How to feed rabbits: the right diet and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

What to feed rabbits? This issue is urgent for many people, since the breeding of this species of animals is one of the most promising branches of agriculture. In addition, those who keep these eared animals as pets may be interested in this problem.

Diet

What to feed rabbits? If we consider this issue from the point of view of logical thinking, then it will not seem so complicated. In fact, all living organisms need vitamins, nutrients, and high-calorie foods that can maintain the required body temperature. Therefore, the diet of rabbits must also be made, taking into account these requirements.

Vitamins are the key to vital energy

Vegetables are foods that both humans and rabbits love to eat. On this issue, the opinions of the owners and their furry pets are unusually similar. Of course, hardly anyone wants to give expensive fruits and vegetables to eared ones, especially if there are several such animals.dozens, or even hundreds, as is often the case on farms.

But, nevertheless, such inexpensive crops as cabbage, carrots, potatoes are quite affordable. Eating them will have a positive effect on the well-being of your furry wards.

Can rabbits eat raw potatoes? This issue is discussed in many articles devoted to the problem of feeding these animals. It can be confidently answered in the affirmative. It is only important to remember that root crops must be thoroughly washed. All "eyes" must be cut out, since these parts of the potatoes contain the most harmful microbes. This vegetable can be put in the feeder, both raw and boiled.

Taking care of dental he alth

Root crops are necessary for pets not only as a source of vitamins and fiber necessary for life, but also as a means of caring for teeth. In any other rodents, including rabbits, this part of the oral cavity grows at an unprecedented rate. In a week, teeth can become several millimeters longer. Therefore, in order for pets not to experience problems due to disproportionate jaws, their diet must certainly contain such solid foods as raw potatoes, carrots and similar crops. Eating them will help wear down your teeth.

Therefore, answering the question of whether rabbits can have cabbage, it is worth noting that this product is not only desirable for the diet, but also mandatory. The reason for this is the high content of various vital vitamins in thisvegetable, as well as its benefits for optimal tooth development. For the last of the indicated purposes, the stalk is most suitable. However, it is worth recalling once again the importance of observing hygiene rules.

Picky clean

It is worth noting that animals of this species are one of the most fastidious agricultural species. Therefore, considering the question of rabbits: what to feed and how to care for them, you need to dwell in detail on such a moment as monitoring compliance with hygiene rules, as well as over the freshness of the food served.

The first requirement will be fulfilled if every day, and preferably several times a day, clean the rabbit dwelling, clean the feeder, and also ventilate this room. Do not, however, create excessive drafts in the house.

The air should flow evenly there, and they should always have a secluded corner where they can hide from excessively strong winds.

Food Requirements

Following the second paragraph of the above rule, attention should be paid to the freshness of products. You should periodically check the feeder for food debris. Those that have been lying there for a long time should be thrown away. This requirement is extremely important to comply with, as leftover food can spoil, and its consumption will cause undesirable he alth consequences for your pets. It must always be remembered that the body of rabbits is very susceptible to various kinds of harmful bacteria, viruses, and so on.

Even microorganisms that cannot harm humans can cause prolonged illness in rabbits. All intestinal viral infections of rodents are extremely difficult to treat and are quite difficult. A large percentage of these ailments end in death. Therefore, it is best to prevent the spread of such bacteria, and thereby protect your furry wards from an undesirable risk to life.

Because without water…

Another important point in answering the question of what to feed rabbits is their drink. Clean fresh water is the key to their he alth and longevity. Therefore, it is important to ensure that this vital liquid is always in the drinker. Especially often you need to add it when rabbits are fed cereals and dry foods that are sold in specialized stores. The lack of moisture in their body can cause dehydration, which will adversely affect digestion and general well-being. Therefore, it is necessary to pour clean fresh water into the drinker at least twice a day. Particular attention should be paid to this in the winter, as keeping rabbits at this time of the year is especially difficult. Some of its subtleties will be discussed in the following chapters of this article.

Frost-hardy animals

In the cold season, as already mentioned, drinking these animals should be given special attention. If rabbits live in the fresh air, then at sub-zero temperatures, the contents of their drinkers can turn into ice, so you need to transfer them several times a day to a warm room and therebring water, or fill the drinker several times a day. In especially cold winters, you can heat the liquid before offering it to the ears. Otherwise, rabbits, feeling thirsty, may begin to lick the ice, which often leads to damage to the mouth.

Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the water necessary for the life of the rabbit, as well as for any other creatures, arrives at his table on time.

Sun air and water

It may seem strange, but for the he alth of rabbits, keeping them on the street is much more favorable than living in insulated rooms. The fact is that the body of these eared rodents is capable of acquiring greater resistance to various colds during the hardening process.

It is known that the most hardy is the offspring that is born in the cold season on the street. Of course, you should not neglect safety measures, including making sure that your pets always have unfrozen water at their disposal. In addition, air temperature must be taken into account. When it drops to -15 degrees, it is recommended to immediately transfer pets to an insulated room. Weather in which the thermometer does not fall below this indicator is considered normal for rabbits.

Greens for the table all year round

Enough has already been said about the benefits of vegetables for furry pets in this article. Therefore, you can move on to another issue, namely to such a favorite dish as greens. In the summer, as a rule, it does not cause much difficulty.the question of what to feed the rabbits. Grass of various species grows in large quantities even in large cities.

Therefore, if you keep such an animal in an apartment, it will not be difficult to collect several bunches of nutritious plants for it in the territory of some park. Another option for extracting such greenery may be growing it on a home windowsill. Seedlings of these plants are sold at any pet store. You can give rabbits this food in large enough quantities, without fear of exceeding the norm. Ideally, for a balanced diet of an animal, greens should be up to 60% of all consumed products.

Cold season

What to feed rabbits in winter? If in the summer the extraction of vegetation is not difficult, then in the cold season, in order for the rabbit not to be without food, its owners should take care of the necessary supplies in advance.

It is possible already at the beginning of summer, or even at the end of spring, when a lot of grass appears, to harvest it. The most favorable for the he alth of rabbits are varieties such as clover, and the like. However, it is worth remembering that for harvesting you need to choose a time when these plants do not bloom. If you harvest grass with ovaries, then pets may refuse to eat it, and even if they eat green food, they risk getting poisoned, as they are allergic to everything flowering.

The most favorable month for harvesting greenery for the winter is June. The grass is usually dried, thus obtainingfresh and fragrant hay. If plants of hard species are used for this purpose, then they must be processed in a certain way. To do this, you need to dry the harvested crop, and then grind the greens until fine flour is obtained, which should be stored in specially designated bags. It is best to use those that are made from natural materials. The tips above will help you decide what to feed your rabbits in winter.

Anti-crisis nutrition

And if there is no hay, what to feed the rabbits? This question may arise from the owners of the farm in a financial crisis. A similar situation can also arise when hay supplies are not enough for the entire long winter. In this case, of course, pets can also be given straw, which is not very expensive in price, but it is best to purchase more nutritious food. Flour made from edible herbs is great for feeding rabbits at any time of the year.

If the owners of the animals took care of the supply of this product in the summer, then their wards are clearly not in danger of starvation. Otherwise, the way out of this situation may be to purchase such food in special livestock stores or in factories that produce grass meal. If there are no such enterprises nearby, then you need to order this product via the Internet. Do not forget that when feeding animals with dry mixes, you need to provide them with sufficient clean and fresh water.

Contraindications

Animals of this species are strictly forbidden to gnawbranches of plants containing hydrocyanic acid. This substance can cause significant harm to the he alth of rabbits. If it, although dangerous to human he alth, but still consumed in small quantities cannot greatly affect well-being, then it causes an extremely negative reaction in rabbits.

If an animal gnaws on branches of plants such as cherries, plums and other similar plants, this can even lead to the death of a pet. Therefore, when preparing wood for winter training of teeth in rabbits, these contraindications should be taken into account. Also, you need to remember that you do not need to overfeed your pets with foods such as cabbage, legumes, since eating these vegetables in large quantities can cause digestive disorders.

Next, a few more products will be named that belong to the number of things that should not be fed to rabbits. First of all, it is worth saying that it is necessary to be very careful about various unfamiliar types of herbs, since there are a number of plants that can not only cause poisoning in pets, but also seriously damage their digestive system. The following flowers can be attributed to such greenery: Avran apothecary, Agrostemma, Aconity, meadow wintering, hemlock and some others. It is not recommended to give animals the opportunity to use buttercup and spurge, which are often found in our latitudes. In addition, these animals should not be offered plants that have been collected near highways, as many harmful substances are deposited on them, which are the result of exhaust emissions.gases.

And what else can not be fed to rabbits? There are many foods that, although not prohibited for consumption by rabbits, are in the category of conditionally allowed. Such food most often does not bring tangible harm, but, as a rule, there is no benefit from it. Such products include a number of cereals, such as rice, millet, millet, rye. These cereals significantly increase the proportion of mucus in the stomachs of animals, but at the same time their digestion is extremely difficult for the body of rodents.

Useful gourds

Many are interested in the question - can rabbits have a pumpkin? Experienced breeders answer it in the affirmative. This vegetable is not only not contraindicated for serving these cute animals, but its presence on the menu is highly desirable. How can this be explained? First, pumpkin contains a large amount of vitamins useful for growth.

Everyone knows the great love of rabbits for carrots, but only a few know that carotene is much more contained in pumpkin. This type of gourd brings its harvest in the fall, and it is very easy to store it for the winter. Vegetables do not require any special preservation, they can simply be put in a dark, fairly cool place. By doing this, you can be sure that your pets are provided with tasty and he althy food for the cold season.

As for the methods of preparing these gourds, the product can be offered to rabbits in a wide variety of forms, from raw to boiled. It is very useful for improving well-being, increasing the immunity of animals, adding pumpkinin different nutrient mixtures. For many farm owners, the question of what to feed small rabbits is an urgent question. One of the products shown for young animals of this species is pumpkin. It is only necessary to grind it strongly, after slightly opening it. However, speaking about this representative of the melon family, it should be mentioned that such vegetables cannot make up the main part of the diet, since they completely lack the proteins necessary to maintain vital energy.

And what else to feed the little rabbits? Next, we will talk about a product that people call "everything's head." In this, they are completely in solidarity with the eared ones, since it is bread that contains the necessary acids and vitamins that contribute to the digestion of food containing a large proportion of protein. Therefore, when asked what to feed rabbits for rapid growth, we can confidently answer that in addition to vegetables, cereals and other necessary products, their menu must necessarily consist of slices of bread.

Bread Opponents

However, there are many who believe that the question of whether rabbits can have bread should only be answered in the negative. How do they motivate their point of view? First, these breeders say that rabbits, in their natural habitat, usually do not go further than 100 meters from their holes. Therefore, the appearance of bakery products in their diet is impossible. Secondly, the eared have a constant need to grind their teeth, and eating soft foods, they gradually lose the ability to chew hard food.

What to feedrabbits for weight gain? Experts say that one should not exclude the possibility of eating bakery products by these animals. However, along with such delicacies, hard vegetables, such as pumpkin, carrots, and so on, must be included daily in their menu, as well as providing pets with the opportunity to gnaw on plant branches that are not contraindicated for them.

What to feed those who bring offspring?

What to feed breeding rabbits? For the nutrition of individuals that are left for breeding future offspring, all the advice that was given in this article is effective. It should only be remembered that in order for the animals not to lose the ability to actively reproduce, they should not be overfed. Therefore, nutritious foods such as various mixed feeds, legumes, and bread should be given in reasonable amounts.

Don't forget to include vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables in your diet. As for the latter, if possible, pets should be given tasty and he althy fruits such as apples, carrots, beets, and so on. Experts warn against offering rabbits any exotic fruits like citrus fruits and the like. When feeding them with apples, you need to peel the fruits and cut out the core with stones.

Experienced rabbit breeders say that individuals suffering from obesity are either completely incapable of reproduction, or they bring an extremely small offspring. Therefore, you should follow the diet of eared pets. The main part of the diet should be hay and dishes made ongreen base. Among them are such as compound feed, with a large percentage of the vegetable component and herbal flour. It is only necessary to ensure that only grass that is suitable for rabbits is harvested for hay, and that it is not harvested at the time of flowering.

In closing

This article covered the topic of how to feed rabbits (including in the winter in the village). In separate chapters, questions were considered about what products are suitable for the breeding representatives of these domestic rodents, as well as how to prepare food for the winter. If you follow the above tips, your pets will always be full, he althy and ready for procreation.

It is also necessary to take into account all the above-mentioned hygiene requirements for keeping rabbits and feeding them. Experts recommend, if possible, to equip a home for these fluffy animals in the fresh air, even in the cold season. Since hardening is extremely beneficial for the well-being of these animals. But, even if rabbits live indoors, they will be he althy and strong if they always have only fresh food in their feeders and clean, unfrozen water in their drinkers.