Rabbits love food, if it were up to them they would be eating all day, especially if the food has a touch of green or is of natural origin. The good nutrition of rabbits is the cornerstone for a correct state of he alth; many rabbits have problems with the intestinal tract, teeth and molars due to incorrect feeding.
To feed a rabbit well, it is not only important to know what the best foods are, but it is also important to know their rhythms and daily feeding intervals We don't want to feed them too little, but we also don't want to go to the extreme of overfeeding.
If you want to know what is the amount of daily food for rabbits, stay with us on our site, because then we will we will give all the necessary nutritional advice so that your pet stays strong and he althy.
General data for feeding rabbits
Remember that the rabbits' diet is based on pellets (they can be made of cellulose or alfalfa and should not be the main food but a supplement), constant vegetables, fresh hay and oats, and plenty of fresh water. The pellets must be of good quality and high in fiber, at least 18%.
We recommend you not to buy too much food in advance, because when it is time to give it to them, it will no longer be fresh, it will not contain the same amount of vitamins or it will already be in poor condition. Hay should be available to your rabbit 24 hours a day. Vegetables should be dark green leaves and all root vegetables, such as carrots. The more variety of color in fruits you can get, the better. Oh, they also really like apples or the branches of apple trees.
Rabbits eat according to their development and age. Next, let's see the appropriate amounts of food according to the different chronological categories.
The first months of rabbits' lives
In the first weeks of a rabbit's life its complete diet will be its mother's milk. From the fourth week you can start giving him pellets and a little alfalfa. Between a month and a half and 3 months, you can already give him unlimited amounts of hay and 2 or 3 tablespoons of pellets daily. From the fourth month, start introducing small amounts of vegetables per day (one type of vegetable at a time), such as carrot tops or escarole.
When the baby arrives at 6 months, the daily vegetable should represent 10% of its weight, divided into two equal batches, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The vegetables that are highly recommended to give to rabbits, on a daily basis, and that do not cause any problem, could be arugula, lamb's lettuce, watercress, clover and those mentioned above.
Fruit, good but in small doses
Fruits are good for rabbits but in the right measure. This is a food that is introduced from the third month of life, and which, in addition, must be offered a maximum of three times a week due to its high content of sugar, which in large quantities could be harmful to the animal.
Even though the fruit is very rich in vitamins, we will have to be very measured with it and control the amount of food we give our rabbit. The size of each serving of fruit should be no larger than an orange segment. On the other hand, avoid leaving the pips and seeds.
From rabbits from 8 months to adults up to 5 years old
Young rabbits should only be given a few handfuls of pellets per day. Vegetables will increase, while feed will decrease. We can give it between 2% and 4% of its body weight, or 25 g of pellets for every kilo the rabbit weighs Vegetables, increasingly green, such as radish leaves, chicory and escarole. You can give him a taste of the fresh grass and reduce the alfalfa.
From the first year your rabbit will feed in larger quantities. You can give him between 50 and 80 g of pellets per day, but continue to give him all his daily vegetables occupying between 5% and 6% of his body weight. The fruit will keep three times a week for the rest of its life.
Amount of food for older rabbits, from 6 years old
For older rabbits, depending on whether they maintain their weight and physical condition, you can give the same amounts and the same type of dietRemember that the hay must be generous and always fresh. To give you an idea, if your rabbit weighs 2 kg, giving it about 170 g of hay a day is the most appropriate. With regard to vegetables, the ideal is about 110 g for each kilo of weight. If your rabbit is losing weight (as it usually is) allow him to eat pellets as he pleases. And if you notice that he stops eating hay, don't hesitate and go to the vet.
