Top 3 food choices and diets for your rabbit

Our bunny friends need a rabbit diet that is tailored to their unique needs. From dental health to digestive health and even expected lifespan, offering your pal the best food for bunnies is key.

So, let’s take a look at the top 3 food choices and how to pick the best diet for rabbits.

1. Unlimited hay

Rabbits are herbivores. This means they are designed to spend much of their waking hours munching on fibre-rich vegetation. So, whether they live in a rabbit hutch with a large enclosure or live in the house with an indoor rabbit cage and rabbit-proof room, a rabbit diet should contain unlimited quantities of good quality tasty hay.

Timothy hay

Timothy hay is rich in indigestible fibre, just perfect for helping to keep delicate bunny digestive systems in full working order and teeth in tip-top condition. But the nutritional value of hay varies according to things like time of harvesting and storage conditions.

Science Selective Timothy Hay comes from the first cut of the year and is harvested from carefully chosen Timothy grass that produces the largest, tastiest seed heads. And because it is so tasty, it encourages your rabbit to forage through the leaves and stems, providing enrichment and encouraging them to express their natural behaviour. So, Timothy hay is among the best hay for rabbits, but what other options are there?

Meadow hay, such as Russel Rabbit Tasty Hay, is another good source of fibre. Meadow hay is a general term for hay that has been harvested from permanent pasture and it may include other plants and flowers as well as grass.

2. Rabbit nuggets

However, hay alone does not provide a nutritionally complete rabbit diet. Our pets do not have access to the same variety of vegetation that their wild cousins do, so feeding a carefully measured portion of high quality rabbit nuggets every morning and evening will ensure that you are providing your bun with the very best rabbit diet and that they are getting all the essential nutrients that they need.

The best food for bunnies will have:

• Delicious natural ingredients
• No added sugars
• High fibre
• And be highly palatable

Science Selective Rabbit Food comes recommended by vets and the single component extruded nuggets also prevent selective feeding. Being extruded, the nuggets are easier to digest and have a delicious crunchy texture that rabbits love.

What’s more, the range features a rabbit diet for all life stages and lifestyles.

• Science Selective Junior Rabbit Food for young growing rabbits up to 20 weeks of age
• Science Selective Four+ Rabbit Food for rabbits aged four years and over
• Science Selective House Rabbit uniquely formulated for indoor bunnies
• Selective Naturals Grain Free Rabbit Food

And of course, alongside this tailored nutrition, a daily handful of leafy greens adds variety and helps top up that all important fibre.

Or how about Tiny Friends Farm Russel Rabbit Tasty Nuggets? Packed with delicious linseed and lucerne plus all the vitamins and minerals your pal needs for a happy, healthy life, the nuggets prevent selective feeding and are sure to tempt those taste buds.

And of course, alongside nuggets and hay, a daily handful of leafy greens adds variety and helps top up that all important fibre.

3. The best rabbit diet when your pal is unwell

While providing your pet with an irresistibly tasty rabbit diet, comprising unlimited hay, nuggets and some leafy greens, will go a long way to keeping your pal fit and healthy, what about when they are under the weather?

If your rabbit is not eating, or eating less than normal, the first priority is to book your bun a vet check. Alongside veterinary care, there’s lots that you can do to get your pal back on track. Even a few hours without food can cause a sick rabbit to deteriorate quickly, so top of that list is providing nutritional support.

What to do when your rabbit’s not well

When pets are unwell, offering a highly palatable extruded nugget rabbit diet, like Science Selective, may be enough to tempt those tastebuds. You can try softening the nuggets with a little water if necessary. This can be especially useful in rabbits suffering from dental problems and the softened nuggets can be offered from a dish or mashed to a paste for syringe feeding.

However, syringe feeding a softened nugget diet is tricky and a rabbit diet specially formulated for the purpose is best. Science Selective Recovery Plus is rehydratable as a nutritionally complete liquid feed. Rich in natural forage and herbs, it’s super tasty and high in fibre too.

Top tips for syringe feeding

• Feed a highly palatable rabbit diet
• The food must be able to pass through the syringe easily, with minimal force
• Feed small amounts at a time
• Give your rabbit time to chew between mouthfuls
• Patience is key; allow 20 to 30 minutes
• Use foods with plenty of long stem fibre, such as Science Selective Recovery Plus, to support gut motility

While syringe feeding helps to support your rabbit’s recovery, it is important to encourage your pal to eat voluntarily as soon as possible. You can start by offering Recovery Plus in a bowl, alongside hay, grass or a tasty dandelion leaf, or even moulding the liquid rabbit diet into your own home made ‘nuggets’ to help tempt reluctant eaters.

For more information on picking the best rabbit diet, read our blog Which rabbit nuggets are best, next.