Appropriate diet is the most important factor in rabbit health and prevention of painful digestive disease.
Rabbits fed inappropriate diets — heavy on pellets, fruit, or other concentrated foods — develop painful GI stasis, dental malocclusion, and obesity. GI stasis causes acute abdominal pain and can be fatal within hours. The widespread provision of inappropriate diets makes digestive disease one of the most common welfare problems in companion rabbits. Correct diet is the single most important welfare intervention an owner can make.