All rabbits are sold with care instructions on how to transition them, and with a one-week supply their current feed so you can transition them without causing digestive upset. 

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We will send you home with some of the feed we feed so you can slowly transition them over approximately a week to another feed if you desire. Below you will find suggestions on transitioning to a new feed.

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Our Feeding Program

For a more detailed explanation of our feeding program, see our post on How We Feed Our Rabbits

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Daily Feed schedule:

1 cup pellet mix (up to 1.5 cups for rabbits under 6 months of age)

Free-fed hay (timothy, brome, orchard, bermuda - any clean, "horse quality" grass hay)

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The First Few Days:

When you get home with your rabbit, make sure they have water, the pellets we sent home with you, and hay, then leave them to have some quiet, undisturbed time to settle down from the stress of moving. We recommend giving them two or three days to really settle in. After this initial adjustment your rabbit will perk up and come out of its shell, interested in attention and investigating its new surroundings. Try to feed and check on your rabbits at the same time each day. We do this twice daily but many rabbit keepers feed their rabbits only once daily. Ensure that your rabbit always has clean water and hay available and for younger rabbits that they are eating 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pellets daily.  

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Things to Watch For:

Not drinking enough

Not eating enough

Acting as though it can't get enough water

Soft or runny poop (when this happens it is sticky and tar-like, smells bad, and often gets stuck to the rabbits feet and backside)

Very small or no fecal pellets

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If your rabbit is exhibiting any of the signs above, the causes need to be addressed. A rabbit with thin, watery stools is very sick and needs to be seen by a veterinarian. Rabbits with very small or no fecal pellets need to be evaluated for GI stasis. For more information on what to look for and the symptoms and causes of GI problems in rabbits, this article from Raising Rabbits is very helpful. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

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Transitioning to a New Food:

The first night home, feed your rabbit only the pellets and grains we sent home with you. After feeding, add a serving size of your new feed to the old feed and mix well. The next day, feed from this mix, then add another serving size of your new feed, and so on until it's only the new feed that the rabbit is eating. This will ease them into the new food and allow time for their digestive flora to adjust to eating a different feed. Rabbits have a very sensitive GI system, so you need to take things slowly and carefully. Watch for any signs of illness (listed above).

 

Feeds I have used and recommend:

Pen Pals 18%

MFA 17%

Powell's 17%

Modesto Milling Organic

Kalmbach Non-GMO

Avoid offering treats and any food other than hay or pellets for a few weeks as your new rabbit settles in. Kits shouldn't be offered anything other than pellets or hay until they are 12 weeks old, and we wait for rabbits to be 4-6 months old before introducing greens or vegetables to their diet.

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We add unfiltered apple cider vinegar to our rabbits' water at a rate of 2 Tbsp per gallon. This provides minerals and gut-boosting probiotics to help our rabbits have healthy immune systems and a robust digestive system.

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We do like to add dried and fresh herbs, sticks, leaves, and pinecones to our rabbits diet as well. Be sure to use forages that are known to be rabbit-safe and if in doubt, leave it out. Rabbits have very sensitive digestive systems so you do not want to risk a sick rabbit. We avoid feeding very much fresh foods to junior rabbits. Be sure to introduce any new food slowly (1-2 Tbsp is a good starting serving size) and carefully and watch your rabbit for any signs of illness. A resource we have found helpful on rabbit-safe forages is Rise and Shine Rabbitry's Naturally Feeding Rabbits post. 

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Quarantine:

Every rabbit you introduce to your rabbitry, as well as rabbits returning from shows, should be carefully quarantined from all other rabbits for a minimum of 30 days. Quarantine means they are in an entirely different room or space. If your rabbits are kept outdoors, make sure they are far enough away to limit any droplets (particularly from sneezing, coughing, or urine) from making their way to your other rabbits' cages. A tarp can be used as a temporary barrier between cages if needed. The rabbit in quarantine needs to be fed, watered and handled LAST, after every other rabbit has been cared for, and then your hands need to be thoroughly cleaned and clothes should be tossed in the wash, not just worn out to care for your existing rabbits later in the day only to spread germs them. This alone goes a long way to reducing the spread of any diseases. Remember that humans can be a large vector in spreading disease from one rabbit to another.

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Rabbits can carry diseases without showing symptoms, such as pasturella, coccidia, bordetella, syphilis, and RHDV. Many of these will flare up when the rabbit is under stress even if the rabbit has exhibited no other symptoms prior. Quarantine needs to be completely observed or it is just a waste of time. It is also recommended that your quarantine cages have a drop pan, so the manure from them can be disposed of in the trash (or burned) and not in your garden, or on your property where it could become a source of future disease outbreaks. Coccidia, once brought to your property, can survive in the soil for over 50 years, so taking extra care to avoid introducing this to your property is an investment in your rabbits for years to come.

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