Diet
The majority of the house rabbit diet should be composed of grass hay (any variety) which is rich in Vitamin A and D as well as calcium, protein and other nutrients. Eating hay promotes healthy teeth and gastrointestinal tract and should be available to your rabbit at all times. Varying the type of grass hay or mixing hays is a great idea (such as timothy, orchard, brome, etc). Avoid the use of alfalfa hay as the primary source of hay due to the fact it is very high I calories and protein, far more then the average house rabbit needs. Alfalfa is not a grass, but rather a legume (in the pea and bean family).
Vegetables
Fresh foods are also an important part of your rabbit's diet and they provide additional nutrients as well as different textures and tastes, which are enriching for your friend as well. Fresh foods also provide more moisture in the diet, which is good for kidney and bladder function. The bulk of fresh foods should be made up of leafy greens (about 75% of the fresh part of the diet). Any leafy green that is safe for a human or a horse to eat is safe for a rabbit to consume. An approximate amount to feed would be around 1 packed cup of greens for 2 lbs of rabbit body weight once a day or divided into multiple feedings a day.
Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
Arugula
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Bell peppers (any color)
Bok choy
Borage leaves
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems; limit, can cause gas)
Broccolini
Brussels sprouts
Carrot & carrot tops
Celery
Chicory
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens
Cucumber leaves
Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)
Dill leaves
Edible flowers (roses, nasturtiums, pansies, hibiscus)
Endive
Escarole
Fennel (the leafy tops as well as the base)
Frisee Lettuce
Green peppers
Kale (limit)
Mache
Mint
Mushrooms (any cultivated type)
Mustard greens
Parsley
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)
Peppermint leaves
Radicchio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Red Leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)
Spinach (limit)
Spring greens
Summer squash
Turnip greens
Watercress
Wheat grass
Yu choy
Zucchini squash
Fruit
These should be no more then 10% of the diet (about 1 teaspoon per 2 lbs of body weight per day). NOTE: unless otherwise stated it is more nutritious to leave the skin on the fruit (particularly if organic), just wash thoroughly. IF you are in doubt about the source of the fruit and you are concerned about chemicals in the skin, then remove it.
Apple
Apricot
Banana
Berries (any type)
Blueberries
Cherries (any variety)
Currants
Mango
Melon
Nectarine
Orange (remove the peel)
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Star Fruit
Strawberries
Information in part gathered from http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
Vegetables
Fresh foods are also an important part of your rabbit's diet and they provide additional nutrients as well as different textures and tastes, which are enriching for your friend as well. Fresh foods also provide more moisture in the diet, which is good for kidney and bladder function. The bulk of fresh foods should be made up of leafy greens (about 75% of the fresh part of the diet). Any leafy green that is safe for a human or a horse to eat is safe for a rabbit to consume. An approximate amount to feed would be around 1 packed cup of greens for 2 lbs of rabbit body weight once a day or divided into multiple feedings a day.
Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
Arugula
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Bell peppers (any color)
Bok choy
Borage leaves
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems; limit, can cause gas)
Broccolini
Brussels sprouts
Carrot & carrot tops
Celery
Chicory
Cilantro
Clover
Collard greens
Cucumber leaves
Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)
Dill leaves
Edible flowers (roses, nasturtiums, pansies, hibiscus)
Endive
Escarole
Fennel (the leafy tops as well as the base)
Frisee Lettuce
Green peppers
Kale (limit)
Mache
Mint
Mushrooms (any cultivated type)
Mustard greens
Parsley
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)
Peppermint leaves
Radicchio
Radish tops
Raspberry leaves
Red Leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf)
Spinach (limit)
Spring greens
Summer squash
Turnip greens
Watercress
Wheat grass
Yu choy
Zucchini squash
Fruit
These should be no more then 10% of the diet (about 1 teaspoon per 2 lbs of body weight per day). NOTE: unless otherwise stated it is more nutritious to leave the skin on the fruit (particularly if organic), just wash thoroughly. IF you are in doubt about the source of the fruit and you are concerned about chemicals in the skin, then remove it.
Apple
Apricot
Banana
Berries (any type)
Blueberries
Cherries (any variety)
Currants
Mango
Melon
Nectarine
Orange (remove the peel)
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Star Fruit
Strawberries
Information in part gathered from http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html
