If you wish to purchase an ornamental rabbit for keeping in your own apartment, you should take into account that this is not only a cute and playful little animal, but also a pet, which will require careful care.
To eared to live a long and happy life, you need to take care of his health, as well as know how to feed an ornamental rabbit.
Table of contents
What do decorative bunnies eat?
So, what do decorative bunnies eat? By nature, rabbits feed on plant food. If the diet is not followed, the animals in question begin to lose weight, in some cases it is fatal. Overfeeding is also dangerous for the eared body.When overweight, they begin to suffer from various diseases, so their diet should be carefully chosen by the owner.
Food for decorative breeds of rabbits is very different from food, which is used by ordinary rabbits. This is due to weak immunity of pets, as well as a gentle stomach. If animals grown on a farm can eat moist plant food without harm to health, bite the tree, then their decorative counterparts are often deprived of this opportunity. They need to give special solid food for grinding teeth.
The diet of small ornamental rabbits, which require a special diet, is especially different. They feed animals at least twice a day, including dried bread, high-quality hay, rolled oats or wheat flakes in the diet. As for carrots, such a product is given in a small amount. In the trough should be a drinker with water.
In summer, houses of dwarf rabbits can be fed with clover and dandelions, green leaflets also use leaves of corn, and grass. Note that the collected plants are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then they are dried in the sun. Fresh, juicy grass is not introduced into the diet of babies, through the possibility of indigestion, so the greens need to be dried up in the sun.
In general terms, the ration of the decorative rabbit should consist of the following products:
- concentrated feed in the form of special feed, rolled oats, wheat flakes;
- vegetables;
- solid feed (hay, raspberry, lilac, willow branches). Such food will contribute to the grinding of teeth;
- mineral supplements.
How to feed a dwarf rabbit at home?
As we have said, all breeds of decorative rabbits need special nutrition.The composition of the diet of these animals should include different types of food. In the animals accelerated digestion, so they should receive food constantly.
When fasting pets, stagnation in the intestines or fermentation of food remains, which often leads to death. According to experts, the diet of pets should contain solid and juicy food, greens, fiber.
So what and how to feed an ornamental rabbit at home? Despite the fact that eared can eat all day, food delivery should be limited to two times a day (in the morning and evening). First, pets are given cereal feed or feed, after they eat hay.
During the day, the animals give hay and fresh vegetables, for the night the feeders are filled with high-quality hay. And now we will describe the menu of ornamental rabbits in more detail.
Roughage
This type of food forms the basis of the eared ration. This food for ornamental rabbits contains tree branches, such as birch, willow, acacia and alder, as well as high-quality hay. The branches of garden trees should be given carefully in small doses., but the hay from the herbs may be present in the trough of animals constantly.
In winter, pets can be fed branches and needles of pine and spruce, juniper, but not often needles are given. It should also be understood that birch wood is considered a diuretic, while oak and alder are considered fastening agents.
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Succulent feed
Considered products rabbits should receive throughout the year. As we have said eared harmful beets and cabbage leaves, but in their diet, you can include the following list of products:
- Apples;
- Potatoes and radishes;
- Pears;
- Squashes;
- Carrot;
- Cucumbers.
Each of the described types of food give small doses. At the same time looking for animal feces. For example, bananas are fed by a teaspoon once a week, and citrus fruits and plums are generally excluded from the diet.
From citrus fruits can be fed only mandarin, and then only one slice in two weeks.
Melons and watermelons will not please all pets, although they can also be given in small doses and infrequently (with the exception of pregnant females).
Concentrates and feed
From concentrated feed in the diet of rabbits include Hercules and oats. Compound feeds must contain vitamins and proteins, as well as vitamins necessary for normal growth of small animals.
The specified food is bought in specialized stores. The detailed composition of feed for rabbits is as follows:
- 28-30% herbal flour. It is best if clover and alfalfa are used as the main plants. It is noticed that some unscrupulous manufacturers add weeds to feed and enrich the mixture with vitamins;
- The minimum proportion of cereals (it uses wheat or oats) should be 20%. It should be borne in mind that all types of grain should not be treated with pesticides;
- Barley or Corn in the feed must also be at the level of 20%;
- An important component is considered sunflower meal (up to 13% of the total mass).This ingredient is responsible for the development of the animal's coat;
- The remaining 2-4% occupy food yeast, table salt, fish and bone and meat meal.
Greens for rabbits
From the greenery, decorative rabbits can be given the following types of grass: wheat grass, alfalfa, dandelions and clover. The animals in question are happy to eat tansy, chamomile and mouse peas, although the dacha of such food should be limited. Note that before serving all of these types of herbs are recommended to be dried in the sun.
Rabbit is not recommended such varieties of greens:
- The yellowcone and the crow's eyes adversely affect the cardiovascular system of the animal;
- Helen, buttercup, dope, celandine lead to eared poisoning;
- Goldenrod and lupine contribute to the disruption of the liver.
Top dressing with vitamins and minerals
As an additional source of vitamins, you can use special factory-made food. Special granules are placed in the cages for decorative rabbits, which contain trace elements such as calcium and potassium.
As an additional additive to the described diet use salt. This mineral substance stimulates the appetite of the animal, improves the quality of fur. Calcium in the form of chalk helps strengthen the skeleton of young rabbits.
Feed, contraindicated
As we have already said, freshly cut grass is considered harmful to the rabbit, as well as some plant species, for example, dope, henbane, celandine, hemlock. Vegetables animals should not be given cabbage leaves and beets. Eared can not be fed sausage, chips and candy, other confectionery.
Mineral stones and treats for grinding teeth
Mineral stones put pieces of chalk and iodized salt into the rabbit's cage, special granules containing in their composition the trace elements necessary for the development of the animal. Stitching of the eared teeth will be promoted by branch feed, white bread croutons, as well as special cereal sticks. Some rabbit breeders use paper or wood toys for this purpose.
From the above, we can conclude that ornamental rabbits are considered quite capricious animals, but with a certain work experience, knowledge of the nuances of feeding, these pets will please you for more than one year.
And finally, a small video:
Sister literally the other day brought home a fold rabbit. Now at least I know how to contain it and what it eats)