Dietary Problems For Rabbits

Just like with humans, food is a vital element of life for rabbits. Normally, eating is an enjoyable and fun experience for a rabbit. But if given the wrong foods consistently, problems can emerge. These problems can range from mild to severe, but all of them require your attention. What follows will review some of the more common health problems that can emerge as a result of your rabbit's diet.

One of the most common issues rabbits experience is the overgrowth of their incisor teeth. This is a result of your rabbit not having enough rough food in his diet to grind his teeth down to an appropriate length. Provide your rabbit with plenty of rough food and things to gnaw on to prevent the occurrence of this problem. This can be a serious problem if left unattended to, so be sure to take the appropriate measures as soon as you notice your rabbit's teeth have grown too long.

Other dietary problems can emerge based on the amount of fiber your rabbit is getting in his diet. If your rabbit isn't getting enough long fibers in his food, the result will be the formation of an open ball of food in his stomach that can take excessive amounts of time to digest. When the food ball takes too long to digest, the natural amounts of hair that are usually found within the food ball begin to emerge as the food ball dehydrates. After the food ball has dehydrated the rabbit will have difficulty passing the hair in his feces like he normally would. Also, slow digestion rates can lead to the growth of harmful bacteria in the rabbit's gut.

Another problem related to a low fiber diet is that your rabbit will produce more cecotropes that it can consume. The cecotropes the rabbit does produce and consume will be less nutrient-rich, and the ones it cannot consume will often stick to the rabbits bottom and create a potentially hazardous area for problems such as fly strike.

It is important to carefully monitor your rabbit's diet and always give him the correct amount of essential nutrients to prevent any of the previously mentioned problems from occurring.