Fawn eating his hay
Dwarf Bunnies require a very specific diet in order to be healthy. The food that you give to your bunnies is vital for the health of their teeth, digestive system as well as affecting their weight.
Rabbit Hay
Bunnies are grazing animals they need a constant supply of good quality hay such as Timothy hay, even if they live on a lawn, which they can graze. Hay is the most important part of your dwarf bunnies diet. Bunnies need roughage to keep their insides working correctly and to prevent blockages, as they do not have the ability to cough up hairballs in the same way as cats.
Hay is equally important for your bunnies teeth. As a rabbit’s teeth are constantly growing, the coarse nature of hay will naturally wear your bunnies teeth down as it chews. If they are not kept worn down a bunnies back teeth can form sharp and painful spurs. These will damage the inside of your dwarf bunnies mouth and may cause their teeth to move out of alignment.
Rabbit Food Pellets
Fern enjoying some leaves in the garden
When it comes to supplementing your bunnies diet with a store bought rabbit food, always choose high quality pellets over a food mix, as this stops your bunny from just eating it’s favourite things. Be careful not to give your rabbit too much of this food, or they may eat it in preference to their hay. This can lead to your bunny getting fat and having problems with their teeth.
Any rabbit food you give should have feeding advice on the packet, but it is best to give as small amount as possible. Think of the food being a good way to ensure your bunny is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs to be healthy, rather than as food.
Dwarf bunnies have very sensitive digestive systems; so if you should need to change your bunnies diet for any reason, do so slowly. Make sure you give your bunny time to adjust to the change by gradually introducing the new food while decreasing the amount of the old.
Fruit and Vegetables
Jupiter being hand fed some apple
These are great way to add interest to your dwarf bunnies diet as well as providing them with important vitamins. Leafy vegetables, like curly kale and broccoli, go down a treat as well as many root vegetables, like carrots, including the tops.
Please keep in mind that if a food can give humans wind, then it will have the same effect on your dwarf bunny. Trapped wind is very painful and distressing for rabbits, so always be sensible when selecting fresh produce for your bunnies.
While fresh food is a key part of your bunnies diet, if it is fed in excess then it may cause diarrhoea. When introducing new types of food to your bunny offer only small amounts to give your bunnies tummy time to adjust and be sure it does not have any adverse affect on your dwarf bunny.
Our house rabbit, Fawn, is fed only Western Timothy hay, which is supplemented with fresh vegetables for variety. This is because he has problems with his teeth not wearing evenly, so he needs to eat as much hay as he can to help wear his teeth down. He is a bit of a naughty rabbit and if offered rabbit nuggets would eat them in favour of his hay.
Key bunny feeding points:
- Make sure there is always a supply of hay available to your bunnies.
- If you feed your bunnies rabbit foots, prefer pellets over a food mix.
- Limit the amount of pellet rabbit food to ensure they eat sufficient hay.
- Supplement your bunnies diet with small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Then take a look at this: "How To Train, Care and Build Trust With Your Pet Rabbit"
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2:53 pm on April 18th, 2009
i have a question for you do foods with moisture upset the dwarf bunnies stomach?
9:03 pm on April 18th, 2009
Elizabeth, please clarify what you mean by foods with moisture.
12:56 am on April 22nd, 2009
I am concerned my bunny does not drink her water (which in a small feeder). Do you prefer a water dispenser verses a cup of water? Sorry this might be a dumb question but really concerned… Thank you!
11:45 am on April 22nd, 2009
Hi Suzette,
It is not a dumb question and being aware of what is going on with your bunny can alert you to problems before they become serious, so it is a good thing to do.
I provide my bunnies with a water dispenser. Rabbits can drink from a bowl, but this is often at risk of getting spilled and bedding dropped in it.
If you feed your bunny a lot of fresh vegetables this can explain why she does not appear to be drinking much water. The moisture in fruit and vegetables can be enough to hydrate your bunny. Both of my dwarf bunnies eat lots fresh vegetables and they very rarely use their water bottles.
Providing your bunny has a healthy appetite and is passing urine regularly, then she is probably fine and getting her fluids from her diet.
Lindsay
10:24 pm on April 22nd, 2009
hi i just got a dwarf bunny and i was wondering about potty training.my mom said her friend trained hers to use a litter box.how would u do something like that?
10:07 am on April 23rd, 2009
Hi Tara,
Litter training bunnies is usually very simple. Check out my previous response on litter box training.
Lindsay
6:49 pm on April 24th, 2009
Hi Lindsay,
I was wondering what your take was on timothy based pellets vs alfafa based pellets. I’ve read that timothy based pellets are generally better for a rabbit. I started my bun on alfafa based pellets but then tried to switch over to the timothy based ones. I find with the timothy based pellets i have to feed her more pellets! Either she luvs them so much that she gobbles them up and wants more, or they’re less filling. She gets fresh timothy hay every day, and veggies every day as well. (usually lettuce or parsley) She gets lots of exercise as she has free run of our place (like a cat or dog). Which kind of pellet should I stick to?
8:00 pm on April 24th, 2009
Adriana,
Bunnies can be very naughty when it comes to their food and you must be careful not to feed them on demand. Give our bunny the amount of food that is recommended on the bag and no more. If she runs out of food she should eat her hay and vegetables. Our bunny, Fawn, would eat nothing but pellets if we let him and that is not good for his teeth.
I know that alfalfa hay is high in protein, calcium and other minerals and is not recommended for rabbits over a year in age. I’m not sure, but I would have thought this is the same for alfalfa pellets, so personally I would stick to timothy based pellets.
Lindsay
7:38 am on April 26th, 2009
Hi Lindsay,
I have just purchased a 6 and a half week old dwarf rabbit, and i am collecting it later today and i was just wondered, can i put sawdust down where it walks and eats during the day, and hay down where it sleeps at night, is that correct?
Do you have any tips i can follow because this is my first rabbit and i don’t really know what to expect
Please reply asap :)
Thanks,
Wynter
9:02 am on April 27th, 2009
Hi Wynter,
Yes, it is fine to use sawdust for your bunnies living area, just make sure it is good quality and not too dusty, and hay or straw for sleeping on. If you want to litter train your bunny you could use newspaper as a general floor covering and sawdust in the litter tray. Paper based cat litters also work well in litter trays, and are good for odour control, though this can be quite expensive.
Lindsay
8:28 pm on April 29th, 2009
Hi i am geting a bunny soon and i am so happy
4:38 am on October 30th, 2009
I am getting a new dwarf bunny tomorrow!!!! I am so excited.
5:16 pm on November 10th, 2009
We bought 2 dwarf bunnies about 2 months ago and they are chewing on the plastic liter pan. Are they lacking something? Thanks!
5:24 pm on November 10th, 2009
Hi Toni,
I can’t comment on your bunnies specifically without seeing their environment. If my bunnies were behaving like this I would probably assume they were bored and get them some new/different toys to play with. Also how much time your bunnies spend out of their cage will make a big difference, your bunnies may be acting out because they want to run around.
Some of my rabbits favourite toys are a jingle ball (large plastic ball toy with a bell in it), a willow ball (ball made of sticks), and cardboard rolls. They love to throw these around.
Lindsay
1:53 pm on November 17th, 2009
Hi Lindsay,
Your article was a great help to me and it helped be more comfortable about what I was doind with my bunny.
I had a question that can my bunny eat Kellog’s corn flakes as a treat because when he was roaming around and found one on the floor he loved it and when i gave him a little more as a treat then he ate it but i wanted to know if that is okay or are there any side effects or risks because I just got my bunny
1:56 pm on November 17th, 2009
Its me again, I had another question that how many fresh vegetables a day can i feed my bunny and he is 3 years old. I just wanted to know becuase I dont him to get Diarrhoea. Thnx and sorry for troubling you with so many questions. :)
5:45 pm on November 17th, 2009
Hi Kinza,
I can’t see anything wrong with feeding your bunny some corn flakes, but only as a special treat. Bunnies can be very good at getting lots of treats out of us gullible humans and then not eating their proper bunny food, which they need to stay healthy.
As for greens - build up the amount slowly so your bunnies tummy can adapt to the change in diet. Again make sure your bunny still has plenty of appetite to eat lots of hay. The exact amount will also depend on how active your bunny is and his size, but take it slowly and keep an eye on your bunny. Another thing to remember is the more fresh vegetables you feed your bunny the more he will pee. There is no problem with this, but if your bunny uses a litter tray then you may need to clean it out more often.
Lindsay
3:00 am on November 19th, 2009
hi Linsday
Im not so good with bunnies and i dont know what to expect so, the thing is my bunny is laying down low with his legs stretched out is he just resting or is he sick he doesnt do this much only a few times after some excersise.
thanks
4:41 pm on November 20th, 2009
Your bunny sounds very happy to me. It is perfectly normal for a bunny to lie down and stretch their legs out, particularly after exercise.
Couldn’t resist adding some pictures of my bunnies having a lie down.