Rabbit
Diet
Hay
Rabbits need access to good quality hay 24/7 as it is essential for their high fiber diet. The hay should be green, sweet smelling, and not dusty. The hay I give my rabbits is Oxbow Timothy Hay. You can provide your bunnies with hay in many different ways, such as a large hay rack, stuffing it inside a toilet paper tube, and putting it in their litterbox. A hay rack should be big enough that you can shove a large chunk of hay inside, make sure your hay rack doesn't let hay slopply fall out onto the floor, and make sure the bar spacing is big enough for the rabbit to get hay out of easily. Do not purchase hay with the bits of cranberry or carrot mixed in, carrot and cranberry are high in sugars.
Types of hay you can purchase include:
Timothy
Orchard Grass
Alfalfa(only feed if your rabbit is underweight or less than a year old)
There are many types of hay and grasses, try different types out and see your bun's favorite!
I feed my rabbits a variety of vegetables throughout the week, usually each morning they get their salad which is about 1 cup per 3lbs of body weight. However rabbits stomachs are very fragile and shouldn't be fed certain veggies or large amounts all the time or else they may have bad gas issues, be very careful when feeding younger bunnies veggies due to their sensitive tummies. Rabbits need vegetables high in vitamin C, bell pepper is a great source of Vitamin C. I often don't feed my bunnies fruit, due to most fruits are high in sugar, so fruit should be used as treats such as a bit of banana or apple. An average salad for both my bunnies will consist of celery, parsley, romaine lettuce, kale, and bell pepper(Keep in mind, I change the salads each day).
Some safe veggies for bunnies are:
Celery
Parsley
Romaine Lettuce
Kale
Cilantro
Cucumber
Brocolli
Spinach....The list goes on, I'd recommend researching lists of safe veggies for your rabbits!
You can aslo feed your rabbits plants such as dandelion, cleavers, sage, mint, and pansies. Make sure if you're pulling plants out of your garden, they're safe for your bunnies to eat and they're washed!
Some pet owners give their rabbits hazel or apple branches once and a while. You can also give your rabbits supplements such as pea flakes, natural forage mix, and dried grass. I don't often feed my bunnies this however in the colder months, I give them some more often.
Vegetables & Fruits
Pellets & Treats
Pellets are optional in a rabbit's diet, some people don't give their rabbits pellets at all. If you do feed pellets only give them pellets after their veggies, due to the fact pellets take longer to digest than veggies. Rabbits should have timothy based pellets and only 1/4-1/2 a cup per 6lbs of body weight. I feed my rabbits 1/4 a cup in spring and summer and 1/2 a cup in fall and winter. I feed my bunnies Oxbow Essentials Adult Timothy Pellets which are highly recommend by vetrinarians. Do not get your rabbit seed mix, it's extremely fatty and unhealthy. If your rabbit is under a year old feed them alfalfa pellets and slowly transition them to timothy pellets.
Regarding treats, bunnies should not be spoiled or fed fatty sugary treats. Do not feed them human food or yogurt drops, rabbits do not eat dairy! Instead, go for a more healthy option such as banana, carrot, Oxbow biscuit treats, forage mix, strawberry, etc.
