Natural Diet for Rabbits
Rabbits may seem like low-maintenance pets because they are kept in cages, but like any pets, they require the right kind of care and attention. To raise healthy, happy rabbits, you may want to provide them with an all-natural diet.
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Hay
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Rabbits should have a supply of fresh hay available to them at all times. Hay is an essential part of their diet because it gives them roughage and helps prevent hairballs and other blockages of their digestive tract. For young rabbits less than 7 months old, alfalfa hay is a good choice, but for older rabbits, choose timothy hay or oat hay.
Vegetables
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Vegetables provide further roughage as well as essential vitamins and nutrients. Carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips, parsnips and other root vegetables are all good sources of natural food for a rabbit. Rabbits also may eat green leaves of all kinds, although their intake of kale, spinach, and mustard greens should be limited to one or two times per week, according to the Pet Education website. In high levels, these greens may cause toxicity, though in moderation they provide much-needed nutrients.
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Grains
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Although owners who raise their rabbits on pellets also supplement with hay and vegetables, if you are not feeding pellets to your rabbit, you'll need to give them natural sources of grain and other plants. Natural sources include oats, wheat, barley, dry bread, bran mash, sunflower tops and even the branches of young trees.
Fruits
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Rabbits may eat fruits, but only as a special treat because of their high calorie and carbohydrate content.
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References
- Photo Credit floppy eared rabbits image by Ken Marshall from Fotolia.com
