What do I feed my bunny other than rabbit pellets?
- Thread starter Jazelle
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That is a complicated question that people have many opinions about, but I would suggest that a beginner start with pellets and hay, and plenty of clean water and then learn as you go. Your rabbit can always have hay, it gives them something to do, and they can't really eat too much. Hay should smell clean and fresh, not dusty or moldy.
Carrots are a treat not a meal for a rabbit, think of them like a cookie, they are not actually a balanced food for them, but they can have them in small amounts.
Carrots are a treat not a meal for a rabbit, think of them like a cookie, they are not actually a balanced food for them, but they can have them in small amounts.
True well I will get her food but she doesn't have hay or pellets because I've been trying to see what other foods she'll be able to eat.
Well, there are literally 1800+ threads on feeding and nutrition on rabbit talk. What specifically are you trying to do? Find more safe treats? Avoid pellets because you don't believe in them? Feed for breeding? Show? raising meat? keeping a neutered pet rabbit healthy is wildly different than a breeding doe. I mean, it is a really, really big topic.
You specifically asked about "meals" and meals should be hay, pellets, or natural fodder plants of which there are likely thousands in your local area, but I cannot give you a list because I only really know my local area...can you make your question a little more specific?
Also you could try searching "natural feeding" "forage plants" or "rabbit treats"...depending on what you are actually interested in.
You specifically asked about "meals" and meals should be hay, pellets, or natural fodder plants of which there are likely thousands in your local area, but I cannot give you a list because I only really know my local area...can you make your question a little more specific?
Also you could try searching "natural feeding" "forage plants" or "rabbit treats"...depending on what you are actually interested in.
RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
All rabbits need hay, or some form of it
Avoid feeding carrots regularly, they should only be fed as an occasional treat
Avoid feeding carrots regularly, they should only be fed as an occasional treat
You really should HAVE food for her. Just because you can get her to eat something when she has no other options does not mean it is safe for her. A hungry rabbit will eat poisonous things.
For starters you need a foundation that you can always feed to give the rabbit a buffer to prevent upset tummies. Best option for that is good hay. You can top that off with some greens, better from trees than ground level and not from underground (like roots and tubers). Small amount of pellets will round out the hay diet, because protein in hay may not be enough and not all vitamins/minerals/trace elements are always there. Other part is clean water always.
Only cartoon rabbits thrive on carrots.
Only cartoon rabbits thrive on carrots.
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
Field peas not green peas, field peas soaked until they sprout. I use organic from the farm. Whole oats, hay that is green and Mold and dust free.
I feed tree branches with leaves but look up the ones safe for rabbits. I feed fresh grass in the summer but start slowly when you transition them from winter to summer. I give a mineral block and a salt block as they need essential minerals and salt.
Lots of fresh water with apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon per gallon of water.
What if I have no hay, is that all they could eat other than pellets?
Imagine having a bunny and have no money for food, and looked in refrigerator and cabinet to see what they could eat... What would you give them?
Okay, I've been feeding her whole oats, I haven't thought about tree branches or anything like that though I'll look into that thanks
True, well I don't want anything too heavy for her her because she is a Netherland Dwarf and she's small.
Excellent answer. A smart lady on this site told me once that if the mother eats it, the babies can eat it. Have a great day.
First of all, if she's still small, try out to find out what her mum was fed and what she is used to. Hay is a safe option if you don't know. Where did you get the rabbit from?
If she is used to fresh forage, it would be quite easy - I feed mostly grass and weeds. But if a young rabbit is not used to it introducing it with no time to adjust slowly that can cause serious problems. Better than nothing though, there are some rather safe plants like narrowleaf plantain, leafs of roses, apple trees, bramble leafs.
Never had an issue with pellets, but I only feed those as treats.
About what to feed a rabbit, that depends on your resources, several options:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
The key to feeding rabbits is consistency, and doing things gradually. Rabbits have rather delicate digestive systems, and it doesn't take much to make an upset. It's good to have "usual" food, something they are used to that is nutritious. Then, slowly add in other foods a little at a time. Most people start with hay and pellets, and go from there.
I happen to feed whole grains, not pellets. There's nothing right or wrong about that, it's just a personal choice, and lets me use more locally available/ locally produced feeds. If I grow my own, great. If not, I can purchase them locally. When I get a new rabbit, I try to get a quart bag of the food the breeder is using as well. The first couple of days I just feed the pellets as is. The next day, I mix in 1/3 of my own feed mix. Slowly, I add more and more of my mix, until they are just getting a few spoonsful of their old feed, until it is all gone. By then, their digestive bacteria has had a chance to multiply strains that can digest well what I feed.
I do the same with seasonal feeds. In the spring, I start with just a few leaves of dandelion and plantain (the little Plantago sp. weeds that grow in many lawns (but never feed from lawns that have been chemically sprayed or are used as toilets by other pets). Gradually, I add more leaves, including some grasses, chickweed, chicory, rose and blackberry/raspberry leaves, burdock leaves; and some tree leaves like mulberry, apple, willow, pear, aspen, silver/sugar maple. Start slow. If you see signs that the bunny is getting diarrhea, bloat, or going off-feed, eliminate that new feed from the program (make a note of it, so you'll remember later not to use it.)
This is by no means an exhaustive list of potential feeds, there are many threads here on "safe to feed plants" for more information (and yes, there are a wide variety of disputed plants that some feed and others feel are not safe). Your choices will depend on what ecosystems are available to you, and where you live (warm or cold, dry or wet).
As fall approaches, there will be less greens available, and eventually only the tree twigs will be available. Of course, during the summer, you can dry those same edible fresh leaves and store them for the winter. Make sure they are completely dry, not moldy. They should smell fresh and clean. We do this when a tree needs pruned during the summer, or has broken in a storm. We take the branches into an airy barn, and let the leaves dry. When crispy and crumbly, we bag them in feed sacks. On a small scale, you can do this by putting a screen in your car between the front and back seats, putting the leaves on the screen, and leaving the windows cranked open a few inches for air circulation. They often dry in just one day. Or use a dehydrator, or hang them up in a bundle in the house until dry.
I happen to feed whole grains, not pellets. There's nothing right or wrong about that, it's just a personal choice, and lets me use more locally available/ locally produced feeds. If I grow my own, great. If not, I can purchase them locally. When I get a new rabbit, I try to get a quart bag of the food the breeder is using as well. The first couple of days I just feed the pellets as is. The next day, I mix in 1/3 of my own feed mix. Slowly, I add more and more of my mix, until they are just getting a few spoonsful of their old feed, until it is all gone. By then, their digestive bacteria has had a chance to multiply strains that can digest well what I feed.
I do the same with seasonal feeds. In the spring, I start with just a few leaves of dandelion and plantain (the little Plantago sp. weeds that grow in many lawns (but never feed from lawns that have been chemically sprayed or are used as toilets by other pets). Gradually, I add more leaves, including some grasses, chickweed, chicory, rose and blackberry/raspberry leaves, burdock leaves; and some tree leaves like mulberry, apple, willow, pear, aspen, silver/sugar maple. Start slow. If you see signs that the bunny is getting diarrhea, bloat, or going off-feed, eliminate that new feed from the program (make a note of it, so you'll remember later not to use it.)
This is by no means an exhaustive list of potential feeds, there are many threads here on "safe to feed plants" for more information (and yes, there are a wide variety of disputed plants that some feed and others feel are not safe). Your choices will depend on what ecosystems are available to you, and where you live (warm or cold, dry or wet).
As fall approaches, there will be less greens available, and eventually only the tree twigs will be available. Of course, during the summer, you can dry those same edible fresh leaves and store them for the winter. Make sure they are completely dry, not moldy. They should smell fresh and clean. We do this when a tree needs pruned during the summer, or has broken in a storm. We take the branches into an airy barn, and let the leaves dry. When crispy and crumbly, we bag them in feed sacks. On a small scale, you can do this by putting a screen in your car between the front and back seats, putting the leaves on the screen, and leaving the windows cranked open a few inches for air circulation. They often dry in just one day. Or use a dehydrator, or hang them up in a bundle in the house until dry.
Is this the same rabbit you wrote about in November? Well, than at least she's not that young anymore and out of the woods by now, and you can adjust her diet slowly and gradually to something appropriate (see link above).
Usually rabbit staple food is not found in the cabinet or fridge.
You did seem to know some things about rabbits back then, at least what is cute and so, good that you want to learn stuff about rabbit nutritiuon.
There are cheap ways to feed rabbits, when I was a kid every 3rd house had chicken or rabbits because meat was too expensive to buy regularily. Hay is one of those if you can get bales from a farm or feed store, forage is way more work.
Usually rabbit staple food is not found in the cabinet or fridge.
You did seem to know some things about rabbits back then, at least what is cute and so, good that you want to learn stuff about rabbit nutritiuon.
There are cheap ways to feed rabbits, when I was a kid every 3rd house had chicken or rabbits because meat was too expensive to buy regularily. Hay is one of those if you can get bales from a farm or feed store, forage is way more work.
Okay, thanks! Winter just ended so I'll see what's outside that she can eat.
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
I wouldn’t feed my rabbits from the refrigerator most items are not good for the rabbits.
Grass/hay/weeds is an abundant item. Rabbits can survive fine on good quality hay/grass/weeds and to buy hay is not expensive. Buy a square bale from a local farmer and keep it in a dry place.
Make sure it is grass hay or an 80% grass 20% alfalfa works too.
Straight alfalfa is to rich and is a legume not grass hay and can cause problems.
The New Safe Plants for Rabbits List
That is a list of wild plants that are rabbit edible. It was compiled largely by MaggieJ and has been added to by other members.
A Foragers Harvest is a nice book to use for identifying some of those plants. Not all plants that are human edible are good for rabbits. So only use it as a cross reference.
That is a list of wild plants that are rabbit edible. It was compiled largely by MaggieJ and has been added to by other members.
A Foragers Harvest is a nice book to use for identifying some of those plants. Not all plants that are human edible are good for rabbits. So only use it as a cross reference.
Okay, but I will try grass, but spring has just come and things are just beginning to bloom so there isn't much grass that has just came.
