Question:

Hi Budget Bunny!!

I have 3 rabbits and 2 of them are show rabbits , I’m sort of confused about what I should feed them as some people tell me to NOT feed my mini lops veggies and hay and to only feed pellets! I don’t know what to do as they say veggies will hurt the rabbits fur for showing? Is that true?? I’m sort of confused on what should I feed my rabbits.

Another thing is that I have a lion head mix rabbit who’s a rescue . She’s a little chubby….well actually really overweight. Any ideas on how to make her a little bit less “fat”?

Thanks a lot,

K.

Answer:

Hi K,

I don’t know anything about showing rabbits but I do know that THE most important part of a rabbit’s diet is hay. Hay should easily make up 85% of your rabbits diet with another 10% coming from dark leafy green vegetables, 4% being pellets and 1% healthy treats.

Hay should be fed in unlimited amounts. Rabbits need to be eating constantly to ensure their digestive system is continuously working otherwise they can risk ailments such as sludge and stasis, which can be deadly to rabbits. Rabbits teeth also never stop growing and hay is the only thing that continuously wears down their back molars which prevents painful ailments like spurs or overgrowth. Your rabbit could literally starve to death from having overgrown teeth that prevent it from eating and chewing.

Pellets are the least important part of a rabbit’s diet. If you are feeding a diet full of pellets it can cause tummy upsets, obesity and again overgrown teeth as pellets do not help your bunnies wear down their back molars. Plus overall, they aren’t very healthy. A 1/4 cup of pellets daily is all a 6 lb bunny needs.

I’m imaging that you’re feeding your lion head mostly pellets which is most likely why she is overweight. Gradually reduce her intake to the recommended amount while giving her unlimited hay and healthy veggies. You should start to see a difference. Rabbits should also have a minimum of 3 hours of floor time to play daily which will help her burn off those extra pounds.

Here are two links to my videos on vegetables and hay that will hopefully help you out!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvTeMpuniXA

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLmaIRKw4TU