What Food Is Good for Your Rabbit?

Most rabbit owners know a few of the foods that help make their animals healthy, but mistakes can be made. Some people include occasional treats as regular elements in a rabbit's diet while others may be missing an important food. Give your rabbit a consistent amount of certain food groups to keep it healthy.

  1. Vegetables

    • Rabbits require a cup of fresh vegetables per day. These should include four different types of vegetable, according to the San Diego Chapter House Rabbit Society website, since this variety helps ensure your rabbit gets all needed nutrients. Vegetables most suitable for rabbits include herbs such as tarragon, celery, tomato, lettuces and broccoli. Carrots, along with other starchy vegetables, are suitable in moderation. Serve only fresh vegetables. Remove from your rabbit's diet any vegetable that has caused diarrhea in the past.

    Hay and Twigs

    • Give your rabbit, from an early age on, plenty of hay to munch on at all times. Change the hay daily to keep it fresh. Hay is an important part of a rabbit's diet since it reduces the danger of blockages in the rabbit's body. You can feed rabbits alfalfa hay, but according to the San Diego Chapter House Rabbit Society website, mixed grass hay is a better because of its lower calorie content. Apple tree twigs are worth considering, too.

    Rabbit Pellets

    • A key element to a rabbit's diet are food pellets. Give these to the rabbit in fresh condition. To avoid feeding your rabbit spoiled pellets, stock up only a few weeks' worth of pellets. As rabbits age, they will need less pellets. Too many pellets in a rabbit's diet can adversely affect its intestinal system. Provide, on a daily basis, only one-eighth of a cup of pellets for every 5 lbs. your rabbit weighs, Dana Krempels wrote for the University of Miami's Department of Biology.

    Water

    • Water should be available to your rabbit at all times. Rabbits that don't drink enough water suffer from intestinal problems. Eventually the rabbit may develop ileus, a potentially fatal condition relating to blockage within a rabbit's stomach and intestines, Krempels warns. Change the water each day. Keep the bottle or crock the water is stored in clean by washing it with hot water regularly.

    Fruit

    • Fruit is usually good for rabbits, but you should be aware that giving a rabbit fruit shouldn't be a daily occurrence. According to the San Diego Chapter House Rabbit Society website, you should feed your rabbit no more than a 2-inch chunk of fruit one or two times each week. Fruits such as melons, apples and blueberries are suitable, as are dried and sugary fruit, such as bananas, but only in very limited quantities.