What to feed a dwarf rabbit: the best food at home

The list of pets has expanded in recent years. Along with cats and dogs, people are increasingly adopting rodents, namely decorative breeds of rabbits. These pussies are able to touch anyone, they have a peaceful character. Suitable for children and adults. However, they are considered capricious in terms of content, especially selective and fastidious in food. Before acquiring or breeding these animals, it is best to learn how to feed a dwarf rabbit.

What vitamins do rabbits need

In the diet of all atypical breeds of rabbits, vitamin supplements must be present:

1. A. Responsible for the functioning of the nervous and reproductive systems.
2. B vitamins. Essential for a he althy coat and proper digestion.
3. D. Regulates the absorption of minerals and other chemical elements needed by the body, is responsible for the strength of bones and tendons
4. S. Responsible for strong immunity, normal functioning of the digestive tract and absorption of iron.
5. E. The substance provides he althy offspring and regular offspring without loss of he alth of the female, also strengthens the muscles.
6. K. Affects the elasticity and strength of the walls of blood vessels, most important during the breeding season.

How to feed a dwarf rabbit at home

The nutrition of the animal should be as close as possible to what it feeds in natural conditions. Although the eared are happy to try almost everything that they are offered, you should be more careful with atypical food.

Dwarf rabbit diet:

1. Coarse feed. This includes hay (alfalfa, chicory field grasses), straw (which also serves as bedding) and young tree twigs (rowan, oak, aspen, acacia, willow, alder, birch). The structure of the feed has a beneficial effect on digestion, promotes natural cleansing, renewal and grinding of incisors. After all, rabbit teeth grow throughout their lives. Fiber of coarse vegetation removes excess hair from the body in a natural way and prevents obesity.
2. Juicy food. Vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs, sprouted wheat, and root vegetables are included in this group. It is important to offer animals only fruits without broken barrels and traces of rot. Some will have to be boiled or ensiled, and some should be excluded altogether. In nature, succulent feeds are the basis of the rabbit diet, they serve as a supplier of micronutrients and vitamins. The preferences of the pet will become clear over time, but it is also impossible to offer an abundance of food at once.After all, rabbits have no sense of proportion.
3. Factory-made compound feed. As a rule, such mixtures are already selected taking into account the needs of a particular type of rabbit and there is no need to treat the animal with something additional. The basic composition of the feed: a grain mixture of cereals, legumes, oilseeds with the addition of dried fruits, bran, muesli and herbal flour granules.
4. Vitamin supplements, premixes. To be sure, it is better to consult with a veterinarian about which particular complexes are suitable for a dwarf rabbit. If fluffy is fed compound feed, then vitamins are rarely given. If natural nutrition is the basis, then supplements should be in the diet constantly. In addition, s alt stones and chalk are given as treats to rabbits.

Feeding rules

Features of nutrition of rabbits of different ages are somewhat different. Babies need more care and attention, meanwhile, mature individuals are often naughty and refuse food.

For baby rabbits

Newborn rabbits for the first weeks are completely dependent on their mother and feed on her milk, so the rabbit needs to be given more food than usual. Top dressing with hay and grain begins from three weeks. Young individuals already in 1.5-2 months eat compound feed - they grind new teeth. You can gradually offer hercules, fine hay. At this time, the rabbits are weaned from their mother, they are stressed and require more attention than usual.

From the age of 3 months, fruits and vegetables, as well as B vitamins, are gradually introduced into the diet. They are fed often, up to 5 times a day. You also need constant access to clean water. The older the rabbit gets, the more varied food his body needs.

For adults

Rabbits are animals that react sharply to the wrong diet. The result of a careless attitude can be problems with digestion, hair, immunity, and the ability to produce offspring. The ideal feed ratio for a mature pygmy rabbit is:

• 75% - coarse or dry food;
• 15% - concentrated feed;
• 10% - juicy food;
• fresh clean water daily, plenty;
• mineral supplements and treats (chalk, s alt) - as needed.

Feed twice a day tightly, give juicy vegetables, herbs or berries in between. Access to a pellet feeder should be permanent.

Peculiarities of feeding in winter

The stomach of rabbits is designed so that the new food pushes the old. Accordingly, the eared must constantly chew something. For the winter, it is worth preparing fresh hay from tender herbs and meadow plants in advance. As well as young branches, bark. In the cold months, the percentage of succulent foods is increased in the diet: pumpkins, turnips, carrots, greens.

It is important to ensure that the animals do not freeze, and the feeder is not in the draft zone. Additional heating and timely cleaning of the cage or aviary is required.

What not to give

To prevent diseases, it is forbidden to feed rabbits:

1. Sweets, sausages, boiled meat, snacks, bread.
2. Dangerous plants: dope, henbane, tansy, celandine, buttercup.
3. Cabbage (causes diarrhea), old potatoes, fresh beets.
4. Forage and fallow grain.

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