Perhaps the most important aspect of rabbit health is diet. Many of the problems afflicting pet rabbits can be directly traced back to improper diet. These problems include loose stools, stomach motility problems (also known as hairballs), dental disease, coat problems, obesity, bladder stones, and inappropriate chewing (ie carpet or plastic). It is essential for rabbit owners to have a good knowledge about basic dietary needs of their pets since many of the diets available in pet stores are not suitable for use as the sole food source. The basic food groups for rabbits are 1) hay 2) greens 3) vegetables 4) pellets and 5) treats. We’ll start with hay since this is the foundation of the rabbit food pyramid.

What is hay? Hay is dried grass. Several varieties are available in small bags at pet stores and include timothy, bermuda, and orchard grasses. Alfalfa is not a grass and is only acceptable as a substitute for grass in rabbits younger than 8 months or so.  Alfalfa is unnecessary for adult rabbits, but can be fed in limited quantities. The grass hay that you buy should be mostly green, but some of it is usually yellow or brown and that is OK. It should look mostly like blades of grass, but some stem and straw is OK. Straw is not a good quality grass hay, and you hay should not be made up of mostly straw !  Your hay should smell fresh and “grassy” and there should be no evidence of mold. Grass hay makes  80 to 100 percent of a good rabbit diet. (Yes, a bunny can get by just fine on nothing but a good quality grass hay.) Grass hay or alfalfa that has been made into pellets or cubes is not the same thing. Fresh hay should always be available, and a rabbit can be allowed to eat as much of it as it would like to. There is no such thing as a rabbit eating too much grass hay! Freshly clipped grass (clipped with scissors, not mower) can also be provided for variety, but only if it is free of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals.

Next up on the food pyramid is dark green leafy veggies and other vegetables. The dark green leafy veggies are more important than other veggies and are fed in greater quantities. Most lettuces should be left out of a rabbits diet completely in favor of more nutritious greens, but if they must be included, then only allow leaf lettuce and romaine. Two packed cups per five pounds per day is usual, but the only real reason to limit these are to ensure that a bunny gets enough grass hay. A good list of leafy veggies can be found at the House Rabbit Society website.  Non leafy veggies like carrots, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, and broccoli can be used sparingly to provide variety.

Pelleted rabbit foods are easy to keep on hand, but have several disadvantages that should limit their use to small amounts if they are to be used at all. It is my opinion that pellets are best left off the menu. Since pellets are ground up stuff that is reformed into the small morsel, they are much easier to chew than grass, and this is the reason why pelleted foods are responsible for the greater incidence of teeth problems in bunnies that eat lots of them. Rabbits needs to chew in order to keep their back teeth healthy! Pellets are usually made of alfalfa, so look for pellets made with timothy grass if your hopper must have them.  Allow only ¼ cup per 5 pounds per day, and get a new bag at least every six weeks.

Treats are at the top of the food pyramid and include mostly fruits such as apple wedges, blueberries, melon, orange (without the peel), papaya, kiwi, peach, pear, pineapple, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. You can give up to one ounce per six pounds.  Be careful with grapes, raisins, and bananas as these are high in sugar and can be quite addicting for bunnies with a sweet tooth. These are treats only for special occasions!

Also worth noting are some foods to avoid such as beans, breads, cereals, potatoes, onion, rhubarb, avocado, beets, corn, nuts, seeds, chocolate, or anything that just seems like it might be too sugary, starchy, or fatty. Unfortunately, a lot of pellet “mixes” contain seeds and carbohydrate that rabbits do not need and which may be harmful over the long run. In summary, grass and greens are all a bunny really needs but if you feel like you need to give some other foods, then use only measured amounts of acceptable foods. Following these guidelines should provide for a healthy diet for a healthy rabbit.