What do we eat!
We use 2nd or 3rd cutting fresh organic timothy hay/orchard grass w/ clover purchased from a local farm, Malabar Feed Store, has a larger selection and most bunnies love the 3rd cutting timothy hay that is very soft, supple, and green.
Bunnies need hay to keep their digestive systems moving and to keep their ever-growing teeth trimmed. Timothy hay or orchard grass are ideal (NO MOSTLY ALFALFA HAY!), but make sure the hay is not moldy…most bagged pet store hays are not fresh. Unless you have a local farm with fresh pesticide-free hay, then ordering online is your best bet. Buying in bulk is fine as long as you keep the hay dry and ventilated.
80% of your bunny diet is timothy hay.
Sherwood is the best of the best when it comes to rabbit food, and it's what we've used for years. Sherwood Rabbit Food is worth the extra expense since it doesn’t contain SOY, molasses, or grain that can be difficult for your bunny to digest. Your bunny's urine will SMELL BETTER due to balanced protein in the feed. Read Sherwood's website to see the research behind their formulas. Food can be purchased directly from Sherwood's website or on Amazon.
Dry food is always 10% read the bag depending of the weight of your bunny.
- Basil, parsley, cilantro, dill
- Leaf lettuces, fresh spinach, kale, collard greens
- Dandelions & plantain herb (found in untreated lawns)
- Carrot (SMALL chunk only, fed sparingly!)
- Pumpkin, squash, zucchini, bell peppers (sparingly)
- AVOID gassy veggies (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower)
Fruits: (small chunk or slice
a few times per week)
- Apple slice, no seeds
- Banana/Pear chunk
- Strawberry (leaves too!)
- Blueberry/Blackberry/Raspberry
- Plum/Peach slice, pit removed
- Fresh cherry, pit removed.
Until your bunny is closer to 5/6 months, I suggest NO treats other than a thumb-sized piece of a leafy green or a few raw oats daily.
ALWAYS begin slowly and stop if your rabbit has mushy poop after eating a treat. Many rabbits have quite sensitive digestive systems.
Our sweet Cookie Monster
Remember
80% Timothy Hay
10% veggies
10% fruis
The scoop on Poop!
Bunnies have two main types of poop - dry balls (or turds, if you will) and grape-like clusters of tiny, moist, shiny poo balls called cecotropes. Both are normal!
Being hind-gut fermenters, bunnies need to eat all or most of their cecotropes kind of like we consume probiotics. You'll be disgusted when you first catch your bunny scarfing down poop, but it's usually at night while you sleep. Extra cecotropes often get smashed on the cage floor or occasionally on your bunny, but your bunny will groom these and does not need a bath. Excessive cecotropes scattered all over the cage floor can be a sign of an imbalance, and you may wish to consult your vet.
Diarrhea, in contrast, is like watery toothpaste and is an emergency that constitutes a trip to your bunny vet. If your bunny is still eating well, a strict hay-only diet for a few days may help, but this is often a sign of a severe digestive imbalance such as the beginning of GI stasis or other illness. It's best to see your vet if this should happen.
samples
Nail Trimmer
Trim your bunny’s nails every 1-2 months as needed. Be careful not to cut the pink “quick” and cause bleeding (flour or cornstarch works to stop any bleeding).
If your bunny has dark nails, use a flashlight or sunshine to see where the quick is inside the nail. Trim a bit below the quick. You might be nervous at first, but you'll get the hang(nail) of it!
Brushing
Bunnies should be brushed whenever loose fur is noticed when molting. Ingested fur can cause an intestinal blockage, which is a life-threatening emergency to your bunny, so brushing away loose fur is important.
Loppy Bunny used HairBuster Bunny Brush
Healthy Bubu!