I am considering adopting a pair of rabbits. Is it best to feed them twice a day? And what amounts of food should I feed at those times? When and how much should I feed them? Thanks in advance.
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I would not adopt a pair of rabbit, unless you get them at the same time from a rescue, already spayed and neutered and they have been together for 6 months.
Rabbits prefer their friends to have other cages then their own and will do best with another rabbit when they can talk through the cages, as opposed to being in their cages with them. Rabbits, both male and female, are territorial. Males will take chunks out of their male roommates, impregnate their female ones, females will take chunks out of all their roommates, male or female.
It is true that they can become tamer after a spay/neuter, but a spay/neuter does not mean that they can live together. Especially male rabbits. And even so, when you sleep for the night they may fight and you may wake up to find one without a nose and the other without a piece of ear. Bonding is a tricky process and should be taken slowly, and you will need two cages during the process.
If you still choose to purchase a pair, I would recommend a female, female pair if they are unaltered, and a male female pair if they are.
Rabbits do well feeding them twice a day. If that is not feasible, they will be fine being fed once a day. They eat 1/2 cup per day, not per feeding.
You will need a good quality rabbit feed, which should be the basis of any rabbit’s diet. Do not select a rabbit feed with colorful peices because thats the nutritional equivilent of adding doritos to your salad. The color is to make it fun for you, not your rabbit. I suggest to purchase a 25 lbs. bag from your local feed/livestock store. This, in theory, would last you about 5 months for a single rabbit, but the food should only be kept for 3 months. A 25 lb bag of Purina Show Chow is about 8-9 dollars, and is about the same for a pet chow. It is about the same for pet chow. Take out about 5 pounds (or count out in scoops, a month supply) and freeze the rest. Outside of the freezer, the feed will last about a month. When frozen, it will last about 3 months. If you feed your rabbit expired pellets, you might as well feed them paper because you can starve your rabbit to death even if its eating if the food does not have any calories or nutrients. I used to sell extra feed for 2 dollars for 5 pounds. I don’t have extra feed anymore, but I still sell it in smaller supplies for owners with one pet. This way you will save about 5 dollars a month, and gain 4 every few months.
Depending on the size of your rabbit(s), feed each about 1/2 cup, to 1 cup per day for a medium/large breed. If your rabbit is losing weight on 1/2 cup, increase. Small breeds usually do well on about 1/4 cup.
Hay is important for your rabbit. It wears down teeth that can grow about 12" per year. And should be fed constantly. There are two types of hay available in pet stores Alfalfa and Timothy. You should only feed Alfalfa is your rabbit is in the last week or pregnancy or nursing or if your rabbit is under 3 months of age. Alfalfa is too fiber rich for the rabbit and will cause it’s stomach to become upset. Timothy hay is regular grass hay. I purchase hay in the bale which ways about 50 lbs. Hay is usable two years later as long as it is kept dry and cool. One bale of hay will last a few months at least 3-4 maybe even 7. The "mini bales" in the store look greener, weigh less and cost more. The green look is dye added to make the hay look fresher, but even brown (not rotting) hay can be fed. I used to spend 30 dollars a month on pet store hay and now I feed 32 rabbits with one-two bales a month for 10-12 dollars. However, it may not be concivable to store hay in a smaller hosue or apartment. Although timothy hay is "grass hay" never feed your rabbit fresh grass because it has bugs which will harm your rabbit.
As for fruits and veggies, you should not give them to rabbits under the age of 5 months. Also, you should avoid iceburg (light colored, watery rabbits usually used for salad) as it is 98% water and will cause diaherra and other health problems. You can feed Romaine (dark green) lettuce in small quanities.
If your rabbit has never had treats before, start off small. Once a week, a treat about the size of 4 quarters side by side to make a square, can be fed to your rabbit. You can gradually build up to every day but start of slow.
Healthy treats include pretzel, carrots, oranges, bananas, apples without seeds, dark green lettuce, and the like. There are many websites that list poisonous plants. Treats which are more fatty and should be given in smaller proportions are oats (old fashioned [nonmicrowavable] oatmeal without flavor) or sunflower seeds.
Well there is two ways to feed them. One is limit feed where you decide how much they eat. This is the best way for a healthly rabbit so they will not get really fat on you. I feed mine once a day. Pellets should make up less of a rabbit’s diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day. 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies) Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight
fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.
The other way is letting them eat as much as they want. This way they will eat as much as they want to get bigger. They use this way for food rabbits or spoiled rabbits.
I have a rabbit and i’m getting ready to get another one, You should consider a Dwarf hotot breed. You only need to give them fresh food and Thomas hay with water. When the food is done refill them. It takes 3 to 4 days until they need to get new food. Don’t give them a mountain of food. you should play with them for an hour too. The don’t get lonely but if you are not around alot you can let them out of their cage. But dont get a male and a female. get the same gender.
Actually rabbits are one pet that should be eating almost all their waking time – that’s the hay that should be available to them. As to other food – a very small amount of pellets in a bowl once a day (a quarter cup). For shelter rabbits we put that out once a day when their cages are cleaned. Also after cleaning the rabbits should have a serving of fresh greens – dark lettuce, kale, mustard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, parsley etc. You can vary that from day to day. Treats are nubs of carrots, a slice of apple or banana, a brussel sprout, etc.
They should have unlimited timothy hay in the hutch i put around 3/4 of a cup of pellets in her feed bowl once a day. if your rabbit doesnt eat all of it it’s okay but if she does eat it all don’t give them more, let them eat the timothy hay it’s good for their digestive system.