WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY RABBIT?

Three quarters of a rabbit’s diet or even more should be good sweet hay and ordinary clean grass. Rabbits need lots and lots of fibre. The richer the diet, the worse it is for them. Feed unlimited hay from a hay rack and unlimited grass (never grass clippings). The best hay is coarse Timothy hay sold in long strands rather than chopped short. Do not feed alfalfa hay - this can cause bladder stones.  In addition to this feed a small amount of pellets (never mix) so that your rabbit eats a good balanced diet. These pellets have good high fibre content - Burgess Excel (not to be confused with other Burgess foods - look for the Excel), Science Selective pellets, or Oxbow Bunny Basic pellets. Don’t leave a bowl full of pellets throughout the day. Feed in the morning - just enough for your rabbit to finish up completely before noon. Or, if you are not there to check this, feed two small portions a day that can be eaten in five to ten minutes while you wait. If the bowl isn’t cleared, then feed less the next time.
Ignore all high protein mixes, mixes with fruit in them, all luxury mixes. Richer means worse. If you can give your rabbit a couple of hours a day grazing on grass (in a secure pen partly covered against the rain), do. This is good for his diet, his teeth and his well being.

DO RABBITS NEED WATER?
Fresh water is very, very important for rabbits, particularly if they are on a dry diet. If they don't drink enough they are more likely to get urinary problems. It has now been proved that rabbits will drink more if their water is in a bowl, rather than in a water bottle. Drinking from the bottle is harder for them and painful for a rabbit with a sore mouth or tooth problems. Chose a low bowl heavy enough so that the rabbit cannot push it about. Rabbits who get dehydrated can die very suddenly.

WHAT CAN I GIVE MY RABBIT AS TREATS?

NEVER give sticky treats, dairy treats or any treats with honey. The best treats are wild plants like sow thistle, groundsel, plantain, clover, dandelion, brambles, etc. Or garden veg like carrot, swede, turnip, broccoli. Be sparing with fruit – only teaspoonful of apple, pear, strawberries etc. Don’t feed lettuce. Oxbow hay cakes (www.vetbed.co.uk ) are really good treats. Excel Nature Snacks (www.burgesssupafeeds.co.uk) are OK too.. Do not feed locust beans. These are sometimes still sold as treats but the seeds which are sometimes left in them can get stuck in the small intestine and kill the rabbit.

WHAT FOOD IS BAD FOR RABBITS?

It is important to feed rabbits grass and wild foods but do not feed rhubarb stems or leaves, potato or tomato leaves or stems, buttercup flowers or leaves, runner beans or runner bean leaves. Do not give conifer branches or leaves.Kale, carrot tops, spinach, parsley and spring greens are high in calcium and should be fed only in very small quantities. Many human foods like chocolate or alcohol are poisonous. Even safe human foods are too rich for rabbits. You wouldn’t eat rabbit pellets so why feed them human cake? Never give human drugs to rabbits. These could kill them. For a longer list look at the Rabbit Welfare website.