Although you may be thinking, feeding a rabbit is pretty simple, you will probably be surprised to find out a few of the "staple rabbit treats" should actually be avoided! Before we dive into what should be avoided lets talk about a Rabbits Diet. Hay: Rabbits should have access to unlimited (or large amounts) of grass hay. Baby rabbits should have access to alfalfa hay as it is high in protein and contains calcium for growing. Adult rabbits can have Timothy hay which has balanced levels of protein, and fat for an adult. For adults, alfalfa can be fed as a treat, but its high levels of protein/fat can create weight issues if fed unlimited. Grass: Rabbits should have access to unlimited (or large amounts) of grass. Be sure that the grass they are grazing on, or that is put in their cage is free of all sprays and pesticides. Vegetables: Rabbits can be fed vegetables daily. It is important to note which vegetables can be fed in high quantity, and which should be moderated. There are vegetables that contain more sugar or nutrients than others. You want to be careful to moderate sugar and fat. Read below to find out what vegetables, flowers, garden treats, and woods rabbits can consume. Pellets: We generally free feed our pellets. Many owners choose to measure feed their pellets, in order to ensure the rabbit does not become overweight. We feed pellets unlimited for baby's and mothers, and 1/4 cup for bucks, unbred does and Juniors. We choose a 16-18% protein pellet for our Moms and babes, and a 15% Timothy hay pellet for our bucks. *All lists are for adult buns, babies should be on a strict pellet and hay diet until 4 months old. When introducing new foods, go "low and slow". Only give small amounts of the new food and only introduce one new food per day. If the stool is unusually soft, stop giving treats until poop returns to normal, and then introduce a small amount of that same food again. Rabbits have very sensitive stomachs and it is better to give less treats/introduce slowly than overdue it! Vegetables you can feed your bun oftenVegetables you can feed your bun Daily
Plants that are safe to feed
Fruits for a TreatOne to two times a week:
Vegetables to feed your bun sparingly
Foods to never feed your bunAnything with carbohydrates/sugars such as bread or crackers should be avoided. All sugary fruits should be fed as a treat and in moderation. All food from the garden must be free of sprays and pesticides.
Safe WoodsRemember: Before giving your rabbit a branch, check to make sure it is safe, free of pesticides, untreated, does not include roots, and free of paint. If you live in an area that has RHDV2 it is best to not give your bunny any trees/wood/grass from the outdoors. If you do live in an area where there has been an outbreak of RHDV2, read more about it to learn how to keep your bun safe. Safe woods
Unsafe Woods**Some of these woods are safe if dried for the appropriate amount of days
-Forever Bunny Obsessed, Frieda
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When debating the complex topic of spaying and neutering your bunny, its important to look clearly at both the pros and cons!
Spaying & Neutering your rabbit has many benefits, and we do typically recommend the procedure. Not only can it increase their quality of life, their ability to be paired with a bun of the opposite sex without creating babies, it also actually can prolong their life span as well. Fixing your rabbit can prevent reproductive health complications, such as pregnancy, or different types of cancer. Secondly, fixing your bun helps them have an easier time bonding with another bun. Even if you are bonding an already fixed male with an unaltered females, or two females, fixing will increase bonding success by improving the temperament of your bun, and decreasing any dominance urges or territorial aggression. Fixing your bun will also improve their temperament when bonding with you or your children. Territorial or cage aggression, inconsistent moodiness, and even nipping can all be generally curved by getting your bun spayed or neutered. Although it is easy to recognize the large "pros" for fixing your bun, there are some factors to consider. Fixing your bun, especially spaying a female, is a complicated procedure, and at times can result in the loss of your rabbit. Local vets that do not work often with rabbits, or are not specialized with rabbits may have an even higher rate of losing your bun. Spaying and neutering your bun can also be expensive. Although we hope that when you are researching and saving for your bun, you factor in the cost of spaying and neutering in your local area, we also know it sometimes isn't always realistic for every family! Different areas, and different countries have a wide variety of cost in spaying. We have been quoted as low as $90 to neuter a rabbit, and as high as $450. So for that reason, we also suggest you shop around and call local vets near your area for some quotes! Vets do not typically spay/neuter a bun until 6 months of age. This is important to keep in consideration if you have purchased a Male and female bunny that you plan to bond after fixing. You will need to house them in separate cages before they hit 4 months old, until they are spayed/neutered. After the spaying/neutering, buns have to be kept apart while they heal. Males can also be fertile for up to 6 weeks after being neutered! If you do purchase a male/female unaltered pair and plan to fix them and bond them, you can expect to house them separate for 3-4 months at least. We hope this was helpful for deciding on and preparing to spay/neuter your bun! As always, email us with questions! We love to hear from families preparing to take home buns! Let's talk rabbit teeth. Rabbits have 28 teeth! They have 4 front incisors, two on top and two on the bottom. Behind them are two peg teeth. They have 11 "cheek teeth" on each side, 5 on the bottom and 6 on the top. Rabbit's are herbivores which means they eat primarily grass, and greens, as well as some wood.
Rabbit's teeth are hypsodontic, which means they grow continually for their whole life. Rabbit's front incisors grow up to 12 This can come with some problems, but if bred properly, and taken care of properly, is not an issue at all. The biggest problem that shows in rabbit teeth is malocclusion. This is a genetic issue that we do not have in our Rabbitry. Therefore, non of our buns should have any malocclusion issues. However, malocclusion can hide in rabbits for generations. So if you ever notice malocclusion in your bun, the first thing to do is notify your breeder. In all my 10 years we only had one baby with malocclusion in our first year of breeding (and those parents were immediately taken out of our breeding program). We haven't had issues with malocclusion for the past 9 years of breeding. Taking care of rabbits teeth is pretty hands-off. You should not have to trim your rabbit's teeth, or brush them. It is important to provide your bun with lots of different types of chew toys and materials. Straw, grass, hay, cardboard, wood bricks and branches are all great options to help your bun. |
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April 2024
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