What do I feed my bunny other than rabbit pellets?

[Jazelle]

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.

So will I be able to give her leaves from trees?

 

[Jazelle]

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.

Also umm yeah I think I wrote about her in November...

 

[kinneydean]

we fed banana leaves, sweet potato vines, any kind of pea or green bean vines, lucena (tropical tree), moringa tree, pigeon pea leaves, comfry leaves, velvet bean leaves (very prolific if you keep them watered) and the rabbits all did well. we had over 600 rabbits at one time.

 

[judymac]

"So will I be able to give her leaves from trees? "

Answer: depends on the tree. The link a few posts above this about the New Safe Plants for Rabbits list is a good place to start. When possible, you want to combine foods so that you are providing the widest range of nutrition. Wild rabbits nibble here and nibble there, a bite of clover has more protein, something else more fiber, something else more minerals. . .put them together and it makes a good nutritious lunch.

You wouldn't feed someone bread crumbs for every meal, and expect them to be healthy. Or a steady diet of just lettuce. We try to balance our diets. That's one reason pellets are so popular--the experts have already done the balancing for you. When you are providing the feed, you get to choose the mix. A non-working pet can survive on a diet with lower nutrition than a breeding buck or nursing doe, but will still need a variety of nutrients.

Use the search function here at the top right of each Rabbit Talk page, you'll find many threads on feeding rabbits.

 

[Jazelle]

we fed banana leaves, sweet potato vines, any kind of pea or green bean vines, lucena (tropical tree), moringa tree, pigeon pea leaves, comfry leaves, velvet bean leaves (very prolific if you keep them watered) and the rabbits all did well. we had over 600 rabbits at one time.

Oh wow, well I guess I'll give her leaves and etc.

 

[ladysown]

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?

what can you feed a bunny when you have no pellets or hay. Will this be a regular thing or short term?
Short term, you feed what you can find: mixed grains, oatmeal (uncooked), squash, various dark green, etc. Various weeds and greens. In a pinch I've seen people feed unsalted pretzel, crackers, and bread. In a pinch it works.
On a regular basis what can you feed besides pellets and hay? A WHOLE variety of things, you'd have to google rabbit safe veggies and weeds where you live.

ALL that said. If your rabbit is ONLY used to pellets and hay, pinch-hitting with something they are not used to can cause gastric distress. Rabbits don't handle gut problems well. So weigh out your options carefully.

 

[Jazelle]

what can you feed a bunny when you have no pellets or hay. Will this be a regular thing or short term?
Short term, you feed what you can find: mixed grains, oatmeal (uncooked), squash, various dark green, etc. Various weeds and greens. In a pinch I've seen people feed unsalted pretzel, crackers, and bread. In a pinch it works.
On a regular basis what can you feed besides pellets and hay? A WHOLE variety of things, you'd have to google rabbit safe veggies and weeds where you live.

ALL that said. If your rabbit is ONLY used to pellets and hay, pinch-hitting with something they are not used to can cause gastric distress. Rabbits don't handle gut problems well. So weigh out your options carefully.

I googled if rabbits can eat bread it shouldn't be fed to bunnies, and bread could result in a blockage forming, or food fermenting in the gut. It also says,
Do not feed your rabbit items high in carbohydrates like breads, crackers, pasta, pretzels, cookies, chips, or cereal.

So I've been getting confused you said I can feed my bunny bread and crackers.

I been feeding my rabbit thin wheat crackers thinking it's fine for her to eat that. But google saying they can't in one search and can in another. I think she's been fine eating the crackers though.
She likes bread but I'm not sure if she can actually eat it so I don't give it to her. Around the times when I first got her I used to give her chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, donuts, peanut butter, jelly and etc. But she's been fine through the whole time I had her. She got sick once but I believe it was just because it was cold from the winter.
I don't know exactly what she can eat from outside I used to give her dandelions if that was okay, and I don't know what kinds of grass or leafs she can eat I've been looking on websites that others on this site gave me.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

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.

https://mohrs.org/hay-and-digestion/

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

https://mohrs.org/hay-and-digestion/

Have a read and you will have a better understanding why long stem grass/hay is critical for rabbits.

 

[ladysown]

I googled if rabbits can eat bread it shouldn't be fed to bunnies, and bread could result in a blockage forming, or food fermenting in the gut. It also says,
Do not feed your rabbit items high in carbohydrates like breads, crackers, pasta, pretzels, cookies, chips, or cereal.

So I've been getting confused you said I can feed my bunny bread and crackers.

I been feeding my rabbit thin wheat crackers thinking it's fine for her to eat that. But google saying they can't in one search and can in another. I think she's been fine eating the crackers though.
She likes bread but I'm not sure if she can actually eat it so I don't give it to her. Around the times when I first got her I used to give her chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, donuts, peanut butter, jelly and etc. But she's been fine through the whole time I had her. She got sick once but I believe it was just because it was cold from the winter.
I don't know exactly what she can eat from outside I used to give her dandelions if that was okay, and I don't know what kinds of grass or leafs she can eat I've been looking on websites that others on this site gave me.

google says all sorts of things shouldn't be fed to rabbits when in practicality then can. one just needs to be smart about how one feeds different food products. For instance, you won't feed her a whole loaf of bread. Or give her a whole bag of pretzels, but in a pinch, or as part of a well rounded diet, they work just fine. There are SO many different weeds that you can feed your rabbit it is astounding.

but if you are that confused about what to feed your bunny. Get her a good pellet and use that as your basis for feeding, and then as you research and learn more, supplement her diet with other things. My rabbits eat 98% of the weeds my garden produces. They also eat anything from my garden I give them... fresh corn cobs, bean plants, junk carrots, the parts of veggies I won't eat, and just so much.

Utilize google lens as a research tool to figure out what some of the plants are around you and then search "can bunnies eat (plant name)." or come back here and ask. Someone will know.

 

[hotzcatz]

I've made a map of the different bunny safe plants in my yard so I can always have something to feed the bunnies in case the feedstore is out of feed. Which happens more frequently than I'd like but at least they can be fed grasses, leaves and other green plants. I've also planted things for them to eat so if there's no pellets then there's still food for them.

As for what people food that they can eat, well, there's a lot that they will eat, but I don't know if it's that good for them. Dry oatmeal and most grains are okay as part of their diet but probably shouldn't be their entire diet for very long. Bunnies usually need a high fiber low nutrition sort of food. Rather like sheep and horses, if they get too much rich food they get sick.

If nothing else, perhaps things like celery leaves, carrot tops, the dry oatmeal, dry grasses from under the snow in the yard, perhaps? If you have any sweet potatoes - not Irish potatoes - you can put one in a jar of water on the window sill and let it sprout. The sprouts can be fed to the bunny and later when it thaws, they can be planted in the garden for more sweet potatoes. We break off about a foot of sprout and put it in the ground with just the top three or four inches out. It then grows into a long vine for lots more bunny food.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I've made a map of the different bunny safe plants in my yard so I can always have something to feed the bunnies in case the feedstore is out of feed. Which happens more frequently than I'd like but at least they can be fed grasses, leaves and other green plants. I've also planted things for them to eat so if there's no pellets then there's still food for them.

As for what people food that they can eat, well, there's a lot that they will eat, but I don't know if it's that good for them. Dry oatmeal and most grains are okay as part of their diet but probably shouldn't be their entire diet for very long. Bunnies usually need a high fiber low nutrition sort of food. Rather like sheep and horses, if they get too much rich food they get sick.

If nothing else, perhaps things like celery leaves, carrot tops, the dry oatmeal, dry grasses from under the snow in the yard, perhaps? If you have any sweet potatoes - not Irish potatoes - you can put one in a jar of water on the window sill and let it sprout. The sprouts can be fed to the bunny and later when it thaws, they can be planted in the garden for more sweet potatoes. We break off about a foot of sprout and put it in the ground with just the top three or four inches out. It then grows into a long vine for lots more bunny food.

Re dry grasses from under the snow? When grasses die they become significantly reduced or devoid of nutrients. This is why when farmers make hay they cut the grasses at peak nutrient levels and cure it in the sun until the moisture levels are low enough that they won’t Mold or combust when baled.
You should speak to places that have horses and by some small square bales of good quality horse hay.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

Re dry grasses from under the snow? When grasses die they become significantly reduced or devoid of nutrients. This is why when farmers make hay they cut the grasses at peak nutrient levels and cure it in the sun until the moisture levels are low enough that they won’t Mold or combust when baled.
You should speak to places that have horses and by some small square bales of good quality horse hay.

Buy not by lol

 

[LoveMyBarnyard]

Spring breakfast in Central Texas

 

[Jazelle]

Spring breakfast in Central Texas

Umm I don't have that. But I just got her food so she should be good with her pellets

 

[promised heart rabbitry]

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.

I agree

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I agree

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

My buck pen. I have 2 bucks one is always with the does and babies in a large colony pen. I alternate my bucks for breeding so right now Romeo is on rest bite!

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

Even have a sitting area to go sit with the heard all year around.

 

[Scooter1A]

we fed banana leaves, sweet potato vines, any kind of pea or green bean vines, lucena (tropical tree), moringa tree, pigeon pea leaves, comfry leaves, velvet bean leaves (very prolific if you keep them watered) and the rabbits all did well. we had over 600 rabbits at one time.

600 is amazing. I would like to grow comfry, so many healthy uses.