Swindon Rabbit Rescue

Feeding

Your rabbit must have constant access to fresh, clean water. This can either be with a heavy ceramic bowl or a water bottle.  Ensure the bottle is algae free in the summer and doesn’t freeze in the winter.  The metallic spout will freeze first so ensure the water is coming out freely.

 Rabbits need at least one bundle of good quality hay the same size as themselves every day. This is essential to keep their teeth in good condition. Ideally they should also have access to fresh grass or kiln-dried grass also but do not feed lawn mower clippings as these can make your rabbit ill.

Rabbits must also have an adult sized handful of leafy green vegetables, herbs and weeds daily. Good choices are cabbage, kale, broccoli, parsley and mint. If you introduce a new vegetable to the diet please do this slowly to avoid upset stomachs.

Some other common rabbit safe vegetables are asparagus, baby sweetcorn, Brussel sprouts, carrots and carrot tops (roots should be limited due to sugar content), cauliflower including leaves, celery, courgette including flowers, cucumber, green beans, peppers, rocket, romaine lettuce (not iceberg), spinach,

Pellets – feed your rabbit a small amount of good quality pellets every day. We used Burgess Excel.  A rough guide is 1 egg cup full of pellets per 1 kg of your rabbit’s body weight. Muesli style food is not recommended due to selective feeding and high sugar content.

Treats – these should be given occasionally. Try using small amounts of carrot or apple rather than packaged treats as a healthy option.