Halp!! (bunnies)

[flybye023]

So my brother offered to take a pet rabbit for a friend of a friend for a few hours. Those few hours have now turned into a week. (this is only day one) We have never had a rabbit--know nothing about them. We had a guinea pig so we know a bit about keeping the cage clean and stuff but what we're having trouble with is food. Googling is not much help because one site will say "feed them this" and then the next site says "don't feed them this, feed them that instead." Just a lot of conflicting advice.

We have a garden. There is a tiny bit of chard, some beets, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers. Can she eat the leaves of any of those?

I guess mainly what I'm asking is those of you who have rabbits--what do you feed them and are there any specific websites you trust?

[wolfie]

Not a rabbit owner, but a couple things I've heard:

- Their teeth never stop growing. If you don't give them something to gnaw on, they'll find something on their own - and it'll probably be something you don't want gnawed.

- Despite the stereotype, carrots are an OCCASIONAL treat. Due to their high sugar content, feeding them too often leads to bunny diabetes.

[WishfulSpirit]

Pet store rabbit food pellets are the best food for them. Like others said, get her a chew stick or block. Put electric cords inside something non chew able or get them where she can't reach them. Plenty of socialization is also key. Rabbits are group animals and can get depressed with too much time alone.

[Ophbalance]

We've always fed ours (which is now two flemish Giants but was previously a mini Rex) pellet food. Walmart has it, usually cheaper than a pet store. We buy giant bags from tractor supply. They also really enjoy Timothy hay.

[KuariKaydrith]

Definitely pellets, and Timothy hay. Anything else is a treat. Definitely get the rabbit a chew block of some sort so they can wear their teeth down. Give them time out of their enclosure, and if you can get them outside onto the grass for a bit they will be quite happy - some can be harness/leash trained so you don't have to worry about them taking off.

Here's a good link for what foods are safe for rabbits: http://www.saveafluff.co.uk/rabbit-i...ds-for-rabbits

[flybye023]

Thanks guys. Looks like we've got her settled in for now. Her owner may be gone for a month so if things work out we may end up with her for awhile. The person who was supposed to be watching her is still trying to find an alternate bunny-sitter so we'll just have to see how it plays out.