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Rabbit Show SuppliesRabbits Diet: Is your rabbit eating?

The typical diet for a rabbit consists of water, hay, pellets, fresh vegetables, and its own caecal pellets. Fruit and other treats are given only in very limited quantities because they can cause obesity in a rabbit. Rabbits need a constant supply of water as they dehydrate quickly.

Most sources recommend 80% of the diet should be timothy or other grass hay. Too many vegetables in the diet of a rabbit usually leads to diarrhea and other digestive disorders.

Pellets

Rabbits are usually fed with food pellets available in pet stores, supermarkets and agricultural suppliers. Pellets were originally designed for rabbit breeders in order to provide much food energy and vitamins as cheap as possible. This is optimal when the rabbits are raised for food or experiences.

Most sources recommend a minimum of 18% fiber, low protein content (14? 15%), and less than 1% of calcium. Depending on the amount of vegetables available, an adult rabbit should be given between 20 ml to 40 ml per kilogram (? And? Cup of pellets per 6 pounds) of body weight per day. rabbits pre-teens and teens (7 months old) can be given that evenly coated diet because they can consume, although additional vegetables are preferable to additional pellets. An older rabbit (over six years) can be given more pellets if they have difficulty maintaining a stable weight. Timothy hay-based pellets are great for rabbits that have stopped growing and did not need to gain weight. alfalfa-based pellets are best for young, growing rabbits or more rabbits are underweight.

Hay

Hay is essential for the health of all rabbits. A steady supply of hay will help prevent gastrointestinal stasis and other digestive problems in rabbits. In addition, it provides a number of vitamins and minerals needed for a cost of low-energy food. Rabbits enjoy chewing hay, hay, and have always available for the rabbit may reduce its tendency to chew on other items. timothy and other grass hays are considered the healthiest of providing the rabbit. As the blood of a consistently high level of calcium can be harmful to rabbits, hay, like alfalfa and clover hay should be avoided. Alfalfa is also relatively high energy food, and a constant supply of it can cause obesity in rabbits.

Treats

Treats are unhealthy in large quantities for rabbits, as they are for humans. Most treats sold in pet stores are filled with sugar and carbohydrates, high energy food. If the owner is determined to feed the rabbit treats, the best treatment is to supply the fruit.

Acceptable fruit (seeds and pits must be removed): banana, mango, pineapple, peach, apple, kiwi, berries, orange and other citrus.

Pineapple, mango and papaya all contain a natural enzyme which is thought to reduce hairballs.

Nuts or other treats should be given in moderation, as rabbits can easily become overweight and suffer health problems. Their diet should include more than half a tablespoon of fruit or treats per day.

However, fresh fruit should not be administered to rabbits under the age of four months because their digestive systems are not always sufficiently developed to handle fruit. It can cause an enteritis that causes death within 48 hours.

If a common myth that rabbits should be given the lettuce is not a good idea, because it contains little or no nutritional value for the rabbit and may even cause an enteritis which leads to rapid death.

cecal pellets

Do not worry if you see your rabbit eating some of his feces. They are called cecal pellets, and are an essential part of their diet. cecal pellets are soft, smelly, clumpy feces, and offers only a rabbit of vitamin B12. Thanks to the design of the digestive system of rabbits, they can not extract some vitamins and minerals.

Posted on June 18, 2010.
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