New Zealand grown nutrition for rabbits and guinea pigs

Hay is important for three main reasons: digestion, dental wear and behaviour. Firstly, their specialised gut is designed to process lots of fibre. Secondly, a rabbits’ teeth grow constantly throughout their lives and without chewing regularly on fibrous stalks of hay, they become overgrown. Lastly, rabbits just want to chew! If there isn’t toothsome hay to nibble on, they may set their chompers on household items – electrical cables or furniture, for example. 

While they often pick them first out of their feed, grains are high in calories and low in the fibre they need. The digestive systems of fibrevores are not geared up to process grains properly. A rabbit or guinea pig that eats a lot of grain is likely to become overweight and will often have a shorter lifespan.

A rabbit or guinea pig’s diet should consist of about 85% plant fibre. A good rule of thumb is to offer an amount of fresh, good quality hay that’s about equal to their body size each day. Adding Pressed Timothy Hay or Fibre Feast is a good way to increase the fibre intake of pets who are used to pelletised feed, or who avoid fresh hay. 

Rabbits will sometimes avoid hay if they have too many other options. Try restricting the amount of greens and pellets you feed them. Also make sure you’re offering good quality, fresh hay – rabbits are natural browsers so try different varieties to keep interest high. You might also try mixing some hay with their favourite greens, like dandelion stalks and herbs. For the steadfast hay refuser, try Fibre Feast for Rabbits or Pressed Timothy Hay.

Introduce new food gradually, both to allow your rabbit to get used to the taste and to give their gut a chance to adjust. Begin by replacing around 10% of their usual food with the new, healthier alternative. Increase this by a little each day. Your rabbit may turn their sniffy little nose up to the new food but should eventually come around. Patience is key here. 

Guinea pigs need to consume vitamin C daily, while rabbits can synthesise their own. They also require a little more protein than rabbits. For this reason, rabbit-specific pellets alone will not usually meet all their dietary needs. Fibre Feast for Guinea Pigs is vet-formulated to give them everything they need. 

Provided they are healthy and well looked after, domestic rabbits should live between 8 and 12 years. However, they have high exercise and dietary requirements, which can be difficult to balance in the home, meaning that unfortunately many domestic rabbits lead much shorter lives.