Rabbit forage is an essential part of your rabbit's diet - it supplies them with something to constantly graze on to keep their digestive system functioning, and help keep their teeth being worn alongside the action of hay. Foraging is also a natural activity that is enjoyed ... by wild rabbits and domestic rabbits alike, providing environmental enrichment. Here you can shop our full range of quality and vet-approved rabbit forage.
Foraging literally means searching for wild food resources. For rabbits, this includes grazing on grass, eating leafy plants and chewing on tree bark and roots.
Forage products have lots of health benefits, too. These include:
The prevention of weight gain: Slow, continual eating of forage prevents weight gain.
The provision of a varied and nutritional diet: The variety of forage available means you can provide a varied, nutritious diet for your rabbit.
Helps to wear down teeth: Rabbits teeth continually grow, and allowing them to chew and gnaw on harder forage like bark and twigs helps to wear their teeth down naturally.
Aids gut heath: Forage high in fibre, like hay, helps keep the digestive tract in good health, preventing potentially fatal intestinal blockages
Furthermore, foraging is an innate, natural activity for rabbits which keeps their bellies full and minds occupied for their emotional wellbeing. There are plenty of easy ways you can introduce forage to your rabbit in a safe, controlled and fun way.
Our range of rabbit forage includes a great favourite Plantain, Dandelion Root, and a Feast of Forage. All rabbit forage we supply is approved by our in-house Animal Medicines Advisor (SQP) and recommended by vets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Best Forage For Rabbits?
High quality forage is best - we don't advocate one type, as variety is the key when it comes to foraging! A wild rabbit will roam for hours, choosing a range of plants to nibble on. We recommend starting with bunny favourites such as plantain, dandelion, marigold or a forage mix, such as The Hay Experts Feast of Forage for Rabbits. Don't forget, variety is the key, and you can feed as a treat, mix with hay, add into pellets or hide in willow toys for foraging fun that keeps your rabbit entertained.
What Is Rabbit Forage?
The term forage covers a multitude of different plants that are good to feed your rabbit. Whilst it can be a term that includes hay, forage usually refers to leaves and flowers such as dandelion, marigold parsley, apple leaf, rose, plantain, cornflower or linden leaf - to name but a few! Dried forage can be fed daily, and is a great way to increase fibre intake, help with environmental enrichment and give your rabbits some activity as they forage for the tasty food. We recommend adding forage to hay, to pellets or feeding on its own - they are all sure to be enjoyed!
How Do You Make Rabbit Forage?
You can make forage by collecting safe-to-eat grasses and plants for your rabbit and drying them to remove moisture. However, this is both time-consuming and potentially dangerous (if you don’t grow the forage materials yourself, you could unknowingly collect plants that have been sprayed with chemicals or wild animal urine). Therefore, we always recommend that you purchase forage from a trusted provider of rabbit feed and forage.
How Much Forage Should A Rabbit Eat?
The short answer is: quite a lot! Hay and forage should make up 80-85% of your rabbit's daily diet, and is what they graze on most throughout the day.
Is Forage Good For Rabbits?
Forage is an excellent food to feed your rabbit. Not only is it natural and healthy, forage is a great source of vitamins, nutrients and minerals - and is often high in fibre, too. Many forages also have beneficial properties - such as dandelion which can help support urinary function, or alfalfa which can help stimulate appetite in times of illness or recovery from surgery.
How Often Can Rabbits Have Forage?
Rabbits can eat forage daily and it is a good source of natural vitamins, nutrients and minerals. It's high in fibre and exactly what Mother Nature intended rabbit to eat! Feed a variety of different forage material for added interest - this can be done by feeding a mix, or making a bespoke mix daily!
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