What to Feed Your New Little one Bunny

Many people ship residence a rabbit after they’re nonetheless solely a youthful bunny. Nonetheless most of the data you uncover about rabbit care and nicely being is directed in direction of grownup rabbits. It is attainable you will uncover very helpful particulars about maintain an grownup rabbit on a nutritious food regimen, nonetheless what about your new baby bunny?

Youthful rabbits are rising bunnies, and have specific dietary needs that differ from grownup rabbits. The amount that you just feed your rabbit and even the type of meals that they need is totally completely different. Then, in any case, there is a transition interval. As your rabbit grows up, they’ll must be safely transitioned from a youthful rabbit meals routine to an grownup rabbit meals routine.

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Youthful rabbits (2-6 months)

As quickly as a youthful rabbit reaches 2 months earlier, they’re typically separated from their mother and have a meals routine of all secure meals. Nonetheless, they will nonetheless have a meals routine that differs from grownup rabbits. These bunnies are nonetheless rising a lot! They need additional protein and calcium of their diets to make sure they develop as a lot as be healthful rabbits.

1. Hay: Youthful rabbits must have alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay has a rather a lot higher amount of protein and calcium, which makes it good for a rising bunny. Hay should be a giant portion of your rabbit’s meals routine because of it promotes good digestion and healthful tooth. It’s not going to make up as large a share of the meals routine as a result of it does for grownup rabbits, nonetheless you proceed to want to make sure your youthful bunny is munching on hay each day.
2. Pellets. Youthful rabbits should be given an alfalfa-based pellet combine because of it ought to promote healthful progress for youthful rabbits. You want to make sure to supply your youthful rabbit a healthful mannequin of pellets. Avoid any combine that has quite a few vibrant objects, or dried objects of fruits, greens or seeds.
3. Leafy greens. When a rabbit is about 3 months earlier, you possibly can start to introduce some leafy greens into their meals routine. Take it sluggish and solely introduce one type of leafy inexperienced vegetable at a time. You don’t want to give your youthful bunny too many leafy greens at this stage of their life. Their digestion is additional delicate correct now. Subsequently, you want to very step-by-step enhance the amount of inexperienced you give your rabbit until you give them about 1 cup per day
4. Treats. It’s most interesting to stay away from giving youthful rabbits any sweet treats in the meanwhile (along with meals like banana, berries, carrots, apple, and so forth.). Their digestion stays to be creating in the meanwhile and would possibly merely be unbalanced by the introduction of extraordinarily sugary meals. 

Transitioning to an grownup meals routine (6 months – 1 yr)

After rabbits attain 6 months earlier, they will must be slowly transitioned to a healthful grownup meals routine. All through this time, the youthful rabbits are nonetheless rising, so that they’ll need additional meals than grownup rabbits, however, adjustments should be made to the meals routine over time and by no means .

As with a youthful rabbit meals routine, you don’t want to make any drastic modifications to a rabbit’s transitional meals routine in a short timeframe. You want to simply bear in mind to present your rabbit’s digestion time to manage to their healthful grownup meals routine.

1. Hay. When your rabbit reaches 6 months earlier, you’ll want to start to transition them to a timothy-based meals routine and slowly part out the alfalfa hay. In case your rabbit is being picky about consuming timothy hay, try this:
   • Mix in numerous sorts of hay. Timothy hay is most interesting for rabbits, nonetheless there are different kinds which could be moreover good for a rabbit’s digestion. Add in handfuls of various grass-based hays, resembling orchard hay, oat hay, or meadow hay to make the transition additional appetizing to your youthful rabbit.
   • Seek for modern producers of hay. Latest hay tastes greater than earlier, browned hay. I want to get my hay from a web-based retailer referred to as Small Pet Select. They’ve impressed me with the usual of their hay and I in no way hesitate to counsel them. Check out their timothy hay in your rising bunny (and get 15% off your first order by using the code BUNNYLADY at checkout)
   • Place the hay near the litter area. Rabbits want to munch and poop on the an identical time, so inserting the model new timothy hay near the litter area can encourage them to nibble on it.
   • Disguise treats in hay. You presumably can conceal dried herbs or objects of dried fruit inside the hay pile. You might even make toys with toilet paper tubes the place you conceal a cope with inside the heart and cover it with hay.
2. Pellets. An identical to with hay, you’ll want to transition your rabbit from alfalfa-based rabbit meals pellets to timothy-based rabbit meals pellets. Don’t change your complete rabbit alfalfa pellets with timothy pellets , since this might presumably be a shock to their digestion. As an alternative over the course of 3-4 months, you’ll want to slowly decrease the share of the alfalfa pellets you give your rabbit and enhance the amount of timothy pellets.
   • I as soon as extra counsel the Oxbow mannequin. They’ve Yard Select Pellets for grownup rabbits, making it easy to transition from the youthful rabbit pellets.
3. Leafy Greens. You might also start to enhance the amount of latest leafy greens you give your rabbit every day. As their digestion is able to cope with additional choice, you’ll double the amount that you just give your rabbit. 
4. Treats. As quickly as your rabbit reaches 6 months earlier, you possibly can start to introduce some yummy treats to them. Maintain the treats you give your youthful rabbit to roughly 1 tablespoon or a lot much less per day.

What kinds of treats are protected for rabbits?

• Latest or dried greens and fruit (make sure there’s no added sugar)
• Baked hay treats. Oxbow has a variety of flavors of baked hay treats. These are notably good because of they’re hay-based, making them healthful in your rabbit.
• Dried herbs. The one place the place I’ve seen herb blends being purchased is Small Pet Select. They’ve loads of pure blends that even have mild medicinal properties to keep up your rabbit healthful. (don’t neglect to take 15% off your order with the code BUNNYLADY)
• DIY treats. You presumably can attempt making your particular person treats using your rabbit’s pellets and some modern fruit and greens.

Sources:

1. “Rabbit Meals.” House Rabbit Society, https://rabbit.org/care/food-diet/.

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