Diet

• Rabbits require clean fresh drinking water every day, this should be checked at least once a day and twice a day in the warmer months. You should also ensure that the water doesn’t freeze in winter. Rabbits can become seriously ill without any water. Drinking from a bowl is more natural for a rabbit but please ensure that they don't knock it over or fill it with hay.

• They should always have access to good quality hay and/or grass, this should constitute the majority of your rabbits' diet.  

• Rabbits are natural grazers and usually eat large amounts of grass or other plantation mainly at dawn and dusk.

• You should avoid feeding your rabbit muesli-style foods as they are associated with health problems and are full of sugar, rabbit pellets is a much better alternative. Growing, pregnant or nursing rabbits should be fed an unlimited supply of pellets.  We recommend either Science Selective pellets or Burgess Excel pellets.

• Rabbits teeth grow continuously so it is important to give your rabbit a good quality diet which will help with wearing them down. Not eating the right diet can result in serious dental disease.  

• Fresh food including herbs and vegetables also make up a large part of your rabbits diet, please see the list below for examples of safe vegetables and herbs, fruit can be fed as a treat.

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Vegetables:

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• Artichoke leaves

• Asparagus

• Baby sweetcorn (but not full size ones)

• Broccoli (and its leaves, including purple sprouting varieties) - can cause gas so limit

• Brussel sprouts (leaves and sprouts) - can cause gas so limit

• Cabbage (can sometimes cause digestive upsets) - can cause gas so limit

• Carrots – but not the roots as they are very high in sugar. Carrots in general should be limited due to their high sugar content.

• Carrot tops

• Cauliflower (and the leaves)

• Celery 

• Chicory

• Courgette 

• Cucumber

• Curly kale

• Fennel

• Green beans

• Peas (including the leaves and pods)

• Peppers (red, green and yellow)

• Pumpkin

• Radish tops - can cause gas so limit

• Rocket

• Romaine lettuce (not Iceberg or light coloured leaf)

• Spinach (should only be given occasionally)

• Spring greens

• Squash (e.g. Butternut)

• Swede

• Turnip (only occasionally)

• Watercress

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Herbs:

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• Basil

• Coriander

• Dill

• Mint (peppermint)

• Parsley - not too much as high in calcium

• Oregano

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Thyme

• Dandelion

• Lavender

• Nettle

• Yarrow

• Plantain

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Fruit (these should be fed in small quantities):

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• Apple (but not the pips as they are poisonous!)

• Apricot

• Banana 

• Blackberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)

• Blueberries

• Cherries (not the pits and plant - they contain cyanide and are therefore poisonous!)

• Grapes

• Kiwi Fruit

• Mango

• Melon

• Nectarines

• Papaya

• Peaches

• Pears

• Pineapple

• Plums

• Raspberries (and leaves – excellent astringent properties)

• Strawberries (and leaves)

• Tomatoes (NOT the leaves)

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