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Whether you’re getting a new little bunny or adopting an older fluffy bundle of joy, get ready for rabbit ownership.
For a rabbit’s long-term health, the first six months of its existence are crucial. During this crucial stage of growth, a rabbit is constantly evolving. You must feed your young rabbit correctly to account for this growth. If your baby rabbit is properly fed, it will result in robust bones and muscle mass throughout adulthood.
Make sure your rabbit develops a firm understanding of eating customs. Young rabbits are simple to overfeed, which can result in obesity as they age. Your rabbit will need less protein and more fiber as its growth spurts slow down. We’ll go through a baby rabbit’s optimum diet in more detail.
What Do Baby Bunnies Eat?
So what can I feed my pet bunnies? Contrary to popular opinion, young bunnies need more than just lettuce and carrots in their diet. They require a diversified diet that includes hay, fruit, fresh vegetables, and pellets in addition to some hay. Because of their sensitive digestive systems, rabbits should be given new fruits and vegetables and hay gradually to allow their systems to adjust.
Hay
On a rabbit food pyramid, hay, in the form of long-stemmed fiber, would be at the base, making up 80 or 90 percent of its diet. Being grazing animals, rabbits require a constant supply of new hay every day.
You must provide grass hay for your rabbit. Oat, brome, timothy, and orchard grass hay are all excellent varieties of grass hay for rabbits. You can feed your rabbits a single type of grass hay or a range of hays. Before purchasing, make sure the package’s sell-by date has passed.
Although alfalfa is a legume and not a grass, alfalfa hay is too rich to feed to adult rabbits on a regular basis. You can occasionally give alfalfa as a special treat. Rabbits younger than a year old can consume alfalfa hay, but if they are also eating alfalfa pellets, they should convert to grass hay as soon as possible.
Pellets of food
Bunnies can be given very little amounts of timothy hay pellets. For an adult rabbit of average size, one-quarter cup of pellets each day is adequate. Feed your rabbit only an eighth of a cup at a time if it weighs under five pounds. More than a quarter of a cup is sufficient for rabbits over ten pounds because it is not a necessary part of their diet.
Rabbits younger than one years old can be given alfalfa pellets. Make careful to give your baby rabbit grass hay rather than alfalfa pellets if you currently do so. The better the pellet, the higher the fiber content. Purchase of rabbit pellets containing nuts, dried maize, and seeds is not advised as they may be extremely harmful to rabbits.
Vegetables
Herbs and vegetables are tasty to rabbits. With some limitations and exclusions, the majority of greens found in food stores are safe for rabbits.
Just one to two cups of fresh vegetables should be given to adult rabbits each day. Just one cup of fresh fruits and vegetables per day should be given to adult rabbits under five pounds. The optimum diet contains two or three different veggies. As rabbits’ digestive systems are fragile, as was previously said, introduce one new vegetable at a time and watch for signs of loose stools or diarrhea. While certain vegetables can be eaten every day, others should only be served occasionally.
Giving your infant rabbit maize, potatoes, seeds, beans, or nuts is not recommended. Some substances are challenging for rabbits to digest and may cause severe intestinal problems.
Vegetables that can be consumed every day include carrot tops, zucchini, cucumbers, wheatgrass, endive, radish greens, bell peppers, and other herbs.
Fruits
Provide your rabbit some fruit one or two times per week. One to two teaspoons of fruit, given in one to two spoonfuls once or twice per day, is the recommended serving size for a five-pound bunny. Fruit should be introduced gradually, one piece at a time, just like vegetables.
Apples, bananas, melons, peaches, pears, grapes, pineapples, plums, and watermelons are among the fruits that young rabbits can eat.
Baby Bunny Treats
Like many people, many rabbits enjoy sweets. Treats, which are at the top of the rabbit food chain, ought to be provided sparingly. Your bunny will enjoy fresh or freeze-dried fruit pieces, natural, unprocessed blends with dried flowers, hay, and Oxbow brand rabbit nibbles.
Give your rabbit only foods that are clearly labeled as being store-bought. Always read the ingredients on commercial treats because not all of them are safe for rabbits. Never give your rabbit human treats because they are artificially colored, preserved, or added sugar.
Fresh Water
Keep the water supply for your bunny clean and current instead. Bunny bunnies need a never-ending supply of clean water that needs to be changed every day. The container needs to be cleaned with soap and water every few days. Water bottles are notoriously challenging to clean. Your baby bunnies can find it challenging to drink from them as well at the same time. Bowls are hence preferred. It is best to use a hefty ceramic bowl so it won’t tip over easily.
How To Feed Baby Bunnies With A Bottle?
Now that we’ve decided what to feed a beginner rabbit, let’s go over what to feed a newborn rabbit. Most babies who are nursed by their mothers have the instinct to look for a teat and to suckle, as we said before in this post.
But before it comes naturally, you might need some encouragement from your mother and some practice. It might not be as easy as it seems to bottle-feed a newborn rabbit that hasn’t been taught to suckle, and doing it incorrectly could be damaging to the child.
Hence, let’s go over how to properly bottle-feed a baby bunny:
How Much Do Baby Bunnies Eat?
As they grow, baby bunnies’ diets hardly alter. They begin eating solid hay when they are about two weeks old. But, mother rabbit’s milk will serve as a supplement. Around the age of four weeks, young rabbits eat hay and pellets.
Alfalfa hay will be advantageous to a young rabbit. The feed’s protein and calcium will support the growth of robust muscles and bones. But don’t forget to add some regular hay as well. This will make the transition much simpler once your rabbit reaches adulthood.
Make careful you get pellets designed specifically for baby bunnies. All the nutrients a growing rabbit needs will be provided by these.
Keep the diet of your young rabbit constant. Any type of rabbit, but especially young ones, might suffer from a change in food. Always modify and chop your rabbit’s food when it is actually necessary.
What Do Baby Bunnies Eat Between After Six Weeks Till Weaning Period?
The majority of bunny parents report that as their young bunnies get closer to six or eight weeks of age, they naturally lose interest in nursing. The infant can then be safely transitioned to a solid diet.
As a result, the large rabbit chow that has been left in his cage has piqued his curiosity more and more. You have been bottle-feeding the bunny. What can you feed your baby rabbit once she begins to consume less milk and more water and seeks out solid foods?
Around six to eight weeks old, you can start giving bunnies substantial foods like soft alfalfa hay. This well-liked variety of hay-based bunny chow satisfies the nutritional needs of young bunnies who are gradually weaned from milk until they are 12 weeks old.
Although kids are still developing and acclimating to new experiences, make it a point to introduce new things gradually.
What Are The Natural Predators Of Baby Bunnies?
Many creatures, including people, have the ability to harm or devour rabbits. In actuality, rabbits are more likely to be killed than the majority of other animals.
The most typical predators may be rather different where you live. One of the most common predators of domestic or companion rabbits is wild foxes or pet cats.
Crows and doves are not the only birds that prey on rabbits. Many people are astonished to find that large birds can prey on rabbits, especially if they are young, baby, or small breed varieties. Some of the birds that may be present in your area include Northern Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Northern Mockingbirds, Gray Catbirds, White-throated Sparrows, and Indigo Buntings. The following animals can prey on rabbits: ferrets, weasels, badgers, rattlesnakes, and stoats.
You must always be vigilant if your pet rabbit spends any amount of time outdoors. When not being monitored, it is suggested that the rabbit be kept inside a secure run or hutch.
Rabbits can potentially suffer from shock or cardiac arrest, or they can be killed by a predator outside the hutch. The rabbit may panic and hurt themselves or simply pass away from fear when challenged by a predator.
Are Baby Bunnies Healthy To Eat?
The low body fat of rabbits is a result of their nutrition and way of life. In contrast to cattle, which are slow and lethargic, rabbits move quickly and are quite active. They eat foods rich in fiber, such as grains, seeds, and roots.
The USDA estimates that 96 calories are included in a 3-ounce serving of wild, uncooked rabbit. It also has no carbs, fewer than 2 grams of fat, and around 18 grams of protein. The absence of fat in the meat of the rabbit makes it preferred to other meats, especially beef.
Rabbit meat is equivalent in calories to raw chicken, but it has more protein and less fat. In comparison to rabbit, which has slightly less fat and higher protein, chicken provides 17 grams of protein, 2.3 grams of fat, and no carbs. Although one of the leanest meats available is chicken, rabbit has a slightly lower fat content and higher protein content.
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