Feeding rabbits and small pets: hay, greens and teeth

Rabbits have won over countless Belgian households, often alongside a guinea pig, a hamster or a rat. Yet diet remains the main reason they end up at the vet: overgrown teeth, diarrhoea, gut stasis. The rules are simple, and a well-fed rabbit will stay with you for around eight years.

Hay, 80 % of a rabbit's ration

The rabbit is a strict herbivore whose entire digestive system is built to process long fibres around the clock. The Flemish Animal Welfare service recommends that hay make up about 80 % of the diet, that it be available at all times and that your rabbit eat roughly its own volume of it every day.

• Choose meadow hay or Timothy hay: green, dry, fragrant and dust-free.
• Avoid alfalfa for an adult rabbit: too rich in calcium and protein.
• Keep the hay rack full at all times.
• Straw is bedding, not food.

Fresh greens: 15 % and plenty of variety

Count on about 15 % of the ration, roughly a generous handful a day for a dwarf rabbit. Introduce each new vegetable over several days, in small amounts, to let the gut flora adapt.

Well-tolerated greens: chicory (witloof), endive, carrot tops, radish leaves, parsley, coriander, dandelion, clover. Carrots and beetroot are sugary treats, to be given in thin slices. Cabbage and broccoli ferment and cause bloating: avoid them.

Pellets: one tablespoon, no more

Pellets are only a supplement: 5 % of the ration, about one tablespoon a day for a small or medium rabbit, or 20 to 25 g per kilo of body weight according to veterinary references. Choose uniform, long-fibre pellets over colourful mixes, from which rabbits pick out the sweet pieces.

Forbidden foods

Some human foods are toxic or dangerous for rabbits and small rodents:

• bread, rusks, biscuits, cereals: starch and sugar that upset gut fermentation;
• chocolate: toxic;
• potatoes (and their peel), avocado, onion, garlic, leek, chives;
• too much iceberg lettuce: very poor in nutrients, it bloats the belly and softens droppings;
• lawnmower clippings: they ferment within hours;
• shop-bought treats and salt licks.

Houseplants are another hazard: see our article on plants toxic to dogs and cats. If you suspect your pet has eaten something, the Belgian Poison Centre answers on 070 245 245 and will refer you to your vet.

Water

Offer a heavy bowl on a small platform, so bedding does not fall in, and possibly a bottle as a back-up. Change the water every day.

Teeth that grow for life

The incisors and molars of rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas never stop growing. Only prolonged chewing on fibre (hay, grass, willow or untreated fruit-tree branches) wears them down properly. Without it, the molars form spurs that injure the tongue and cheeks.

Check the incisors once a month and ask your vet to examine the molars at every visit. Warning signs: drooling, wet chin, sudden preference for soft food, weight loss, smaller droppings.

Guinea pigs: vitamin C on top

Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C. They get it from daily greens (pepper, parsley, leafy tops, chicory) and from specific guinea pig pellets that are not past their date, because the vitamin degrades quickly. Do not add it to the drinking water, where it dilutes and breaks down: a chewable tablet given directly works better.

Hamster, rat, ferret: in brief

• Hamster: complete pellet, a little greenery, limited seeds.
• Rat: omnivore, complete rat pellet, varied vegetables, a little protein; no chocolate or salty food.
• Ferret: strict carnivore, ferret or kitten food rich in animal protein; never fruit, vegetables or sweets.

Gut stasis: an emergency

A healthy rabbit's digestive tract never stops. If your rabbit has stopped eating and producing droppings, sits motionless with a tense belly or grinds its teeth, it is an emergency: the Flemish Animal Welfare service considers a rabbit that has not eaten for a day to be an emergency case. Do not attempt home remedies and call an on-duty vet straight away if it happens in the evening or at the weekend. Persistent diarrhoea, droppings stuck to the hindquarters and lethargy are the same signals as those detailed in digestion: the warning signs.

Rabbit vaccines in Belgium

Two viral diseases kill pet rabbits, even those living in flats, because they are spread by biting insects and contaminated objects:

• myxomatosis: swelling of the head and eyelids, discharge, death within 10 to 14 days;
• rabbit haemorrhagic disease (VHD or RHD), including the RHDV2 variant, often fatal with no warning sign.

A combined vaccine protects against all three viruses. It can be given from 5 weeks of age and is repeated every year. No vaccination is compulsory for rabbits in Belgium (see compulsory vaccines and passport for dogs and cats), but every small-pet vet recommends it. You can record these reminders in Zoolinko, the free digital health record, which will alert you before the due date and keep your rabbit's file within reach, including in an emergency.

Finding a vet experienced with small pets

Not every practice sees rabbits and rodents. Look for a vet who mentions small mammals or "exotische dieren" in Flanders, or turn to the university clinics of ULiège in Liège and UGent in Merelbeke. Plan a yearly visit with a dental check and weigh-in.