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NUTRITION HPG = Hay and Pellets and
Greens!
Nutrition is the first and most important aspect of your bunny's care. If you get this part right you will be doing a very good thing for your rabbit and for yourself.
HAY
The most important part of a rabbits diet is hay. They cannot eat too much hay! Some people think that feeding just pellets is okay for a rabbit. It is not okay. Rabbits desperately need fiber and other things that pellets do not provide. Hay can and should be 70%-85% of your rabbits diet. If you get a rabbit one year old or younger, they should eat Alfalfa hay. If your rabbit is older than one year, they should get Timothy or Oat hay. Alfalfa hay would make older rabbits gain too much weight. There are a number of hays on the market these days and many are wonderful. Some rabbits like one more than another, and it is okay to try different ones, to see which is their favorite. Just be sure to find one they will eat because it is essential for good rabbit health.!
I gave mine only Oat hay for several years. Now I mix together Oat and Timothy. On occasion I will throw in some Orchard or Meadow grass, or Brome or Bermuda or Mountain. You can order hay online, or get it at Petco, Petsmart or a local small pet store......but it is always more expensive at the pet stores and if you order online, you get it delivered to your door.....but you have to pay postage. A small bag of hay will run 5 dollars and doesn't last long...... you can do far better cost wise, by going to a local bunny rescue that also sells hay. See my links for rescues that sell hay in the greater LA area. I get a whole bale (that's a huge amount) of beautiful Oat or Timothy for under $25 dollars and it lasts all month..... and I have 7 bunnies! :) (I'm up to 15 now)
You do have to keep it dry and away from rodents. I keep mine in my garage in the bags they come in, with the top open so the hay can breathe. But I don't have a rodent issue. There are several ways to store it, but it should be able to breathe. You never want to let it get moist or soggy because it will mold and make your bunny sick. Some people I know put it in a large plastic container and cut air-holes into the lid. Ikea (the huge Danish furniture store) has huge rugged plastic bags for dog food, that has actual netting areas on the sides for breathing and a zipper top closure. These bags are blue and white with a dog bone pictured on them, and sell for under $5. They have handles also. If you get those, just make sure they don't sit on anything moist, because the moisture can get in through the bottom and the netting on the sides. I divide my bale of hay into 2 or more Ikea bags, and that way I can just carry them around the house from one rabbit pen to another to add hay to my litter boxes. I can also leave them in closets throughout the house and always have hay close by since I have bunnies downstairs and upstairs! :)
If you ever see bugs or mold in your hay, return it to where you got it and tell them so they can warn others who might have bought from that batch...or if that is no longer possible, throw it away. If your bunny eats it and gets sick, your vet bills will be a lot more than it would be to just buy another bag or bale of hay!PELLETS
 Eating Oxbow Alfalfa pellets...
from top center clockwise: Mommy: Snowbee,
Babies: Bean, Blue, Kribble, Minarette, Kwolli and Angel.
The second food your rabbits should eat are pellets. There is some controversy about this out there, but pellets do have some nutrition that cannot be gotten from hay. Some people say there is no need to feed pellets at all. I don't disagree that that might be okay, but I feel safer giving mine limited pellets, and they love them. I actually use pellets as a "treat" food for my buns sometimes, because they love them so much. I'll set aside a few from their dinner plate and use them at another time in the day to try and teach them tricks (check out Clicker-Training online). It is important to buy good quality pellets as there are also a lot of bad quality pellets available. The most important thing to look for in the pellets is the fiber content, and the higher it is the better. You can compare packages to see that some are higher than others. I will put a copy of the nutrition facts of a good pellet on here as soon as I learn to scan!
Oxbow pellets are one of the best brands and although they are a little more expensive, they are so much healthier! You can get Alfalfa and Timothy pellets from Oxbow. They come in a red package. Some of the packages have a resealable top. Alfalfa is considered/called "Young" rabbit food...and Timothy pellets are considered "Mature" rabbit food. What that means is that for bunnies under 8 months, the alfalfa is important because it has a higher fat content, and babies and lactating mother rabbits need that extra fat. For bunnies over 8 months, they can be slowly switched to Timothy which has less fat and is healthier at that point. Overweight bunnies can develop all kinds of problems...including liver issues.
Never, never buy pellets with anything else mixed into them, (eg: corn, seeds etc.) Just plain brown pellets are what you want. I have gone from pet store to pet store to ask the owners why they buy/sell those fancier looking pellets, because they are so bad for buns, and their answer has always been that the companies make them buy those along with the healthier stuff. I believe another reason is that breeders use it. Especially breeders who breed bunnies for meat. They need those carbs to fatten up their bunnies , but it is not good for health!
My bunnies all get about 1/8-1/4 of a cup of pellets a day depending on their weight. I give them in the evening as dinner, but it doesn't really matter when. My buns all weigh in the range of 5 -10 pounds. If your bun is overweight, less pellets might help them lose weight. If they aren't getting enough exercise, a chance to run around for a few hours a day in an open place would also help and is very important for them!
GREENS
Eating greens...
Dottie, trying to get into the greens bucket !
Greens are healthy and good for your bun. It is great for them to get a salad once or twice a day. A handful of greens is a great treat and the buns always look forward to the time of day when I bring out the greens!
There are a lot of different greens for your bun, and some are better than others. Some green things are no-no's as well...for example, avocado!
Never give your bun any avocado.
Some greens have higher calcium content than others, and some buns don't do well with too much calcium. It depends on your bun. I don't know all the statistics on every green...but my buns get a mixture of a few of the following greens......whatever is freshest that week.
Romaine lettuce
Green/Red leaf lettuce
Italian Parsley
Cilantro
Baby Bok Choy
Dill
Green, red or yellow pepper, cut in thin strips
Dandelion greens
Fennel, mostly the green ends and some stem and bottom, cut small
Every now and then I mix in some kale or broccoli or spinach leaves, but these are higher in calcium so I only add one of them every now and then. Also see the House Rabbit Society website (rabbit.org) for lists of greens.
If all you give your buns is lots of hay, a small amount of good pellets and a handful of greens once or twice a day....that is best!
They will be perfectly happy with that diet.
There are some treats and special things for your buns out there.....but do not buy commercial bun treats that are sold in pet stores. Honestly, they are so bad for your bun. And they really don't need them. There are a very few treats that are okay, and I will put pictures of those up soon. Most of them have to be mail-ordered. I buy these special treats for my buns for holidays, birthdays and some special moments....but do not make treats a regular every day thing. You will be glad you didn't. And your buns will be healthier!
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