Sunday, March 7, 2010

What do rabbits eat?

I thought you might find this article about feeding rabbits useful:

"Hay Alfalfa hay should be available to your rabbit at all times until he reaches the ages of 6 to 8 monts old.Because alfalfa provide a high concentration of calcium and carbohydrates, you have to gradually switch him to Timothy hay.Loose, long strands of hay contains fiber and promote good digestion.

Fresh Food Your rabbit should get about a cup of fresh greens everyday per 5 pounds of weight.Give him at least 3 different fresh greens like spinach, brocoli, celery leaves, fresh grass from the garden, dandelions leaves, romaine lettuce, ect.Start him out at the age of 2 months gradually, adding a new green every week and remove from the diet anything that cause diarrhea.

Fruits and treats Limit your rabbit to about one tablespoon of fruit a day.Too much fruit will make him sick and promote teeth decay.Great treats consist in strawberry, babana, pinaple, blueberry,apple, any fresh fruit that he likes. Avoid dried fruits, raisins, cereal bars,bread, salty or sugary snacks, oatmeal and fresh or dried corn.

Rabbit Pellets Young rabbits up to height month old should have free access to alfalfa pellets.After that limit the amount to 1/8 of a cup daily for a 2-4 pounds rabbit. Also gradually switch him to timothy hay based pellets.Resist the temptation to give him more. To much pellets will lead to obesity because of their high calcium and carbohydrate content.

Water and vitamins Fresh water must be available at all times for your rabbit.Serving it in a bowl is better for the rabbit to drink,promoting a natural drinking position.If you have to put him in a cage on some occasions and he spills all his water, then give him a drinking bottle instead.Vitamins and salts are not necessary when your rabbit get a balance diet everyday.

Night Droppings A few times a day after eating you will notice your pet licking his anal area and eating some of his droppings at the same time. This is normal for the rabbit so do not worry about it.What he is eating are called "cecotropes". They are made of vital nutriments that have not been absorbed well by the large intestine.The rabbit need these nutriments in his diet.It is just a part of what do pet rabbits eat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I hope you found this information helpful on what do pet rabbit eat.Did you know that pet rabbits can be quite easily litter trained? To get a lot more free tips and watch videos about pet rabbits, please visit my blog at http://www.petrabbitcare.blogspot.com and enjoy learning about your pet rabbit!"

-Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

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