Rabbit nutrition is poorly understood by many owners, leading to serious health problems. Evidence-based dietary guidance dramatically improves rabbit welfare and longevity.
Rabbit dietary welfare is compromised in a large proportion of companion rabbits because pet food marketing has successfully promoted pellets as a primary food when hay should be the overwhelming staple. Rabbits fed primarily pellets and limited hay develop a cascade of problems: dental malocclusion from inadequate hay abrasion, obesity from caloric excess, and GI dysfunction from inadequate fiber. Dental disease, the most common consequence of poor rabbit nutrition, causes chronic pain that owners frequently miss because rabbits conceal discomfort. GI stasis, which can develop rapidly in rabbits on inappropriate diets, is a genuine emergency requiring immediate veterinary care. The dietary solution is simple but requires owner education: unlimited grass hay, modest fresh greens daily, and pellets limited to a tablespoon per kilogram of body weight.