How Much And When Should A Rabbit Eat?
Mealtime is one of the most desired moments for our pets. Rabbits especially enjoy eating, especially if we include their favorite foods in their diet. For this reason, it is important to control their eating patterns, and from here we are going to give you some tips so that you know how, how much and when a rabbit should eat.
The rabbit and its diet
Before starting your diet, it never hurts to remember a little biological history of the rabbit. Until the early 20th century, the similarities between rabbits and rodents suggested that they all belonged to the order Rodentia . Later studies have shown that rabbits and others are part of the lagomorphs, a different order from rodents.
Specifically, the rabbit is part of the leporidae family, to which the hare and other species also belong. Although all of them have an anatomy in common, 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 the most is their herbivorous diet.
If we have a rabbit at home, it is important to know that its diet must be varied and contain a series of fundamental elements, such as:
- Hay: the most essential food for proper development. Fresh hay provides you with fiber and helps your digestive system, as well as promoting wear of your teeth.
- Fresh vegetables: also important, although we must supply them to a lesser extent. Green leafy vegetables such as chard, carrot greens or watercress are examples of vegetables that a rabbit should eat.
- Fruits and I think: it is interesting to reward them with fruit from time to time. As for the feed, which is usually given in the form of a pellet, it must be given as a complement to the main food.
How much should a rabbit eat?
Answering this question exactly is difficult, since there are a number of variables such as age or developmental status. In general, we could say that the amount varies, especially depending on the type of food. When they are newborns, a diet based on breast milk or similar is ideal.
Hay, although it must constitute 70% of their diet, must be supplied from the month and a half of life. It must be of high quality and, if possible, we must change it so that it is always fresh and available. In this way, our pet can eat all the hay he wants whenever he wants.
The vegetables that a rabbit should eat should be given in moderate portions. If we have a young rabbit at home, not less than 6 months old, the vegetable ration should not be greater than 10% of its body weight.
We have to give the fruit and the pellet in small proportions, trying not to exceed 80 grams of feed daily in adult rabbits. It must be remembered that these foods are complementary to the diet.
When should a rabbit eat?
As a general guideline, a rabbit can eat twice a day. But, as with quantity, the frequency with which a rabbit should eat depends on several factors, among which it should be noted that age is the most relevant.
When they are still young, the milk should be supplied at least three times a day. As it grows, it is interesting to vary the diet and its timing.
For example, vegetable rations should be divided into two servings when rabbits are young, although once they reach adulthood they can be given in one sitting. Fruit, as we have already mentioned, should be a punctual 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. Our rabbit should always have these two foods at his disposal; It is necessary to ensure that they are always fresh and renew them frequently.
