Rabbit Nutrition

Rabbits are herbivorous animals. Herbivorous means their diet mainly comes from plant sources. Because of the rabbits' digestive system, they can use more forage in their diets than other animals.

Rabbits prefer oat and barley to corn in their diets. Corn has been shown to produce poorer growth rates as opposed to oats and barley. Oat based diets are best for lactation rations. When temperature levels drop, rabbit energy levels increase to maintain their body heat. Therefore, either the feed intake should increase or the amount of nutrients in the feed should increase. The addition of fat (vegetable oils) is the best way to increase the amount of energy in feed when the rabbit is already consuming its maximum intake of feed rations a day.

Plant fiber is necessary in rabbit diets so that its digestive tract functions normally.

For maintenance, diets should be between around 14% crude fiber, total digestible nutrients (TDN) 55%, fat 2%, and crude protein 12% with small percentages of potassium, manganese, iodine, sodium, chlorine, and copper.

For growth (young rabbits) diets should be between 10-12% crude fiber, total digestible nutrients (TDN) 65%, fat 2%, and crude protein 16% with small percentages of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iodine, sodium, chlorine, and copper.

For gestational diets, rabbits need between 10-12% crude fiber, total digestible nutrients (TDN) 58%, fat 2%, and crude protein 15% with small percentages of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iodine, sodium, chlorine, and copper.

For lactating rabbits, their diet should be between 10-12% crude fiber, total digestible nutrients (TDN) 70%, fat 2%, and crude protein 17% with small percentages of calcium, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, iodine, sodium, chlorine, and copper.