What Do Rabbits Eat? Everything a Pet Parent Should Know about Rabbit Food

Curious about what rabbits eat to stay happy and healthy?

Whether you’re new to rabbit care or are just wondering what bunnies eat, this guide will give you all the information you need about excellent rabbit food, from the best hay and veggies to delicious treats.

What Can Rabbits Eat?

Rabbits are herbivores, meaning their diet consists of only plants.

Their diet should include:

• About 80% high-quality hay

• A limited amount of rabbit pellets

• Some fresh leafy greens

• Occasional treats

Rabbits need to eat hay every day in large volumes to get fiber to support healthy digestion and gut movement. They also need to eat hay to wear down their continuously growing teeth.

Your bunny also needs fresh, clean water daily in both a sipper bottle and a bowl.

Hay

Bunnies should always have access to unlimited hay. These high-quality hays are perfect for adult rabbits:

• Timothy

• Orchard grass

• Oat

• Meadow grass 

If your rabbit is pregnant, lactating, or under the age of 1, you can feed them alfalfa to ensure they get enough calcium, fat, and protein for growth.

However, rabbits not in those life stages should eat alfalfa only occasionally because it can cause bladder stones and weight gain.

Rabbit Pellets

Rabbit pellets help provide the micronutrients rabbits need in the form of high-fiber, timothy hay–based pellets.

It’s important to feed your rabbit only 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pellets per 4–5 pounds of body weight daily. Too many pellets can lead to an upset stomach, diarrhea, and obesity.

Do not feed your rabbit pellets with seeds, grains, or nuts—bunnies are unable to digest their high fat content.

Treats

You can use treats, along with fruits and vegetables, to train your rabbit and supplement their diet while providing something new and fun.

It’s important to ensure that no more than 10% of your bunny’s diet is made up of treats, fruit, or veggies because too much of these items can upset the bacteria microbiome in your rabbit’s digestive tract, cause diarrhea, and decrease gut movement.

Fruits

Feed your rabbit fruits only occasionally. Their high carbohydrate and sugar content can cause anorexia (loss of appetite), diarrhea, and bloating.

High-fiber fruits like pears, plums, peaches, and apples are ideal. Be sure not to feed the seeds or the pits to your rabbit.

Veggies

You can also add small amounts of leafy greens to your bunny’s diet. Safe greens for your rabbit include:

• Romaine

• Carrot tops

• Endive

• Basil

• Kale

• Cabbage

• Squash

• Brussels sprouts

• Dandelion greens

• Parsley

• Celery

You can add these to your pet’s diet to provide variety along with micronutrients.

Supplements

Rabbits who eat a healthy, balanced diet typically do not need supplements.

However, sometimes if your rabbit isn’t eating well, supplementing with a feeding formula can help them get extra nutrition.

Add in supplements only if your veterinarian recommends it.

What Do Wild Rabbits Eat?

You might be wondering, for comparison, what wild bunnies eat. Wild rabbits eat large amounts of grass and items such as:

• Clover

• Flowers

• Vegetables

• Bark

• Twigs

Over the last thousand years, wild rabbits have evolved to get enough nutrition from grass, which is typically low in nutritional value.

However, a wild rabbit’s diet will not provide enough nutrition for your pet rabbit, so do not let your pet rabbit eat the same diet as a wild one. 

Letting a pet bunny eat freely from your yard or forage like a wild rabbit can expose them to infectious diseases from wild rabbits, such as rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, or tick-borne illnesses, and the grass or other food they find could contain pesticides.

How To Find the Best Rabbit Food

If you’re still wondering exactly what to feed your bunny, high-quality hay and high-fiber pellets are key. The hay should be fresh; free of mold, dirt, and twigs; green to light green in color; and low in dust.

Hay for rabbits is classified based on when it is harvested during the growing season.

Second-cut hay, harvested partway through the season, is a good choice for most rabbits because it has a good balance of protein, fiber, and fat.

However, if your rabbit is a little overweight, first-cut hay, harvested early in the season, might be a better option because it is high in fiber and lower in protein and fat.

If your rabbit needs to gain a bit of weight, on the other hand, third-cut hay, harvested near the end of the season, is a great choice because of the high protein and fat.

Rabbit pellets should be high in fiber—ideally 18–22% or more—and should not have seeds, nuts, or artificial additives. Make sure to check the expiration date on the package and check for any moldy odors.

What Not To Feed Your Rabbit

Here are some of the common items you should not feed your rabbit because of risk of toxicity or medical issues such as diarrhea, obesity, or digestive problems.

• Chocolate

• Meat, eggs, dairy

• Beans

• Seeds and nuts

• Processed foods, such as bread

• Avocados

• Fruit seeds or pits

• Mushrooms

• Toxic plants

• Rhubarb

• Onions

• Moldy hay or moldy vegetables