fresh fruit and vegetables

Question
QUESTION: i just bought a baby rabbit its white with dark blue eyes the pet store i bought it from they said its a brazilian i cant find anything on line or in rabbit books is it an actual breed or did they not know what it actually is

ANSWER: Hi,

they probably didn't know what they were talking about.  I can't tell you what it is.  Sorry.  the one upside to it is that it's going to be fun seeing what size your bunny grows to.

Lee

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what kind of fruit and vegetables can a rabbit eat and is there any preparation need for any of them

Answer
Hi,

here's the bunny food pyramid.  

Hay is the thing they need to eat most of the time.  They are grazers and should have access to it all the time.  Change it out every day with fresh hay.  Hay should smell good, not be wet, not be dusty/dry.  Good timothy hay or orchard grass hay.  They will not get fat on hay, they are designed to eat it.

NExt: greens.  HOWEVER, be very careful as rabbits under 6 months should not be given greens or fruits.  Their gi tracts are not yet set up for this.  Introduce 1 green at a time in very small amounts to make sure bunny can tolerate it.  Good greens: romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, italian parsley.  Never iceberg lettuce.  Small amounts per day - no more than 1/4 to 1/2cup per day per 5 pounds of body weight.

Next: pellets.  No extra junk in them, just straight pellets (Oxbow is good choice).  Timothy pellets.  Even smaller amounts - no more than 1/8 to 1/4 cup pellets per 5 pounds body wt per day.

Last, treats/hi carb/hi sugar items.  Very small amounts as this can mess up their gi tract.  A few small pieces of carrot.  A pinch of papaya pieces or a papaya tablet.  A small finger pinch of oats.  A couple cheerios.  Not necessarily ALL of these in the same day.

No dairy (ie no yogurt drops), no meat, no eggs.  Basically no human foods (save any listed above).  

Check www.rabbit.org for more diet info - they have a lot.

Lee