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*Warning: Newbie* A Bunch of Questions About Rex Rabbit Diet

S

Sakura_Bunny

New Kit
I might be getting two male Rex rabbits from a cousin. I've never had any experience in rabbits, and all of the things I've read online have told me different. My cousin has them full feeding right now, on hay. Should they be given hay or pellets? And how much? Can they be allowed to full feed all day, or how much should I give them per bunny? And how often should they be given treats? Also, what kind of treats are acceptable for rabbits? What aren't acceptable? I've been recommended apples, lettuce, and celery. I've also heard someone say I should give them warm water right now, while it's very cold in my area. Is that good advice, or does it even matter? Also, there are different varieties of pellets, what sort of pellets should I specifically look for? Any (try to be cheap, thanks) recommended brands? Ignore, if I just need to give them hay. What recommended hay?

Thanks in advanced! Any help is really appreciated <3
 
Hi :wave:

A rabbits diet should be at leas 80% hay, there should always be an unlimited amount of hay for your buns as it is vital for wearing down their teeth and also for keeping their guts moving. If a rabbit has access to grass then it does the same thing but I would always have hay for them to nibble too.

Buy a decent pellet food, don't be tempted by the colourful muesli type foods, you want a high fibre food like burgess excel, science selective or Allen and page (these are uk foods, not sure where you are!) an adult bun does not need more than an egg cup full of pellets a day, if you feed too much they will fill up on them and not bother with the hay!

Veggies, herbs and wild forage can also be fed in moderation and used as treats, avoid things with too much sugar such as apple and carrot I wold only feed these in small amounts as a treat, same with banana which can be very popular! Lettuces can upset stomachs and iceberg lettuce should NEVER be fed. Herbs can be fast favourites, my two especially like basil!

Most important of all is that a rabbits diet should never change suddenly, any new foods or changes should be introduced slowly whilst monitoring output. A bunny that is not eating can be very sick, a bunny that has not eaten, pooped or peed in several hours needs emergancy vet treatment.

Hope this helps!

Edit I would recommend the website hayforpets.com as a wonderful place to buy hay, their biggest size works out at 1.70 a kilo which is cheaper than p@h hay and is much better quality, their Ings hay or their Timothy and rye are very popular. Or the cheapest option would be to find a local farm or horse food supplier and buy a bale!
 
Last edited:
Hele said:
Hi :wave:

A rabbits diet should be at leas 80% hay, there should always be an unlimited amount of hay for your buns as it is vital for wearing down their teeth and also for keeping their guts moving. If a rabbit has access to grass then it does the same thing but I would always have hay for them to nibble too.

Buy a decent pellet food, don't be tempted by the colourful muesli type foods, you want a high fibre food like burgess excel, science selective or Allen and page (these are uk foods, not sure where you are!) an adult bun does not need more than an egg cup full of pellets a day, if you feed too much they will fill up on them and not bother with the hay!

Veggies, herbs and wild forage can also be fed in moderation and used as treats, avoid things with too much sugar such as apple and carrot I wold only feed these in small amounts as a treat, same with banana which can be very popular! Lettuces can upset stomachs and iceberg lettuce should NEVER be fed. Herbs can be fast favourites, my two especially like basil!

Most important of all is that a rabbits diet should never change suddenly, any new foods or changes should be introduced slowly whilst monitoring output. A bunny that is not eating can be very sick, a bunny that has not eaten, pooped or peed in several hours needs emergancy vet treatment.

Hope this helps!

Edit I would recommend the website hayforpets.com as a wonderful place to buy hay, their biggest size works out at 1.70 a kilo which is cheaper than p@h hay and is much better quality, their Ings hay or their Timothy and rye are very popular. Or the cheapest option would be to find a local farm or horse food supplier and buy a bale!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! That was exactly the answer I was looking for.
 
Sakura_Bunny said:
Thank you so much! That was exactly the answer I was looking for.
Click to expand...

Oh good, glad I helped. I wish I had someone to tell me all that lot before I got my first bun!

Out of curiosity (and because it's something else I wish I'd known) are your buns vaccinated, and will you be continuing? It is sooooo important. They need one jab a year each and it protects them from both myxomatosis and VHD (viral hemorrhagic disorder, that causes catastrophic internal bleeding and is deadly very very quickly if caught).

Check with your vet that it is the double vaccine as until recently there were 2 one for each illness but the 2 together is cheaper, about £35 depending on your vet. It really isn't a lot of money to protect them from myxi and vhd, two truly horrific illnesses.

I should probably mention that a vaccinated bunny can still get myxi but it is much more unlikely and the bun is much much more likely to survive. A bun vaccinated against vhd cannot get vhd though.
 
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