A rabbits diet is made up of three parts, dry food, hay and fresh food (fruit & veg). Getting the right balance of these food groups is very important to keep your rabbit healthy. A poor diet can result in your rabbit being overweight, overgrown/misaligned teeth and digestion problems. It is also very easy to get into the habit of giving your rabbit little treats but over feeding your bunny can be as cruel as under feeding.
Hay should make up a large part of your rabbits diet, it is important as it keeps the gut working properly and because of the chewing action your rabbit uses whilst eating the hay, it also keeps the teeth worn down. Hay is a very good source of fibre and vitamins. Hay should always be available to your rabbit each day. Some rabbits do not like eating hay, try and encourage them to eat the hay by placing in an area they use a lot, ie, the bedroom, a litter tray, or perhaps stuff it into a cardboard tube so it encourages your rabbit to nibble.
If your rabbit is not a keen hay eater and the above does not work, it is very important to feed your rabbit a dry food high in fibre content. There are two types of dry food, pellets and mixed food. Whilst the mixed food looks more appealing, it is actually the pellets that are best for your rabbit. Rabbits tend to pick at the mixed feed, selecting their favourite bits and leaving the rest.
If you wish to change your rabbits diet, this needs to be done gradually. You should gradually mix the new feed into the old over a period of around 7-14 days. During this time you need to watch out for changes to your rabbits poo. If they become soft or runny you are changing the food to quickly.
Greens, provide vitamins, minerals and fibre for your bunny. There are a wide range of vegetables and plants suitable for rabbits but there are a few that are poisonous so please check before feeding to your rabbit. When introducing greens to your rabbit, feed one at a time so if your rabbit has a reaction, ie a dirty bottom you will know which fresh food has caused the problem.
