Best foods? When to feed?

What foods/pellets are best for rabbits? And also do you feed more than one type to add variety?

Do you have specific feeding times with set quantities or adlib?

Also do you feed specific hay or is any Petshop hay suitable?

I think there are several good rabbit pellets on the market. Mine like Science Selective best. They don't have very many and they also have a few FibaFirst every day. I personally don't think it matters whether you provide a variety or not.

Mine have hay all the time. They also have lots of forage and tree leaves several times during the day and also (a new food for them) they have Green Oat Readigrass a couple of times a day. I try to stick to set times for different foods e.g. pellets early morning and late evening, as they seem to like a set routine. In the Summer they get lots of fresh grass and then eat less hay.

The hay that's suitable is the one that your rabbits prefer and therefore eat a lot of. It could be an expensive one or a cheap one. It's trial and error. Mine like Hayforpets Ings hay. They will eat other hays but this is the one they will eat most of.

Unlimited, fresh, good quality hay is best, usually one with a variety of grasses, like baled hay, or hay from hayandstraw.co.uk or Timothyhay.co.uk. It costs more initially but if you compare the prices per kg of pet shop hay it actually works out lots cheaper a 10kg bag lasts ages. The main thing is that they eat lots though, so if your bunny is eating a pile of hay equal to their body size everyday then you've found one they like!

My preferred pellets are Fibafirst, as they take longer to chew (better dental wear) and are the highest in crude fibre (30%, which is great for their tummies).

But there are lots of good pellet brands out there- for example Burgess excel and supreme science selective (Supreme are the same people that make fibafirst). Not all pellets are the same, so it's important to read the nutritional information on the packet - some foods that claim to be high fibre are only 14%! Avoid muesli- most rabbits don't eat all the pieces and leave the healthier bits, and most have added sugar and low fibre content.

I wouldn't feed ad lib to an adult rabbit, as it prevents them eating enough hay, which can then cause tummy and dental problems. It can also make them fat. The general rule is a tablespoon of pellets per kg of weight of the rabbit per day, which for the average rabbit is 2 tablespoons, roughly equal to a small eggcup. But a baby rabbit should be fed more, and some people do feed them ad lib.

Hope that helps :wave:

That's brilliant advice thank you.

My 10 year old dwarf appears to eat no hay but he is free range on the grass in the day so does this make a difference? I think he's been spoilt over the years on the rabbit royal so he won't touch bland things. I tried him with the fibafirst sticks and they didn't get touched. He does pick the tasty buts out of the rabbit Royal and leaves the pellets. He eats all of his burgess though.

I've currently got them on burgess. Is it ok to swop the flavours or should you stick to one?

Also I'll be getting a baby French lop soon of 12 weeks. How much more should you feed them?

What do you mean by ad lib when feeding?

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Give an unlimited supply of food.

You must be doing something right if you have a 10 yr old bunny! As far as your new baby goes, You will need to be a bit more generous with your portions, try to keep a balanced diet with hay, pellets and veg and everything should be fine. I love French Lops Also timing doesn't seem to matter, they are always pleased to see food!

This might keep us going for a short while a bail of hay and straw... £8 for both


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I have always fed excel but when my bun got sick and wouldn't touch anything for ages someone recommended supreme science select, which he ate. Phew. Now he's better they get a mix of both, but prefer excel. Change gradually is the advice. Quantities, I was recommended to feed them a handful. When I actually measured out what is recommended on the packet I was surprised to find they weren't getting anywhere near as much. Rabbits meant to like routine so regular feeding patterns (I don't always manage regular times). They bug me for food all day long and stupidly I reinforce this by finding them veg snacks to munch on. Still not sourced a decent hay they like. Have bought samples on line from the recommended companies but they don't touch it...I am still picking them long grass to keep their fibre intake up. I guess my rule is pellets and veg limited. Hay and any other hedgerow stuff I can get my hands on unlimited.

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