Nutrition for a rabbit

I'm going to get a new rabbit, a mini lop hopefully. i've had 2 others and both have died. neither were lops, so i was wondering about nutrition for a rabbit, he'd be in a big cage, 8' by 5', so he could run around. any suggestions?

 

you can get vita drops for your bunny, youd put them in his water canaster.

and feed a vary diet, and keep him clean as well as his surroundings.

take care.

Amy. x

 

DON'T feed him lettuce. It causes diarrhea and can make your rabbit quite ill.
You CAN feed raw vegetables like carrots and green beans, in small amounts. A good quality hay is good, too. Most pet stores will have small bundles of hay for rabbits. This is, of course, in addition to a high quality rabbit food.

Mini Lops need frequent grooming, too. Comb your bunny to remove dead hair. Rabbits can get hairballs, just like cats. But unlike cats, they are not able to vomit them up or pass them in their feces. Instead, the hair stays in their stomach and the hairball can get huge, to the point that surgery is required to remove it. And rabbits don't tolerate surgery or anesthesia very well. That's why a lot of vets are reluctant to neuter/spay a rabbit.

 

My sister has a Angora Lop he is just too cute, She feeds him a good quality rabbit food he has plenty of hay, fresh fruit and vegtables daily he has a gnawing block to help keep his teeth short and she takes him to the vets every couple of weeks for his claws to be cut back he is allowed out to run about 3times a day.

Since he has always been an indoor rabbit he is happier than most outdoor rabbits i have seen as he gets constant attention from my sister and her 2 children.

His cage is cleaned 2times a week with water and food changed daily.

SHe sprinkles baby talc powder in his fur and uses either a toothbrush or a small comb to do his fur.

Mike

 

Ok thanks, the lady that i got my first lop said to give them papaya pills to help break down the fur, i've also heard the pinneapple works well. is this true?

 

I have a Netherland Dwarf bunny that is 7 months old. She is a very sweet rabbit.

Since you have already had bunnies, you may already beware of some of the things below.

I feed her lots of hay, a good quality pellet for young rabbits and lots of veggies (kale, celery, parsely, dandelion etc..) They love green leafy veggies. Try not to feed to many carrots are these are high in sugar as well as lettuce as this will cause diarreha. I feed mine carrots twice a week. Also try not to feed too many fruits, these should be treats as they are high in sugar too.
For treats you can also give your bunny sugar free cherrios. Make sure your bunny has plenty of fresh water all the time, it should be changed frequently (2 to 3 times a day).

The hay will help the bunny to break down and dispose of the hair balls as well as pineapple.

My bunny lives indoor with us she has a large cage. You need a cage that is big enough that allows the bunny to lie down and stretch out, which I believe you said you do. We clean her litter box and around the cage daily. We also make sure to pick up any left over veggies. We thoroughly clean out the cage once a week.

Bunnies love toss toys and toilet paper rolls. Make sure you rabbit has enough toys to keep it busy when your not home.

She gets about 1 to 2 hours in the evenings out of the cage so she can socialize with us and get some exercise.

Oh and I'm not a big fan of baby powder on your bunny. Bunnies have small lungs so inhaling the powder could be dangerous for them.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for all the great advice!!! My bunnies are never deprived of exercise. While they are little they stay in a cage in the garage and are let out at night in the garage while i work so they can get used to me. then after they are older they get put out in a 6 foot by 8 foot cage with birds that i raise. my past 2 bunnies have loved the birds and they chase eachother around and my first bunny even went as far as gaurding a nest full of eggs for awhile. thankfully he still let me by them. lol, so they aren't deprived of exercise! they get out and play during the day to play while i work outside, so they get lots of greens there and then i throw out extra veggies that we used in out salads ( brocoli, green beans, brussel sprouts) and i pull clover for them too. thanks again, i'll prolly be getting one in a few weeks!

 

Good hay is very important for bunny health. Beatrix gets a leaf or two of Romaine lettuce (not iceberg), a couple of baby cut carrots, a piece of apple, maybe a few leaves of spinach. Don't feed too much "wet" food or your bun will get the poops. Moderation is the key...

 

http://islandgems.net/ This is a great bunny site with tons of info on care, foods, breeding, grooming, housing and all kinds of stuff. I'm sure you could find some good tips on there.

I personally wouldn't recommend liquid vitamins in the water for the same reason that i don't give them that way to my rats. It encourages bacterial growth in the bottle, so unless you are religious about sanitizing the bottle everyday, I'd try to go with a powder vitamin that goes in their food which are sposed to be more stable than liquid too. Also, Timothy Hay is sposed to be much better than Alfalfa. My sister used to give her lops the little papaya supplements sold in health food stores and they ate em up like the yummiest treats.

 

And don't forget toys, buns love toys. :y_the_best: Beatrix has a ring of measuring spoons she likes to throw, a small browon stuffed bunny (it came with her when I adopted her from the SPCA), a small rope chew bone, and a hanging wood and bell chew toy made for buns that she shakes when she wants attention or a treat, among other toys. Timothy IS the better hay for buns, Bea loves her hay.

 

Wonderful! Thanks everybody!