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The digestive tract of rabbits has not changed since the days of domestication, which means that the main component in the animal's diet should be hay. In addition to fresh and dried grass, in nature, a rabbit can nibble the bark of young fruit trees. He usually gets grain in small quantities during the ripening of wild cereal grasses... Together with the stems of these plants.
The diet of domesticated rabbits differs from the diet of wild ones only by the possibility of obtaining juicy feed in the winter, which wild animals are deprived of. To save expensive compound feeds, amateur private traders add juicy feed and kitchen trimmings to the diet of their rabbits. Or they make wet mash with an admixture of bran. What they eat decorative rabbits, almost does not differ from the diet of domestic rabbits bred for meat. Hay decorative rabbits get the same thing. Compound feed for ornamental rabbit may differ in chemical composition, as some feeds are designed specifically for ornamental animals. There is also compound feed for problem decorative rabbits. But the principle is still the same: grain mixture. They can also receive succulent feed. But this already depends on the courage of the owners of the animal.
Food for decorative rabbits is divided into three large groups: coarse, concentrated and juicy.
Roughage
Rough food is food with a high fiber content per 100 g dry weight. That is, hay, straw and tree branches.
In addition to quality levels, hay is also categorized by nutritional value and chemical composition. But if the chemical composition has to be checked in the laboratory, which is unlikely to be done by the average owner, then the average nutritional value of hay is usually known from reference books. However, very nutritious hay is not needed for ornamental rabbits, it will rather be harmful to them, as it will lead to obesity.
Differences in types of hay
Timothy hay is in the first place in the ranking of hay for decorative rabbits. On the second, there is meadow grasses. This is hay from wild herbs. Further, alfalfa hay and oat straw, which were harvested during the period of milky ripeness of oats.
Alfalfa hay is undesirable for rabbits over 6 months of age due to its very high protein content. For adult rabbits, low-protein hay and grain pellets are enough to keep them from getting fat. But older animals will not be able to chew the hay and gnaw through the hard pellets, specially designed to grind down the constantly growing teeth of the rabbits. Herbal flour is available in two forms: in granules and in bulk. Depending on the condition of the rabbit teeth, you can choose a suitable shape.
Oat straw, despite its name, is readily eaten by rabbits and is an excellent substitute for hay. But the main condition for good quality straw should be its green color, indicating that it was cut at the stage of unripe oats. Animals do not eat the stems of mature oats very willingly.
Timothy, alfalfa and oat straw are homogeneous hay. But it is worth talking about meadow herbs separately.
Meadow grasses
Hay is good because a variety of herbs containing different amounts of trace elements and vitamins complement each other. But in the same hay, there is also a danger for rabbits. Many fresh poisonous herbs do not lose their properties when dry. Such plants include:
- spotted hemlock;
- avran medicinal;
- milestone poisonous, he's a cicuta;
- field larkspur;
- wild mustard;
- St. John's wort;
- buttercup, almost all types;
- cockle. In this plant, only the seeds are poisonous, which can get into the hay along with the stem;
- digitalis;
- spurge;
- celandine;
- hellebore.
The situation with hellebore is complicated. Being very poisonous in the European part of Russia, in Altai it is so safe that it is one of the crops harvested for livestock feed. People in those parts also eat it. But since the seller at the pet store is unlikely to be able to educate the buyer in which part of the world the hay was harvested, it is better not to risk it.
As a result, the rabbit owner will also have to become a botanist. Especially if he decides to harvest hay for his decorative rabbit on his own. And this is a real option, since the owners of herbivorous pets - degus, chinchillas, guinea pigs and decorative rabbits - often complain about the lack of high-quality hay in stores. Not only is it not high quality, it is just moldy.
There is also sown meadow herbs. Poisonous plants will not come across in such hay, but the set of herbs is scarce.
Tree branches
For the winter, branches with bark are often harvested for rabbits. In theory, only branches are needed, but no one picks off the leaves, so the rabbit gets a broom from the branches along with the leaves. Fresh branches can also be given. Gnawing on the bark, the rabbit grinds its teeth. In this case, a bundle of branches or a relatively thick piece of wood can serve as toys at the same time.
Give rabbits branches of deciduous trees and conifers in winter.
There is a lot of hydrocyanic acid in the bark of stone fruits, and in the spring needles of essential oils.
Often brooms are made of linden, willow or birch for rabbits. Oak branches are best kept as a remedy for diarrhea. Brooms must not be dried in the sun. They are dried under a canopy in the shade so that the branches are blown with air. The linden tree, harvested during the flowering period, will please the animals.
Grain, pellets or compound feed?
Any of these varieties are considered concentrated feeds. That is, to feed, which, with a small amount of consumption, give a maximum gain or energy.
Some breeders believe that a mixture of whole grains will be the most natural food for rabbits. This mixture tends to grind teeth, as many grains have very hard seeds. And also such a mixture is convenient to use because of the ability to mix the grain with your own hands in the right proportions.
From grain, rabbits can:
- barley;
- oats;
- corn;
- wheat.
Concentrates also include legumes:
- vetch fodder;
- peas;
- soy;
- lentils.
Since legumes are known to swell strongly when soaked, they are best served ground.
It is for this reason that compound feed is better for a decorative rabbit than a grain mixture.
Actually, the word "compound feed" itself is an abbreviation for the phrase "combined feed", that is, feed with several types of grain. Therefore, a compound feed, strictly speaking, is any grain mixture with more than one component.
But after the appearance of granules for a mixture of whole grains the name "grain mixture" was fixed, for a mixture of several types of crushed grains - "compound feed", the granules began to be called granules, although they are compressed compound feed. Another type of compound feed containing crimped grain is called "muesli".
When choosing what to feed a decorative rabbit at home, keep in mind that a decorative rabbit needs little feed of any kind. A few tablespoons maximum, if by decorative means some kind of large breed.
Ornamental rabbits are usually fed with compound feed 2 times a day. However, the owner decides how many times to feed the decorative rabbit. Some recommend leaving the pellets freely available around the clock. But for a decorative rabbit, this mode is undesirable. So, rabbits are fattened on farms for slaughter or the mother composition is fed according to this scheme, since the rabbits need enhanced nutrition. They are constantly, if not fledgling, then lactating. The decorative rabbit becomes obese from this regime.
However, for decorative rabbits, you can already find specially made granules, in which rabbit needs are taken into account and the owner does not need to make compound feed himself.
Juicy feed
Juicy forages include not only fruits, vegetables and roots, but also fresh grass and silage. The latter is usually given to rabbits on farms. It can provoke intestinal fermentation. Therefore, replacing silage at home - it is also better not to give sauerkraut.
It is believed that rabbits are very fond of juicy food, but for a rabbit 2 months old or younger, such food is deadly. His digestive system is not yet developed and the necessary microflora is missing. Since the rabbits emerge from the nest and begin to try "adult" food after 15 days, juicy food should not be given to the rabbit either.
From 3 months old, you can start giving the rabbit a little celery or parsley. But you should start feeding the animal with fresh plants very carefully, little by little, carefully monitoring its well-being.
What you can feed your decorative rabbit:
- swede;
- kale;
- salad;
- Chinese cabbage;
- broccoli;
- celery;
- parsley;
- potatoes without signs of greening;
- dried grass;
- fodder beets.
What you can't feed decorative rabbits with:
- green potatoes;
- grass wet from rain or dew;
- wet clover;
- fresh white cabbage leaves.
What you can feed with, but very carefully, but it is better not to give:
- clover;
- Apple;
- carrot;
- long-term storage fruits and vegetables from the store (there are no vitamins, and there is more than enough chemistry for poisoning);
- Red beetroot;
- peaches;
- apricots.
The most correct food option for a rabbit
The task of the owner of a decorative rabbit is to feed the animal the required amount of hay and compound feed without long breaks between meals, providing the most natural nutrition for the animal. But if hay and mixed fodder are constantly in free access, so that the animal can constantly chew and provide itself with normal intestinal function, then the animal will become obese. If you take long breaks and give out food only in the morning and in the evening, blockages of food masses in the intestines are inevitable.
Therefore, the rabbit needs to make it as difficult as possible to access food, forcing him to hunt for his daily food allowance all day. You can do this by putting hay into such a ball.
The hay ball can be hung or left rolling on the floor. It is better to hang it up, since by rolling the ball, the animal will be able to drive it into a corner and then eating up the hay will not be difficult for the rabbit.
Succulent feed can be placed in a similar bowl.
And for the extraction of pellets, the animal will also have to develop its intellect, simultaneously winding kilometers. Shaking out the granules from such a ball is not an easy task.
The second option is worse. The animal will quickly figure out how to get the pellets, and this toy will take him for a short time.
The advantage of such feeding toys is that the animal is busy with them all day and he has no time to be naughty.
You can pamper your pet with twigs by building an "anti-tank hedgehog" for him from a toilet paper tube and branches cut and peeled from leaves.
And play - you can throw, and gnaw.
In feeding decorative rabbits, unlike farm rabbits, it is important to observe between continuous chewing all day long and the minimum required daily feed rate.You can determine whether there is a lack or excess of feed by periodically monitoring the weight of the animal.
