Rabbit - Nutrition
Rabbit Nutrition
What can they eat, what should they avoid? Everything about hay, fresh food, herbs, and common feeding mistakes.
🌾 Hay – unlimited!
Hay must always be available in unlimited quantities. It is the most important food source – for digestion, dental health, and enrichment.
🦷 Grinding teeth
Rabbit teeth grow throughout their lives. Hay grinds them down naturally – without hay, dental problems will arise!
🫀 Keeping digestion active
A rabbit's gut should never stand still. Hay keeps intestinal peristalsis active – digestive pauses can be life-threatening.
💧 Fresh water daily
Always fresh water – preferably from an open bowl. Rabbits often drink too little from water bottles.
Prefer leafy greens
Chicory, lamb's lettuce, endive, radicchio, romaine lettuce, dandelion – daily and varied. No iceberg lettuce (too watery).
Fresh Herbs
Parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, dill, sage – excellent daily in moderation. More on this in the Wiki: Kitchen Herbs →
Vegetables in moderation
Carrots, bell peppers, fennel, zucchini, cucumber – as a supplement, yes, but not as a main food. Carrots have a lot of sugar!
Collect wild herbs
Dandelion, narrowleaf plantain, chickweed, bird's-foot trefoil – fresh from untreated areas, a real treat!
✅ Dandelion
Leaves, flowers and stems – an all-round superfood
✅ Lamb's Lettuce
Rich in calcium and suitable for daily feeding
✅ Chicory
Slightly bitter – promotes digestion
✅ Bell Pepper
High in Vitamin C, well tolerated
✅ Fennel
Digestive, also the greens
✅ Zucchini
High in water and easily digestible
⚠️ Carrots & Fruits
Rich in sugar – only as a small reward
⚠️ Cabbage varieties
OK in small quantities – too much → bloating
❌ Avocado
Highly toxic to rabbits – absolutely forbidden!
❌ Onions & Garlic
Toxic – avoid all parts
❌ Legumes
Beans, peas – dangerous bloating
❌ Iceberg Lettuce
Too watery – leads to diarrhea
Morning
Offer fresh food – leafy greens, wild herbs. Remove any old leftovers from the previous day.
Throughout the day
Hay always available – refill when empty. Check water and change if necessary.
Evening
Second portion of fresh food – rabbits are particularly active at dusk and prefer to eat then.
Treats
Small carrot pieces or a fresh branch – sparingly as a reward, not as a food substitute.