If you make sure there is enough hay in the hutch, this should prevent the digestive problems that rabbits often suffer from. As well as this, hay is also full of vitamins which your rabbit needs. Rabbits enjoy chewing on hay, and always having hay available for the rabbit may reduce its tendency to chew on other items.

Treats

In addition to hay and pellets, there are also many different rabbit food treats available. Treats are unhealthy in large quantities for rabbits, just as they are for humans. Pet stores are notorious for stocking high sugar treats which aren’t designed to be fed to your rabbit every day. One of the healthiest ways you can treat your rabbit is to feed it fruit.

Acceptable fruits (seeds and pips MUST be removed): Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Peach, Apple, Kiwi, Berries, Orange and other citrus fruits.

Fruits or other treats must be given in moderation, as rabbits easily become overweight and suffer health problems.   Their diet should consist of no more than half a tablespoon of fruits or treats per day.

Just like with humans though, fruits don’t digest quickly, so don’t give fruit to your rabbit who is under 4 months old.   It can cause enteritis that causes death within 48 hours.

Another tip worth noting is that lettuce isn’t all its cracked up to be – it actually shouldn’t be fed to rabbits because it has very little nutritional value and could also cause death.

Cecal pellets

Although an unpleasant sight, some rabbits do eat their own faeces, so please don’t panic if you see this. The official name for these is ‘cecal’ pellets and they are actually an important part of a rabbit’s diet. The cecal pellets are a rabbit’s only way of obtaining vitamin B12, which is an essential part of staying healthy. Rabbits need to eat their faeces because they don’t get the same nutrients from their food. This is perfectly normal though.

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How To Choose A Pet Rabbit

When it’s time for your family to get a pet, there are a number of decisions to make before deciding on the ideal family pet.  There are numerous factors that you should consider when you are picking a pet for kids, including the pet’s size and eating habits.

One pet that many families consider is the rabbit.  It seems like an ideal pet because of its size, manor, and eating habits.  The only drawback of owning a rabbit is dealing with some of the animals natural actions.  Rabbits are not the type of pet that likes to be held and snuggled.

Try to hold a rabbit against their will and they may bite, scratch, and kick their way free of your grasp.  Kids who want to pet and play with a family pet are not well suited for a rabbit.  Because it is not a social animal, a rabbit may not be the ideal pet for a family.

Rabbits can also take a long time to adapt to a new environment and to bond with their owner.  The time and patience required to domesticate and acclimate a rabbit make it a difficult pet for children to deal with.  They aren’t good pets for children because rabbits require more time and attention than children are usually able to give.

Rabbits can also be destructive.  It is their natural habit to chew through anything in their environment.  Anything inappropriate for chewing should be kept away from your rabbit.  A rabbit will just as easily chew up cables and electrical wires as shoes and furniture legs.  The size or shape doesn’t matter.  Rabbits just chew.

A final factor to consider is that rabbits require a lot of attention.  Rabbits have a number of needs. As herbivores, they will only eat meatless foods.  You can feed them specially made pellets and clean fruits and vegetables.  Their cage has to be cleaned every day, and they require a constant supply of fresh food and water.  When getting supplies, you can find cheap rabbit cages online. If you can provide the extra time and attention a rabbit needs, it can be a good companion in the right environment.

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