is my diet good?

Question
hello Mr.Lee Meyer

I just was curious in knowing whay you thought of my rabbtit's diet and if infact, you thought anythin should change. I am always seeking advice and polishing his diet so it is just right for him and his indivudial needs. he is a very active and young rabbit so pellet-free did not work for him. we tried it for a few weeks and he began to loose weight and energy. now he is on 1/4 cup pellets 2 times a day in addition to hay, fruits, and veggies. so here is his "schedule."

6 am---1/4 cup oxbow bunny basics T
               1 small handful(about 1/2 cup) of romaine lettuce&cilantro (sometimes parsley, depends on what we buy)

6pm---1/4 oxbow bunny basics T
               1 small handfuk(about 1/2 cup) of romaine lettuce&cilantro (sometimes parsley, depends on what we buy)

i always provide him with unlimited timthy hay, which he eats alot of.

for treats i use fruits and other veggies not fed in salads(ie---not romaine, parsley, or cilantro)

i use---strawberries, black berries, pomegranite, apple, peach, pear, cherry tomato, carrot, broccoli, and sometimes banana. treeats never excel more than 1 tablespoon.

Answer
Hi,

I think overall it's pretty good. I'd just put a few cautions in there.

First, the pellets.  It's too much unless he's around 10 pounds body weight.  Vets recommend no more than 1/4 cup pellets per day, per 5 pounds body weight.  Safer thing to do is cut it to 1/8 cup in the morning and evening.  He'll just eat more hay if he's hungry and hay is better for him.  If he's a rex or mini-rex I'd say no more than 1/8 to 1/4 cup per day, as rex rabbits get overweight easier than others.

2, veggie amounts are double what they should be for about a 5 pound rabbit.  No more than 1/2 cup greens per 5 pounds body weight, per day.

3, watch the cilantro.  It can cause gas in rabbits and since they have an internal gi tract that can trap gas and cause pain, just be careful with it.  Parsley, flat italian parsley is safer.

4. Watch the quantities of fruits, because they are high in sugars and this can cause problems in the gut.  I'd avoid all sticky fruits because they can cause teeth problems as rabbits' teeth are not totally covered by enamel.

5. It is better to give a few different foods all the time than all the variety you have.  Their gut needs stability and too much change too often or infrequent use of foods here and there can wig out their gut bacteria, which needs about two weeks to adjust to diet changes of just one food.  I would stick with a few thin carrot coin slices for the regular treat.  For regular vegetables, romaine and green leaf lettuce you can get all year round.  And a little parsley but only if you can get it regularly.  Their gut bacteria really needs regularity.

Bottom line, hay is THE most important food, which they should eat the most of.  Everything else you feed him he can live without.  He is designed to eat hay.  rabbits are designed to eat low calorie grass hays and extract the most energy possible from them. Everything else we give them is generally rationed because it is higher calorie and/or can cause gas problems.