Last Updated on June 15, 2023 by Admin
The question most first-time rabbit owners often ask is, what time of day should I feed my rabbit? If it were up to your bunnies, they would probably eat throughout the day. As a result, they may end up being overweight.
Rabbits are inherently crepuscular, which means that they are normally active at dawn and dusk. In the wild, this odd timeframe is when the coast is clear from lurking predators. Domestic bunnies are no exception since they also have the same survival trait. Therefore, the right time to feed your rabbits is early in the morning and later in the evening. This article looks into the quantity to feed your bunny, the type of food to give them, and other frequently related questions relating to a rabbit’s diet.
How much should I feed my bunny per day?
Rabbits need a diet that mainly consists of hay, substituted with fresh vegetables, fruit, and pellets. Feed them a pile of fresh Timothy hay each day, that’s about the size of their body. You can divide the pile into two and serve one in the morning and the other in the evening.
Feed them 1 tablespoon of non-leafy fresh veggies for 2 pounds of your bunny’s weight each day. When it comes to pellets, a medium-sized 6 to 10-pound bunny should consume a quarter cup of pellets per day. Since fruits are considered treats, the rule of thumb is to feed them sparingly, about one or two tablespoons per day.
Feed your kittens with alfalfa instead of timothy hay since the former is high in calcium and protein making it ideal for developing bunnies. Lastly, pregnant bunnies should feed twice or thrice as much as they normally do.
How often do bunnies drink water?
Always ensure that there’s a constant supply of accessible water for your bunnies on a daily basis. Bunnies drink water regularly, twice or thrice more than the food they consume per day. To be specific, for 2 pounds of their weight, they essentially drink between 50 to 150 milliliters of water per day.
Will rabbits stop eating when full?
Typically, bunnies need to eat constantly to ensure that their digestive system functions properly. Yes, bunnies do eventually stop eating when they’re content or when it’s time to rest or take a nap.
How do I know if my rabbit is hungry?
Other than your bunny looking malnourished, it’s quite difficult to tell whether they’re hungry or not. However, bunnies are natural grazers that eat whenever they can in order to survive in the wild. In addition, as previously mentioned, they have a complex digestive system that needs to function constantly.
Can you overfeed a rabbit with pellets?
Overfeeding your bunny with pellets isn’t healthy in the long run. Your pet will barely eat enough hay which is supposed to be their primary diet. After a while, your bunny will develop overgrown teeth since pellets, unlike hay aren’t ideal for trimming their teeth in the long run. Lastly, eating excessive pellets may also likely cause tooth decay in your rabbits.
Can you overfeed a bunny?
Overeating often leads to obesity, dental issues, and digestive health problems which can be fatal for your bunny.
Conclusion
Rabbits that are fed at the right time of the day are essentially going to be preoccupied during odd hours as opposed to feeding them anytime you deem appropriate. In other words, while you sleep at night, they’ll be busy quenching their thirst and filling their bellies, unlike when they’ve eaten and are probably idle.
