How Much And When Should A Rabbit Eat?
Mealtime is one of the most awaited moments for our pets. Rabbits love to eat, especially if we include their favorite foods in their diet. That’s why it’s important to keep track of your feeding patterns, so we’ll give you some tips to let you know how, how much, and when a rabbit should eat.
The rabbit and its food
Before talking about diet, it never hurts to remember a little bit about the biological history of the rabbit. Until the early 20th century, similarities between rabbits and rodents suggested that they all belonged to the Rodentia order .
Later studies, however, showed that rabbits and the like are part of lagomorphs, a different order from that of rodents.
More specifically, the rabbit is part of the leporid family, to which the hare and other species also belong.
Although they all share an anatomy in which their powerful hind legs, a pair of large ears and two rows of incisor teeth stand out, the common feature that interests us most is the herbivorous diet.
If you have a rabbit at home, it is important to know that their diet should be varied and contain several fundamental elements, such as:
- Hay: the most indispensable food for proper development. Fresh hay provides fiber and favors the digestive system, as well as promoting tooth wear.
- Fresh vegetables: Also important, although they should be provided in a smaller proportion. Green leafy vegetables such as chard, carrots or watercress are examples of vegetables a rabbit should eat.
- Fruit and feed: it ‘s good to reward them with fruit from time to time. The ration, which usually comes in a granular form, must be administered as a complement to the main food.
How Much Should a Rabbit Eat?
Answering this question accurately is difficult, as there are a number of variables, such as age or stage of development, that must be considered.
In general, we could say that the amount varies, above all, according to the type of food. When they are newborns, a diet based on breast milk or similar is ideal.
Hay, although it should constitute 70% of your diet, should be fed from a month and a half of life. It should be of high quality and if possible we should change it so that it is always fresh and available.
This way, the animal can eat all the hay it wants, whenever it wants.
Vegetables that a rabbit should eat should be given in moderate portions. If you have a young rabbit at home, but older than 6 months of age, the vegetable portion should not exceed 10% of its body weight.
Fruits and feed should be administered in small proportions, trying not to exceed 80 grams of feed per day for adult rabbits. Remember that these foods are complementary to the diet.
When should a rabbit eat?
As a general guideline, rabbits can eat twice a day. However, as with the amount, the frequency with which a rabbit should eat depends on several factors, among which it is worth noting that age is the most relevant.
When they are still young, milk should be given at least three times a day. As they grow, it is interesting to vary the diet and timing.
For example, vegetable servings should be divided into two meals when rabbits are young, but once they reach adulthood, it is possible to feed them all at once.
Fruits, as already mentioned, should be an occasional food and it is advisable to establish a weekly pattern (three times a week, for example).
However, other foods, such as hay and water, should never be lacking. The rabbit should always have these two foods at his disposal; we must ensure that they are always fresh and renew them frequently.
