Optimal Rabbit Feed Mix: A Balanced Diet Guide
Rabbit Feed: What to Include
One: Fresh Green Feed
Rabbits thrive on a variety of fresh green feeds, which encompass a range of vegetables, fresh or dried pasture, and weeds. Commonly consumed vegetables include greens, cabbage, and carrots. These foods are highly digestible, but they also contain a significant amount of water and starch. Therefore, it's crucial for owners to regulate the amount of vegetables fed to their rabbits. Overindulgence in vegetables can impair the rabbit's performance and place excessive strain on their digestive system, potentially leading to diarrhea. It's advisable to combine fresh green feeds with pelleted feed to ensure a balanced diet. Typically, the roughage content in the pasture rabbits consume should be above 20% to avoid negatively impacting their performance. Owners should carefully balance the various components of the rabbit's diet, often mixing pelleted feed with fresh green feeds to enhance consumption and overall health.
Two: Energy Feed
Rabbit energy feeds primarily consist of grain seeds, grain byproducts from food processing, and tuberous and starchy roots. Common grain seeds include corn, barley, and oats, which are high in starch and low in roughage, and excessive consumption can lead to enteritis. Oats and barley are more palatable to rabbits and offer good production results, but they should be fed in moderation. Common grain byproducts include wheat bran, which is rich in rough protein and total phosphorus, meeting the rabbit's nutritional needs and being easily digestible. Owners may consider adding a high proportion of wheat bran to their rabbits' diet or feeding it as a standalone feed. Tuberous and starchy roots, such as carrots, are rich in betacarotene and can meet the rabbit's vitamin A requirements during the winter when fresh greens are scarce. Other tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes have high energy and starch content but can produce toxins under certain conditions, so they should be fed to rabbits with caution to prevent poisoning.
Three: Protein Supplements
Meal Crops
Soya bean meal is a significant component in rabbit feed, but it should be fed in moderation. Rapeseed meal has a pungent taste and poor palatability, and it can contain goitrogenic substances that can cause diarrhea, thyroid enlargement, and urinary system inflammation in rabbits. Therefore, it's best to feed soya bean meal in combination with other feeds.
Animal Protein Feed
This type of feed is not widely used in rabbit diets and is generally only used to adjust or supplement essential amino acids.
In summary, the rabbit's main diet consists of roughage, with appropriate amounts of concentrate and pelleted feed to ensure a balanced and healthy diet.
