Finding the best diet guide for a lionhead rabbit? If yes, you are in the right place. Feeding a lionhead rabbit suitable food items is important for a healthy and hearty bunny. Therefore, you should only choose high-quality food items that are suitable for a bunny.
A lionhead rabbit diet constitutes 80% of fresh hay. Add a little portion of pellets to the rabbit’s diet. Use leafy green vegetables and fruits as treats for the rabbit. Provide the rabbit with fresh water at all times.
It is important to know the right amount of hay, pellets, and vegetables for your lionhead rabbit. Giving extra quantities of fruits or the wrong vegetables to your rabbit is a nightmare. It can lead to gastrointestinal issues and obesity. To save your rabbit from these issues, we have a comprehensive guide for a lionhead rabbit’s diet. So, let’s get started!
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What Do Lionhead Rabbits Eat?
Lionhead rabbits mainly eat fresh hay. In fact, fresh hay makes up at least 70-80% of a lionhead rabbit’s diet. You should provide plenty of fresh hay every day to lionhead rabbits to fulfill their nutritional needs.
However, other things make up 20-30% of a lionhead rabbit’s daily diet. These items include:
- Pellets
- Fresh Vegetables
- Fresh Fruits
Food Items | Percentage |
Fresh Hay | 70-80% |
Pellets | 10-20% |
Fresh Vegetables | 5% |
Fresh Fruits | Only as treats. (twice a week) |
Bunny Treats | 1-2 Tbsp. per day. |
You must understand how much fresh hay, pellets, vegetables, and fruits your rabbit should be getting. Therefore, we have made a comprehensive guide for the lionhead rabbit diet. So, let’s dive right into the details!
Fresh Hay
Fresh hay makes up the major portion of a lionhead rabbit diet. Two common hay include:
- Alfalfa Hay
- Timothy Hay
Alfalfa hay is common to feed young lionhead rabbits. It has a high amount of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. It isn’t suitable for lionhead rabbits older than 7 months as it can lead to obesity.
Timothy hay is a mixture of high fiber and low protein. This composition is suitable for lionhead rabbits of all ages. Timothy hay is beneficial for the gastrointestinal tract of rabbits. Hay saves the rabbits from digestive issues.
The perfect balance of fiber and nutrients in timothy hay is also beneficial for the dental health of lionhead rabbits. It is good for wearing down the growing teeth of lionhead rabbits.
Use hay as a free source of food for your rabbit. It should be available at all times for the lionhead rabbit. The amount your rabbit eats depends upon its age and weight. As a rule of thumb, the right amount of hay for a rabbit is equal to its weight.
Pellets
Pellets make up around 15-20% of your lionhead rabbit’s diet. Pellets are a great addition to the diet as they are a concentrated source of fiber and other nutrients. However, you should choose only high-quality pellets.
Pellets shouldn’t contain fruits or high levels of sugar. Timothy pellets are good for rabbits of all ages. Alfalfa pellets are amazing if you want your rabbit to gain weight. However, it isn’t ideal for already healthy rabbits especially if they are adults.
For every 1 kg of your rabbit’s weight, give 25 g of pellets to it. Approximately, a suitable amount of pellets for a healthy adult lionhead rabbit is ½ cup.
If your rabbit finishes the pellets in one go, there is no need to refill the bowl as you would do with hay. Hay is the only food source that should be present in the bowl of a lionhead rabbit.
Fresh Vegetables and Fruits
Consider vegetables and fruits as a treat for your lionhead rabbit. There aren’t as many options of fruits and vegetables for rabbits as there are for cats and dogs.
Here’s the thing:
The stomach of a rabbit doesn’t digest high-protein food. Therefore, give fruits and vegetables to your lionhead rabbit in a controlled amount.
Some vegetables suitable for a lionhead rabbit include:
- Cilantro
- Celery
- Leafy Greens such as parsley, spinach, mustard greens, beet greens, etc.
Many people wonder if carrots are healthy for rabbits. Carrots have a lot of carbs and can disturb the digestive system of rabbits. So, you shouldn’t give carrots to a lionhead rabbit often. Consider using carrots as occasional treats only.
Some other vegetables to avoid include iceberg lettuce and avocado.
Some fruits suitable for lionhead rabbits include:
- Apple (without seeds)
- Cherries
- Banana
- Apricot
- Berries
- Grapes
- Peach
- Plum
- Mango
- Orange
- Papaya
Remember to only feed fruit once or twice a week to your rabbits. Avoid giving apple pips and pits of fruits like cherry, peach, apricot, plum, and mango.
Here’s a complete list of safe fruits and vegetables for all rabbit breeds.
Fresh Water
Keep fresh water available to a lionhead rabbit at all times. Buy a separate bowl of water and keep it in your rabbit’s enclosure or food area.
Fresh and clean water is crucial to rabbits as it is for humans. It keeps the digestive tract of the rabbit functioning properly.
Moreover, rabbits are energetic and playful. Lionhead rabbits love to play around most of the time. Due to this, rabbits can get dehydrated. When water is available to them, they will drink it whenever the rabbit is thirsty. It will prevent the lionhead rabbit from dehydrating.
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Can a Lionhead Rabbit Eat Fresh Grass?
Wild rabbits usually eat fresh grass and make their habitat around a green space. So, it is totally okay for pet rabbits to eat fresh grass as well.
Fresh grass has more nutritional benefits than hay. If you find your pet rabbit munching on fresh grass, don’t stop it. Rabbits like to eat fresh grass more than hay due to its taste. Plus, it also satisfies a rabbit’s natural instincts.
The question is, “Should you replace hay with grass for a lionhead rabbit?”
The simple answer is:
No, hay should always make 70-80% of a lionhead rabbit’s diet.
Hay is beneficial for the dental health and digestive system of a rabbit. Grass doesn’t provide these two benefits. Therefore, stick to hay as a major part of a lionhead rabbit diet.
This doesn’t mean you should keep your rabbit away from fresh grass. Fresh grass is great for a rabbit but there are some rules you must abide by. These include:
- Make sure that the grass is fresh and free of any chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides.
- Don’t cut grass with a lawnmower. Use scissors instead. Grass cut with a lawnmower undergoes fermentation which is harmful to the GIT of a rabbit.
- Make sure no other animals use the grass for activities like urinating.
- If your rabbit hasn’t eaten grass before, introduce it gradually.
You can cut some grass from your lawn and place it in your rabbit’s enclosure. If your lawn’s grass is free of any contamination, you can allow the rabbit to graze on the lawn.
Foods to Avoid for a Lionhead Rabbit
The digestive system of a rabbit is highly sensitive. It can’t digest most of the food that a cat or dog may digest. You should be careful while feeding your lionhead rabbit. Don’t experiment with a lot of new food with your rabbit.
Avoid giving lionhead rabbit processed food designed for humans. Even cat and dog food are damaging to rabbits. If you have a cat or a dog in your house, keep its food away from the reach of a rabbit.
If a rabbit finds cat or dog food, it will eat it. Cat and dog food is high in carbs, proteins, and fats. It can cause kidney damage, GIT issues, and obesity in rabbits.
Items like cookies, chocolates, nuts, meat, eggs, bread, etc aren’t suitable for a rabbit. These are harmful to the organs of a rabbit and must be avoided in all cases.
Dairy products like milk and cheese are toxic for all rabbit breeds.
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What Treats to Give a Lionhead Rabbit?
You can buy treats designed especially for rabbits. These are usually hay-based with the scent of fruits such as apples or bananas.
However, don’t use the treats for cats or dogs to feed your rabbit. Their treats contain high levels of protein and carbs which are toxic for rabbits.
You can also use fresh fruits as treats. For example, cut an apple into bite-sized cubes and give one cube to our rabbit. Don’t give such treats more than thrice a week to your rabbit.
Some good treats for bunnies are mentioned below!
1. Oxbow Simple Rewards Veggie Treats
Oxbow makes healthy and beneficial treats for bunnies. These treats are hay-based meaning they are high in fiber and don’t damage the GIT of a bunny.
Oxbow treats have good-quality ingredients. They not only have a good flavor but also provide digestive support to the rabbits.
2. Kaytee Timothy Biscuits
These timothy hay-based biscuits with baked apple flavor will be the favorite of your rabbit. Your rabbit will run every time you open the bag. These are addictive for bunnies and a great source of joy for them.
So, if you have a rabbit of any breed including a lionhead, you must try out these treats.
3. Vitakraft Crunch Sticks Rabbit Treats
These rabbit chew sticks have wild berry and honey flavors. The sticks are beneficial for wearing down the teeth of rabbits too.
Your rabbit will love the taste of these treats. Even rabbits that are picky eaters would love it.
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Final Thoughts
Now you know what the lionhead rabbit eats every day, you can raise a healthy bunny. Taking care of a lionhead rabbit’s diet is extremely pivotal. You should only give them foods suitable for their digestive tract.
The sensitive GIT of a lionhead rabbit can only digest low-protein food. If you feed it anything with high protein, minerals, and vitamins, the bunny will develop digestive issues and become obese as well.