To confine a rabbit exclusively to a cage can cause several problems: 

• Obesity – caused most often by a diet too high in calories coupled with a lack of exercise; 
• Pododermatitis – inflammation of the feet caused by sitting in a damp or dirty environment; 
• Poor bone density – rabbits that are continually confined to a small cage can exhibit marked thinning of the bones, which may lead to more easily broken bones when handling; 
• Poor muscle tone – if your rabbit can’t exercise, the muscles, including the heart, will be underdeveloped and weak; 
• Gastrointestinal and urinary function – a rabbit that sits all day in a cage with little exercise can develop abnormal elimination habits; 
• Behavioral problems – continuously caged rabbits can show a wide range of abnormal behaviors, including lethargy, aggression, continual chewing of the cage bars, chewing fur (obsessive grooming), and destruction of the entire contents of the cage.

A cage can be a home base for part of the day or can be opened all the time within an exercise area. The cage should allow your rabbit to stand up on its hind legs without hitting the top, provide a resting area, and have space for a litter box. It should be easy to clean and indestructible, so metal is the best choice. The floor should be solid but covered with soft padding, such as a foam mat covered with fleece blankets.

Keep the cage in a well-ventilated, cool area. Basements are often too damp, which can promote respiratory disease. If you must house your pet in a basement, use a dehumidifier and a fan to improve the air quality. The ideal temperature range for a rabbit is 60ﹾF to 70ﹾF. 

If temperatures reach the mid-80ﹾFs and beyond, especially with high humidity, your rabbit could potentially suffer a fatal heat stroke. On hot days when air conditioning is unavailable, leave a plastic milk jug filled with frozen water in the cage to use as a portable air conditioner and consider using a fan.

Rabbits can be caged outdoors if provided with a shelter to protect them from rain, heat, and cold. Rabbits tolerate the cold far better than the heat, and can rapidly suffer from fatal heatstroke if the temperature is greater than 85ﹾF degrees.

Ensure your rabbit’s cage is secure from predators such as dogs, coyotes, and raccoons and kept clean so it won’t attract parasitic insects. In the winter, use straw or, ideally, hay bedding in the sheltered area for insulation and change the water bowl daily. Your pet can dehydrate rapidly if the water is frozen for even a day.

Exercise Areas

It is vital to your pet rabbit’s health to provide an exercise area where they can roam for a few hours daily. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use exercise fencing panels sold for dogs. Sometimes referred to as “x-pens”, these can be found at most pet stores. Buy fencing at least three feet high for small and medium rabbits and four feet high for giant breeds. These panels are easily assembled with metal pins and can be configured to any size or shape needed. The pen protects your bunny from furniture, electrical cords, and toxic materials.

The pen can also be used outside as a moveable enclosure to allow your pet access to grassy areas. Never leave a rabbit outside in a pen unsupervised or vulnerable to other animals. Large predatory birds are a concern when rabbits are not properly protected outside. Some rabbits may jump over or dig under the fence.

If you need to protect the floor under your rabbit’s cage indoors, you can use a sheet of no-wax flooring, available at most hardware stores. It can be easily cleaned and rolled up when not in use. The soft foam squares used on playroom floors work well if your bunny uses the areas around its cage as a play yard. Cover the area with fleece blankets for extra softness and to keep your bunny from nibbling on the foam.

Safe Spaces Are Bunny-Proof

Many rabbits live uncaged in the homes with their human families, roaming the house and playing at will, returning to their open cages for food and water. If you want to allow your rabbit liberty in your home, it must be bunny-proofed to keep them safe. Block all escape routes; cover or block access to electrical and computer cords and charging cables; cover furniture to protect it from your rabbit’s teeth and claws; remove access to toxic plants, rodenticides, insecticides, and other harmful materials.

Litter Boxes

Rabbits can be litter box trained relatively easily. When beginning training, confine your pet in a small area, either in a cage or a blocked-off section of the room, and place a litter box in the corner; try to pick the corner your pet has previously used for their toilet. Ensure the box’s sides are low enough so your pet can get in and out easily.

To encourage defecation, droppings in the litter box on top of hay can sometimes be helpful. Rabbits will not eat soled hay, so change the hay frequently and consider having a hay box on the side of the enclosure to allow access to unsoiled hay. 

In exercise areas, provide one more litter box than the number of rabbits you have and put newspaper or plastic under the litter box to protect your floors from accidents.

Pelleted litter is the best for rabbits and is preferred over corncob, kitty litter, and wood shavings, which are considered toxic. Pelleted litter is non-toxic and digestible if eaten. It draws moisture away from the surface, keeping it drier, controls odor well, and can be composted. Do not use clay or clumping kitty litter, which, if eaten, can cause intestinal impacts. Many rabbit owners prefer the use of pine pellets.

Resting and Hiding Areas

Wire flooring in cages is not recommended, but most cages come with it. If your bunny’s cage has one, you can make a solid and comfortable resting area by using washable or disposable materials that are also absorbent. Some examples might be fake fleece (not long fur) found in fabric stores or absorbent baby blankets (not terry cloth towels). Do not use carpet squares as they are not absorbent, are abrasive to your bunny’s feet, and cannot be thoroughly cleaned. Carpet, if eaten, can cause abdominal obstruction.

Enrichment

Rabbits get a fair amount of mental exercise from their diet of grass hay and green foods, but additional toys are appreciated. Rabbits like to chew, so give them branches from untreated trees (dry the wood for at least a month to prevent any adverse reactions to the sap), wooden chew toys designed for birds, or unfinished, unpainted wicker or straw baskets.

Rabbits also enjoy things that move and can be chewed, such as empty paper towel rolls, small empty cardboard boxes, and small piles of shredded paper. Small, air-filled balls are also fun to nose around. Stacking-type toys made for young children are a safe choice and seem to be enjoyed by bunnies.

Toys can be made more interesting by hiding healthy treats inside empty toilet paper rolls and old tissue boxes. Stuff hay in your bunny’s favorite hiding area. Giving your rabbit a sense that they are foraging for food is an excellent mental activity.

Handling

Never pick a rabbit up by their sensitive ears. It’s painful and unnecessary. The proper way to pick up your bunny is to grasp the loose skin over the shoulders or scoop them up under the chest for support before lifting your bunny from the floor.

When first learning to handle your pet, work near the floor so that if they jump out of your arms, there isn’t a chance of a fall.

Ask your veterinarian or an experienced rabbit handler about methods of handling rabbits. Some restraint methods are useful when your rabbit needs to be medicated. Wrapping your pet securely in a towel, often referred to as a “burrito”,  is one easy method, and your veterinarian can instruct you on the proper procedure.

Your veterinarian is always a good source of information to help you keep your pet rabbit healthy, happy, and enriched.

Unlike rats and mice, their tails are haired, making them more popular with those who do not care for hairless tails. Degus have an unusually long lifespan for rodents, commonly living for 6-8 years and as long as 13 years has been reported.

Parents should determine if their children are old or gentle enough to handle a nearly 3-ounce (80 grams) agile pet without unintentionally harming the animal.

The downside of degus as pets is their predisposition to chewing. Much like chinchillas, they will chew on anything they have access to, and although the damage from this can be minimized by providing a lot of acceptable chewing materials, you can bet that a loose degu will chew on whatever seems like fun.

They have excellent hearing and sense of smell, but also have poor eyesight and are therefore prone to falling from ledges if left unattended.

Cages should be large and well ventilated. Since degus love to chew, plastic substrate is generally short lived. Wire caging with bars no wider than 2 cm is best. A pair of degus should be housed in nothing smaller than a 35-inch X 50-inch X 23-inch enclosure with room to play, climb, and sleep. Nest boxes are preferred sleeping areas.

Torn paper towels are often prized bedding material, and it is inexpensive and easy to replace if it becomes soiled. Since degus are burrowing animals, bedding should be deep and absorbent, but not with wood-based materials. Recycled paper products, such as Carefresh brand bedding, is ideal. Scooping out waste materials daily and changing the entire cage weekly will keep the environment healthy and minimize odors.

As playful and intelligent creatures, they need items for environmental enrichment such as solid wheels (wire wheels can result in long bone fractures), and toilet tissue rolls for exploration. Sisal rope climbs are favorites. Like chinchillas, degus need regular dust bathing to maintain a healthy coat. Dust baths should be provided several times per week, and a standard chinchilla dust may be used.

Chew toys, such as wood from edible trees (particularly apple trees) and dog rawhides are popular. Daily handling is important from a stimulation standpoint but will also help to tame them and make them more friendly.

Degus’ nutritional needs also vary from that of many of our traditional rodent pets. They are generally offered a combination of chinchilla and guinea pig pellets as well as having timothy hay available 24/7. Since they have cheek teeth that continuously grow (similar to rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas) they require the grinding action of a high-fiber diet in order to keep the teeth healthy. Small amounts of vegetables may be offered, but fruits should be limited since degus are pretty sugar intolerant.

Children need to learn that degus will lose their tail, particularly the tip, if it is grabbed roughly because that is part of their natural defense mechanism.  It does not grow back.

Unfortunately, as they are a prey species, degus tend to hide illness, so it’s best to have them checked by a veterinarian when they are healthy for a base comparison. By the time illness is apparent to the owner, a degu has probably been sick for quite a while. Sadly, most degus are quite sick by the time they first get to the veterinarian.

But as some unsuspecting Easter bunny recipients may soon discover, these feisty little lagomorphs can be a handful to house. In fact, their upkeep can be such a challenge that a handful of owners will call it quits and surrender their Easter pet to an animal shelter. To help prevent such a grave mistake, here are some facts and tips that a potential rabbit owner should consider.

Bunny-proof the House

To start, the first challenge most bunny owners face is that of protecting the house. Bunnies love to chew—on your plants, on your books, and especially on your electrical cords. It’s in their nature. Their wild counterparts spend most of the day foraging, which requires hours of chewing on often relatively low-calorie foods to get the nutrition they need. They browse a few leaves on one plant and then hop over to the next and search through the vegetation to get to the parts they want. In contrast, the typical house rabbit tends to get a concentrated pellet meal, which takes way less time to chew. As a result, bunnies have all that extra time on their hands and a high desire to chew.

An on-the-ball owner will provide chew toys and hay at all times to help fulfill this chewing desire. In addition to these precautions, you’ll need to bunny-proof the house. Make sure electrical cords are out of the way, and if you can’t elevate the cords put them in PVC piping.

Once you think the house is safe, you can start letting Bunny out, supervised at first. That way, you can see how well you have bunny-proofed. You never quite know what they will take an inkling to do. Some youngsters even chew and swallow carpet, which can lead to intestinal blockage, a problem that requires surgery.

It’s important that rabbits get enough exercise. Spending their entire day in a cage is not adequate any more than spending all your time in a room the size of a walk-in closet and with no T.V., radio, or internet! So, Bunny will need some playtime every day outside the cage.

Bunny Poop and Potty Training

Even before you give Bunny the run of the room or even the house, there are a few other issues to consider. Assuming you don’t like little green pellets decorating your floor, your bunny’s first lesson should be potty training. Limiting Bunny to the cage and adding a box filled with rabbit-safe litter plus samples of her No. Two often does the trick. Additionally, adding hay to the corner of the box can help entice them in. For the occasional bunny who likes to hang out in their own bathroom and poop in the cage, make the rest of the cage more comfortable so they’ll hang out there instead. Try placing a synthetic sheepskin rug in it.

Once you’re certain Bunny has the idea, you can let them out into a small play area. Be sure they still have easy access to the litter box, and add boxes as needed. By starting slowly, you’ll be able to increase the play area gradually and decrease the number of litter boxes.

An Interesting Fact About Rabbit Poop

By the way, since we’re talking about poop, you might want to know that rabbits regularly eat some of their poop. Rabbits are hindgut fermenters. That means their vegetable-digesting system occurs in the latter half of the gut. Rabbits don’t digest vegetable matter on their own. Food passes through the stomach and then is further digested, and the building blocks are absorbed from the intestines to the bloodstream. Animals can’t digest the coarse cell walls that make up vegetation. They have to rely on bacteria in their gut to ferment the products. Then, they digest the bacteria and all the material they’ve made.

Because this bacterial digestion system occurs well down the road in the mid intestines (primarily a portion called the cecum), a lot of the digested material is wasted and leaves the body through the poop. To recover this important source of nutrition, rabbits tend to poop the cecal pellets at night and then eat these so-called night feces. 

This handling should start before three months of age since the sensitive period for developing social bonds and learning to recognize that being handled, people, and other pets is safe occurs in the early weeks of life. Different people, including visitors, should handle bunnies so they learn that visitors are safe to be with, too. They will learn even faster if you give them treats to nibble on while you’re handling them and when putting them in new situations. Then, they will associate the handling and new situations with good things. If they are hungry but won’t eat, that indicates the situation is scary.

Medical Issues

Besides these behavioral aspects, rabbits require additional considerations. Rabbits require lots of care, possibly more than a cat or a dog. They have dietary needs that are more specific than a dog’s, and husbandry is such a major issue that if you’re not paying attention, problems can arise before you even have any idea.

Veterinarians commonly see problems of benign neglect. Owners usually aren’t purposely neglecting their rabbits, they just haven’t learned how to properly care for them. 

Such problems include teeth so overgrown that Bunny can’t eat, urine burns on the tummy, and malnutrition. Additionally, because rabbits are prey animals, without thorough socialization, they stress easily and, like cats, hide their diseases for a long time. That means that when we finally realize they’re sick, they’re pretty far along.

To prevent problems from sneaking up on your bunny, examine them daily for physical problems and bring them in yearly for veterinary checkups.

By now, it’s clear that bunnies require unique care. And maybe an Easter bunny is not right for you. But for those owners who can meet their needs, bunnies can make unique companions.

Normal Rabbit Weight

What was considered a normal rabbit weight in the past has been an overweight rabbit. Obesity is a problem with rabbits that eat a diet too high in calories and don’t get enough exercise, enrichment, and proper housing. A healthy rabbit should be slim and sleek, and you able to feel the ribs just under the skin without a thick layer of fat. The hindquarters should not have any folds of skin covering or interfering with the digestive tract or urinary openings. The dewlaps in females should not interfere with grooming or eating. If you are in doubt about your rabbit’s proper weight, please consult your veterinarian.

Cecotropes

Rabbits are herbivores (plant eaters) with a marvelous gastrointestinal (GI) tract that can extract nutrients from various sources. Rabbits are meant to live on a diet composed of large quantities of grasses and leaves. They also graze on flowers and fruits that can be found at different times of the year.

Rabbits succeed at making the most out of the foods they eat, foods that many other animals cannot digest. One of the keys to their success is the production of cecotropes, which are a type of dropping that is eaten by the rabbit directly from the anus and then digested. These droppings are not made up of waste materials but instead are rich in organisms that have come from the area of the intestinal tract called the cecum. These organisms are packed with nutrients such as amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), fatty acids, and various vitamins. The cecotropes, including the organisms, must be eaten and digested for the rabbit to get these nutrients. In this way, rabbits can extract the maximum nutrients from low-energy food materials. They literally produce some of their own food.

Healthy rabbits will eat their cecotropes directly from the anus, and you won’t see these droppings in the cage. If a rabbit has a medical problem that prevents them from reaching the anus, then you may see cecotropes on the cage floor.

Cecotropes are elongated, greenish in color, coated in mucous, and have a strong odor. If a rabbit eats a diet too rich in nutrients, such as primarily commercial pellets, or a diet excessively high in fruit, a few cecotropes may be found in the cage. If you see many cecotropes in the cage, consult your veterinarian, as this is abnormal.

Hay 

There are two basic types of hay available: grass and legume. 

Rabbits are designed to live primarily on a diet of grass and leaves, and hay can provide a good portion of that diet.

Grass hay

Grass hay is the most important part of your rabbit’s diet and should always be available in their cage. Grass hay is appropriate for all ages of rabbits, starting at weaning, and is important for your rabbit’s health in many ways: 

• It is rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
• Provides “food” for the micro-organisms that make up the cecotropes. 
• Provides indigestible fiber that promotes healthy motility (movement of contents) of the intestinal tract.
• Provides healthy chewing activity to promote proper wear of the teeth (a rabbit’s teeth grow continuously throughout life). 
• Chewing also provides healthy mental activity and a full feeling in the stomach, which decreases chewing inappropriate objects such as furniture and wallpaper.

Grass hays are made from timothy, meadow, oat, rye, barley, or Bermuda grasses. Try to feed mixed grass hay or provide two or more individual types. It is much preferable to feed a variety of grass hays if available. Grass hays are the healthiest and are rich in nutrients while providing the lower energy diet for a house rabbit. If you have a choice, choose sun-dried hay, which retains more nutrients than commercially dried hay. 

Alfalfa

Alfalfa hay used as a treat is fine but shouldn’t be used as the routine hay source for the average adult house rabbit.

No Straw

Do NOT feed straw. Straw lacks most nutrients and will lead to serious nutritional deficiencies if it is a major part of your rabbit’s diet.

Sources for hay include veterinary clinics, horse barns, feed stores, pet stores, rabbit clubs, and many online stores. 

• If you buy from a feed store or horse barn, select hay that has not been on the top of the pile to prevent animal or bird-dropping contamination.
• Buy hay that smells fresh; never buy damp, moldy, or old hay.

Store hay in an open bag in a dry place with good air circulation. Hay can be given to your pet in various ways, including in a hay rack attached to the side of the cage, in a box or basket within the cage or exercise area, or even placed in the litter box.

Rabbits often pass stools when eating, and placing some hay in the litter box can help with litter box training. They will not eat soiled hay, so you need not worry about sanitation. Always keep hay in the cage or exercise area and replenish as needed. You can also stuff hay into toilet paper rolls and other hiding areas as a fun way to increase mental exercise associated with foraging for food. Providing a regular source of grass hay is a major key in preventing many diseases in a pet rabbit.

A Word About Angora Rabbits

Angora rabbits have diet requirements different from other rabbit breeds. While some alfalfa or legume hay is recommended, consult your veterinarian about the best complete diet for your Angora. 

Feeding your rabbit a diet comprised primarily of green foods is never appropriate. The green foods in grocery stores do not have enough concentrated calories to sustain a rabbit’s normal body weight when used as the primary food source.  In the wild a rabbit would eat dried grasses and tree and bush leaves to obtain more calories. Greens are an important addition to the diet but should never be the total diet.

Start your rabbit on hay first if your rabbit has never eaten green foods before. This will help to make the appropriate changes in the flora (the stuff in your rabbit’s tummy made from the greens they eat) of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including improving movement and production of cecotropes. In this way, you can avoid the problem of soft stools that are occasionally seen when you give greens to a rabbit that has never eaten hay or greens. This is not usually a dangerous disease; it is the rabbit’s intestinal tract changing from sluggish to more active. However, these soft stools can be messy, so changing to hay first for a month at a minimum will avoid this problem. Greens are appropriate for any rabbit of any age if the rabbit is already eating hay daily, as mentioned above.

Some resources, such as rabbit breeders, books, or websites, advise against feeding greens to rabbits under six months of age. Your veterinarian is the best informational source for feeding guidelines for your rabbit.

When selecting and using green foods, follow these recommendations:

• Buy (or grow) organic if possible. 
• Wash any green foods first.
• Make sure your rabbit is eating hay well first.
• Introduce greens a little at a time over several days and watch the stools for any change.
• Feeding a variety of at least three green foods daily provides a wider range of micronutrients and mental stimulation for your rabbit.
• Feed a minimum of about one packed cup of green foods per two pounds of body weight at least once a day, or divide this amount into two daily feedings.  

Occasionally, you may have a situation where a certain green food causes a soft stool. You will know if this is the case within 12 hours of feeding the offending food. If you are feeding a variety of greens and unsure which one is causing the problem, feed only one green food every 48 hours until the offending food is identified, then remove it from the diet. This is not usually dangerous, but it can be messy, and there is no need to give food that is causing a problem. If this occurs, you should consult with your veterinarian.  

There are many green foods that you can offer your rabbit. This would include grass you grow in your yard but should be fed only if no pesticides or other chemicals have been used. Consider growing a patch of grass for your bunnies. If not treated with chemicals, dandelions are an excellent source of nutrition.

The darker green a food is, the higher the nutritional value. This is why, for instance, iceberg lettuce is not recommended. It is not dangerous but is low in nutritional content. You can use packages of mixed salad greens if they contain dark-colored greens and are not comprised primarily of iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce. Please, no salad dressing.

Green foods you might consider:  

Baby greens Bok Choy Borage Basil Broccoli (leaves and top) Brussels sprouts Cabbage (red, green, Chinese) Carrot/beet tops Celery (leaves are good) Chickory Collard greens Dandelion greens and flowers Dock

Endive Escarole Kale Leaf lettuce Mustard greens Parsley (Italian or flat leaf best) Radicchio Romaine lettuce Swiss chard (any color) Watercress

Fruits and Other Vegetables (Treat Foods)

Wild rabbits would have access to additional foods such as fruits, vegetables, and flowers depending on the time of year. These should only be a minority of the diet; feeding these treats in limited quantities is recommended. Some rabbits like these foods so well that they will eat them to the exclusion of all others, thereby creating a potential for health problems.

*TIP

Find at least one food in this list that your rabbit likes and feed a small amount daily to check on how good your rabbit’s appetite is.  If your rabbit will not eat their treat food, then there may be other problems brewing and you need to keep a close eye on your pet for health problems.

These treat foods are far healthier (and less expensive) than commercial treat foods sold for rabbits. Commercial treat foods are loaded with starch and fat and, if fed in quantity, can cause serious health problems, so they are best avoided. Read the label on any treat food to make sure the ingredients are not primarily based on grains. Sticking to natural and healthy treats for your rabbit is a better alternative.

For treat foods, follow the same guidelines listed above for selecting and using green foods except for the amount. You can feed your rabbit one teaspoon per two pounds of body weight per week of any combination of the foods below. Foods from this list can be fed daily, and you may even wish to use them as part of a reward or training system

Apple Bean or alfalfa sprouts Blackberries Blueberries Cactus fruit Carrots Cherries Cranberries Green or red bell peppers Kiwi Fruit	Mango Melons Papaya Pea pods (flat, NO peas) Peach Pear Pineapple Raspberries Squash
Edible flowers from the garden (organically grown and not from a florist), such as roses, nasturtiums, daylilies, pansies, and snapdragons

Dried fruit can also be used, but since it is so concentrated, use only one-third of the amount as fresh. 

Although a pet rabbit can eat small amounts of starchy or fatty foods without ill effects, the problem is that people often feed excess amounts because the rabbits eat these foods so greedily. It is recommended to completely avoid high starch and/or fat foods for your rabbit. This way, you will avoid any potential problems these foods can cause, including obesity and serious GI disease. It is always easier to prevent than to treat a disease.

Examples of high-fat and/or starch foods to avoid include:

BreadsCerealsChocolateCornNutsOats

PeasRefined sugarSeedsWheatAny other grains not listed

Commercial Rabbit Pellets

Rabbit pellets should generally only comprise a small portion of your pet rabbit’s diet. There are much healthier commercial rabbit pellets available now than 20 or more years ago. Then, all the pellets were alfalfa and grain-based, and although they successfully produced fast-growing rabbits that put on weight quickly, they caused several serious problems for pet rabbits. 

Rabbits should be fed uniformly extruded pellets, and pellet mixtures should be avoided. Rabbits will always choose to eat the tasty parts, leaving behind the nutritious extruded pellets

When a concentrated, uniform food source is fed to the exclusion of anything else in the diet, problems can occur:

• High-calorie content can lead to obesity. It’s easy to overfeed because the rabbit is always acting “hungry.” Unfortunately, the concentrated and small form of the pellets does not lead to a feeling of fullness that a diet based on grass hay can provide. Even though rabbits should eat according to their caloric needs, in captivity with boredom, they will overeat pellets if they are provided free choice.
• Low, indigestible fiber content can lead to a sluggish GI tract and eventually more serious GI disease, including ileus or dysbiosis (which means changes or imbalances in gut bacteria).
• Doesn’t promote normal tooth wear due to the concentrated nature of the food – a couple of chews and the food is pulverized instead of the much longer chewing time to break down hay or greens. 
• Lack of sufficient chewing activity and a “full feeling” in the stomach due to the concentrated nature of the food may lead to behavioral problems, such as inappropriate or excessive chewing on furniture, plants, and floorboards.  This could be likened to a sense of boredom.  Rabbits in the wild spend much of their day eating, and pellets can be eaten in a few minutes. 
• The concentrated, dry nature of pellets may not promote normal water intake, resulting in potential urinary tract diseases such as “toothpaste” or sludgy urine.  A rabbit’s natural diet would not be this consistently low in moisture.

The recommendation for feeding pellets would be to comprise 10% of the healthy rabbit’s diet and maximally no more than 20%. Sometimes, it may be necessary to feed a higher amount for these reasons:

• To implement weight gain most often related to a debilitating illness such as end-stage dental disease.
• When unable to feed a varied diet of good-quality grass hay and a variety of green foods, pellets will help to cover some of the trace nutrients that might be missed in a restricted diet.

When selecting a pellet, look for:

• 18% or higher in fiber 
• 2.5% or lower in fat
• 16% or less in protein
• 1.0 % or less in calcium
• Do not buy pellet mixes containing seeds, dried fruits, or nuts
• Buy pellets based on grass hays (timothy, orchard grass, brome, etc.), not alfalfa hay (your veterinarian will advise you if an alfalfa-based pellet is needed for situations in ill rabbits where weight gain may be needed)

A recommended amount of pellets for healthy rabbits, other than giant breeds, is approximately ¼ cups per four lbs. of body weight daily. This can be divided and fed twice a day or fed once daily. Pellets can even be fed individually and used in a training program. For dwarf bunnies, a 1/8 cup daily maximum is recommended. The amount should be less if your rabbit has medical issues.

Eliminating pellets from the diet may be preferable for rabbits with chronic GI problems or excessive weight issues.

Water

Water should always be available and changed daily. Dirty water containers can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Use either a water bottle or a heavy bowl that is weighted or secured to the side of the cage so it does not tip over. Research has shown that most rabbits prefer to drink from a bowl, so a bowl should always be offered. Some rabbits are not used to a bowl and need water from a bottle. Do not use medications or vitamins in the water because your rabbit may not drink if the taste or color is altered. Water consumption may be minimal if your rabbit eats enough greens.

Vitamins/Lactobacillus/Enzymes

Vitamins are unnecessary for a healthy rabbit. Rabbits will obtain all the vitamins they need from their cecotropes, grass hay, green foods, and small amounts of pellets. The misuse of vitamins can cause serious disease. Your veterinarian may prescribe vitamin therapy if your rabbit becomes ill, particularly if they cannot eat the cecotropes. Do not use supplemental vitamins in a healthy pet. In addition, rabbits on a healthy diet do not need a salt or mineral block; their use has been associated with severe disease.

Lactobacillus or acidophilus are bacteria found in the GI tracts of several species.

Past recommendations were to feed rabbits yogurt (which contains active cultures of these organisms) to improve their GI tract health. However, there is no benefit to feeding these bacteria to rabbits because Lactobacillus does not hold an important place in the rabbit GI tract, and adult rabbits may not adequately digest dairy products.

Other products called probiotics, which contain bacteria more specific to the rabbit GI tract, are available, but their benefits are still controversial. A rabbit on a healthy diet of grass, hay, and green foods should be able to maintain a normal population of bacteria without additional supplementation. Routine use of probiotics in rabbits is not recommended.

Some older texts recommend feeding rabbits digestive enzymes, such as pineapple juice, to help dissolve hairballs. This does not benefit the rabbit because such products do not dissolve hair.

It is always best to consult with your veterinarian if you have questions or if you need feeding recommendations for your pet rabbit or rabbits.