Diet & transitional feeding for your new bunny - by Monvella Rabbitry ♡

Rabbits are herbivores. They have specific dietary requirements to stay happy & healthy. Watching what happens in a bunnies litter tray is a good way to monitor how their diet & over all health is going, If you keep your Bunnies diet well balanced then you will see their poop as dry & odourless, consistently sized round balls. 

This is a basic outline of what your bunnies daily diet should look like, please remember to always double check if things are safe & healthy before feeding them to your bunny. Always introduce new foods slowly & monitor your buns reaction, because like people, each bunny is an individual & their tolerance to foods, or the amounts they can have of specific foods can vary.

♡ Unlimited - Fresh water

♡ Unlimited - long steam hay 

♡ 1 cup fresh leafy greens 

♡ Premium quality rabbit pellets

**Wait to start including fresh leafy greens in your bunnies diet until after they have settled into their new home. Offer small amounts at a time, after they have finished transitioning onto the new hay/pellets of your choice**

Our baby bunnies start off sharing small pieces of kale, Celery, fresh herbs such as parsley & mint, rocket, baby spinach, mixed lettuce leaf & other dark leafy greens, such as Chinese Broccoli leaf & bok choy with their mother. You can also forage for fresh, clean grass or dandelions in your back yard, just make sure that no pesticides have been used & wash well.

Celery, Kale, Bok choy, Spinach,

Broccoli, Swiss chard, Cauliflower leaf,

Fennel, Mixed lettuce, Parsley, Rocket,

Mint, Carrot & tops, Fresh grass, Blackberries & leaf, Strawberries & leaf

Lavender, Clover, Pansy flower, Dandelions, Radish tops,Roses & leaf

Apple & leaf/branch (no seeds) Banana, Grapes, Pear, Pineapple Papaya, Blueberry, Raspberry ♡

Start with the fresh foods that bun has already had with mum, then from 4 months of age you can start to introduce new types of veg/fruit & safe, clean outdoor forage. 1- 2 times per week a small slice of fresh fruit such as apple, carrot, banana, Pear, Papaya, a few small berries etc is an ideal 'treat' for your Bunny. A few Black oil sunflower seeds or a sprinkle of rolled oats can also be a nice, occasional treat. Offer new foods one by one & monitor your bunnies reaction, you might notice that some fruit or veg isn't compatible with your bunny, you will also discover their favourites! 

There are small, local businesses around who specialise in making healthy, nutritious bunny treats, bun safe toys, etc & this can be a fun way to entertain & treat your bunny. Have a look at how the treats are made, what the ingredients are & where the ingredients are sourced from before choosing, locally grown ingreedients that have been dehydrated are the best choice.

Some things should not be fed to your bunny, always check to make sure things are suitable prior to feeding & please remember to wash everything well before feeding your bun. Washing their food/water bowls regularly is also important for hygiene ♡

Your new Monvella bunny has taken a food pack home with them which includes an in feed Probiotic to help support their immune system during transitional feeding. Shake the bag of transitional food gently to evenly distribute the Probiotic & feed them 1/3 cup per day, gradually adding a little more of your new premium pellet of choice each day until there is no more transition food left. Sudden diet changes can cause gastrointestinal issues for bunnies, so it's important not to suddenly change their diets & to gradually introduce new foods.

When asked by new families which pellet to choose for their pet rabbits, I always recommend transitioning onto Vetafarm rabbit origins pellets, as it's an Australian owned & made pellet which makes it best for the environment supporting local business (also more affordable, which is a bonus) This quality brand pellet is readily available in all good pet stores & online, it comes in larger 6kg bags too which is awesome. All of our rabbits find Vetafarm rabbit origins delicious too!

I also must mention, this awesome Australian business supports their local community 🥰 They even generously donated to the Canberra & district rabbit clubs October 2022 show, just because I asked if they could help!

Here is a link for more information on Vetafarm rabbit origins pellets

https://vetafarm.com.au/product/origins-rabbit-diet-350g/ 

For Healthy, home made bunny treats check out Snuggly Bunnies Rabbitry and boutique (based in Victoria Australia) This small business is owned & ran by a lovely lady who also very generously supports the rabbit community all over Australia 🥰

I wasn't a 'bunny treats' kind of person before, I only fed fresh fruit, oats & Black oil sunflower seeds as 'treats' but we won a pack of these at our rabbit show last year & I must admit, our buns find these super delicious! It's making our grooming sessions even more fun having a pack of these yummy treats on the table, here is a Link to Snuggly Bunnies online store 🤗

https://www.snugglybunniesrabbitryandboutique.com/

I hope this helps new bunny families who are looking at how start feeding their bunny, or helps those who are looking into if a rabbit could be a suitable companion 😊🐰🥕

Hoppy new year - Monvella ♡ 02/01/2023