What to Feed Your Rabbit
There doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule when it comes to what a rabbit enjoys /should be eating. Like us they have individual tastes. Our Bun enjoys a variety of fresh foods which we introduced him to early on but we still give him new treats from time to time. There are a number of sources of information both on-line and in print suggesting which foods are safe and which should be avoided. We are not saying that we know it all and certainly not suggesting that you try everything but the following list of foods we have found helpful:
Fresh, non-fruits
Broccoli
Celery
Carrot
Green leaf lettuce - not iceberg or light coloured - gotta be dark green
Dandelion - flowers and leaves
Green pepper (dismissed by our Bun)
Sweetcorn (thoroughly ignored by our Bun)
Parsley (only tried in dry form)
Radish tops (we don't like 'em so Bun's never had the pleasure)
Fruits
Apple (only fruit, not core/pips etc)
Banana (makes a satisfying squish when munched by a Bun)
Melon
Grape
Strawberry + tops
Raspberry + tops
Peach (suggested but never tried)
Pear (we don't eat 'em so Bun has gone without)
Pineapple (we love too much to share)
We have had some real scares along the way in regards to what he will eat. Just after Christmas we feared the worst when he ate a poinsettia leaf that had fallen unseen from the plant. He was fine, luckily, but we found it difficult to find information on poisonous plants. The best site we came across is that set up by the House Rabbit Society (a truly excellent organisation) It's information, although very US-centric was extremely helpful to us - you can find it at http://www.sandiegorabbits.org/health/poisonous.html. Other food stuffs best avoided, with potential to cause upset include cabbage, parsnips, swedes, potato tops and tomato leaves. Also apricot stones are highly toxic along with aloe vera. So avoid at all costs.
It is also really important not to let a Bun near chocolate. Ours ate just a tiny morsel and the resulting diarrhoea was awful, for him and for us. As a rule, processed food just ain't a good idea. We aren't sanctimonious but we do not feed our Bun any packaged treats like cereal honey sticks and drops. He eats extruded pellets and as much hay as he can eat. From time to time he gets a bag of dried grass or alfalfa (very expensive American import but apparently delicious!) to supplement his diet. Our vet recommended extruded pellets, she believes that the colourful mixes are too high in sugar and that picky Buns leave the boring/good pellets and only eat the tasty stuff. We can attest to that. Our Bun would hoover up all the good stuff and leave the slightly medicinal looking pellets. Bad Bun! The pellets we now use come from Burgess - all one size, shape and colour - clearly spoiling Bun's fun. Burgess' website has some great pictures and actually quite useful information for Bun owners.
It should go without saying, that when it comes to feeding Bun's, volume should be calculated by age and size and whether your Bun is an inside or outside dweller and how much exercise he/she gets. We measure our food by the egg cup but it is best to consult your vet. Obesity is sadly a common feature of the pampered Bun. We find it extremely hard to ignore his pleading and begging looks, especially when there is a bruised bit on the banana but it really is best not to give in. No matter how cute the look. If you believed our Bun, you would think that he had never seen food before, let alone actually been fed.
