What do rabbits eat? Rabbits should have a daily diet of mostly hay, a smaller amount of fresh vegetables, and a limited number of pellets. Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's daily intake. Unlimited, high-quality grass hay, such as Timothy, orchard or brome, should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet.
Rabbits love grass or hay
Rabbits' food should be as close as possible to their natural diet, of mostly grass or hay. In fact, rabbits could live on hay and water alone, but we recommend fresh leafy vegetables and a little commercial feed.
Pellets can be good for rabbits in small quantities, but they are not a necessary part of a rabbit's daily food intake. If pet rabbits are given a balanced diet with grass-based hay and a variety of leafy green vegetables, they can still be healthy on a pellet-free diet.
While it is largely assumed that rabbits need only carrots and lettuce to survive, this simply isn't true. As with any other animal, rabbits need a whole rounded diet that includes various nutrients, such as lettuce and carrots.
How long will a Bale of hay last a rabbit? Our 10kg Micro-bales usually last 2 bunnies around 5-6 weeks although this is difficult to say as each rabbit is different and they often waste their hay by using it as litter too.
5kg will feed one medium sized rabbit for approx. 4 weeks. 10kg will feed a pair of medium sized rabbits for approx. 4 weeks.
Timothy or other grass hay should be offered daily in UNLIMITED AMOUNTS. It is important that hay be available at all times. Rabbits tend to eat small amounts of food frequently throughout the day and withholding hay for long periods of time can lead to intestinal upsets and/or GI Stasis.
Myth #1 - Rabbits eat carrots
Rabbits don't naturally eat root vegetables or fruit. Carrots and fruit are high in sugar and should only be fed in small amounts as occasional treats. Rabbits need mainly hay and/or grass, some leafy greens and a small, measured amount of pellets. See our rabbit meal planner.
Rabbits must have an adult-sized handful of safe, washed leafy green vegetables, herbs and weeds daily. Find out more in rabbit-safe plants, vegetables, herbs and fruits. Your vet can also advise about rabbit-safe plants.
If you feed your rabbit too many carrots, it could suffer from a variety of issues. These include things like tooth decay, obesity, and digestive issues. Carrots are very high in carbohydrates, so if nothing else, they will cause your rabbit to pack on the pounds.
What do rabbits eat? Rabbits should have a daily diet of mostly hay, a smaller amount of fresh vegetables, and a limited number of pellets. Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's daily intake. Unlimited, high-quality grass hay, such as Timothy, orchard or brome, should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet.
A rabbit's digestive system needs hay or grass to function properly so a healthy supply is extremely important. You can supplement with leafy greens and a small amount of pellets.
And even then, fodders can replace pellets during the winter months. Many items, such as comfrey, plantain, borage, dandelion greens, flowers and many leafy greens can be dried and offered when fresh food is no longer readily available.
Rabbits can actually sleep on hay or straw, but as we mentioned above, straw is warmer bedding for rabbits than hay, keeping your bunny more comfortable in the winter months. However, make sure you don't purchase old, stale, brittle straw, which can irritate your rabbit.
Hay. Hay should always be freely available for your rabbit to eat but it also makes a good bedding and helps to keep hutch rabbits warm and cosy. If you intend to use hay as the main bedding and have space to store it, it will be a lot cheaper to buy by the bale from a local farmer or riding stables.
You can purchase hay in bulk (by the bale) for a fraction of the cost of a pet store bag of hay. One bale (stored in a cool, dry location) can feed a single rabbit for months.
The total amount of fresh food that you may give to your rabbit daily (once your bunny has been gradually introduced to it), is a minimum of 1 heaping cup (loosely packed), per 5 pound of body weight, given two times a day.
The RSPCA Victoria states that rabbits should not be fed any pet cereals, breakfast cereals, grains, seeds, nuts, corn, bread, biscuits or beans.
How much hay should rabbits eat and how often? They should eat a bundle of hay their own body size every day! They need access to clean hay every day (no one likes dirty or stale food!) and in unlimited portions.
Likewise buttercups, foxgloves, primrose, delphiniums/larkspur, columbine (aquilegia) hellebore, comfrey, poppy, periwinkle, monkshood, rhubarb, nightshade, ivy, privet, holly and yew are all reasonably common garden plants and all are toxic.
High in sugar, apples should only be fed to rabbits as a treat. Also high in sugar, it's safe for rabbits to eat bananas occasionally. Rabbits have a sweet tooth, so grapes are great as a treat.
Rabbits can eat apples with the skin, but only in moderation. Feed your rabbit only 1 or 2 slices of apple per week. Although apples are rich in flavonoids, antioxidants, and fiber, they're also high in sugar. This can cause dental problems and obesity in rabbits.
In many cases, an underweight rabbit will benefit from increased consumption of fiber-laden foods, especially grass hay and, to a much lesser extent, leafy greens. (However, too many greens can lead to weight loss instead of weight gain.)
Hay is nearly impossible for rabbits to overeat, so you want to encourage rabbits to eat as much as possible. You'll want to give your rabbit an unlimited amount of hay everyday. Combined with your rabbit's daily pellets and leafy greens, hay should make up about 80% of your rabbit's diet.
Hay provides lots of long-strand fibre which keeps your rabbit's gut moving properly and teeth healthy. It's the closest thing to a natural diet. Rabbits would naturally graze upon it all day, so ensure yours have an unlimited supply.