Feeding Rabbits From the Garden. How we plan to feed rabbits without pellets.

We started raising rabbit for meat as a way to become more self sustainable and less reliant on a commercialized food system.

I felt this need along with other individuals as we experienced the fragility of our supply chain during the pandemic.

But what I did not count on was that by raising rabbits for meat, I was just becoming reliant on a different commercialized food system.

I began researching how to gain some independence from that commercial system.

Rabbits live in the wild without pellets, so why do we think they NEED pellets to live a healthy life?

They don’t, but we have been so indoctrinated into thinking that they do, that we can’t see a way around it.

So, I have done my research, and I am sharing with you what I can grow in my garden to feed my rabbits.

I do want to say, please do your own research and make your own informed decision. I will link all of my sources at the bottom. I am just sharing with you what I plan to do for my rabbits.

Watch our YouTube video where I discuss this topic with you!

What foods rabbits can eat from your garden?

Herbs- Herbs are great for rabbits to eat, plus many of them have medicinal effects that can work on the body. I personally will be growing oregano in large quantities as it can be a natural antibiotic for chickens and rabbits.

Flowers- Flowers should be treated as a treat for rabbits. Feed them 1x per week.

Leafy Greens- Leafy Greens will probably be the bulk of what you feed your rabbit, so know which ones you should grow extra of.

Fruits- Fruits for this purpose are ANYTHING that has seeds growing on the inside or that are commonly accepted as being a fruit, this includes everything from raspberries to zucchini. Fruits should be treated as candy. Use these in training scenarios or for rewards in limited amounts. However, the leaves of these plants are great to add into your rabbits diet.

Root vegetables- Root vegetables are mostly off limits for rabbits. The starchiness and high carb load throws off the rabbits digestion system. Even carrots should be extremely limited. Think of carrots as a giant chocolate bar for rabbits. It may be very delicious, but that does not mean it is good to eat all the time. If you choose to grow root vegetables for your rabbits, focus on the greens from the plant instead of the root itself.

One last thing to understand before diving into the long list of foods you can grow for your rabbits is Oxalic Acid.

Oxalates in foods create oxalic acid which can be toxic to people and animals if it occurs in large amounts. With rabbits, some things you think may be very nutritious may contain high amounts of oxalic acid. That DOES NOT exclude these items from the rabbits food group, but you should be aware of them so that they can be mixed with low oxalic acid foods.

I will be doing a max of a 2:1 ratio. 2 Non-oxalic acid foods to every high oxalic food. It can be diluted even further down than this, but this is the MAX you will want your rabbit to consume.

Oxalic acid effects the urinary tract and kidneys. Diets high in oxalic acid will decrease the efficiency of the kidneys and cause a build up of toxins in the blood. This will most notably be recognizable by itchiness of the skin and mouth. If you notice your rabbit scratching a lot of moving its mouth more frequently, check for fleas and cut back on the oxalic acid foods to see if it improves. Plus, consult a veterinarian with any concerns you have.

Rabbit Natural Food List

- Indicates what I am growing. 

* Indicates food high in Oxalic Acid

Bulk of Diet (at minimum 75% of daily feed.)

Arugula

-Basil

-Bell Pepper Leaves

Bok Choy

-Buttercrunch

-Carrot Leaves

-Cilantro

Cleavers

Clover

Comfrey

Common mallow

-Cucumber Leaves

Dandelion Greens

-Dill

Fennel Leaves

Frisee Lettuce

-Kale

Lady’s Mantle

Lemon Balm

Mallow

Mint (any variety, we are doing spearmint)

*-Mustard Greens

-Okra Leaves

-Oregano

*-Parsley

Plantain

*Radish Tops

-Romain

-Rosemary

-Sage

*-Spinach

Spring Greens

-Squash Leaves

-Sweet Potato Greens

*Swiss Chard

-Thyme

Turnip Greens

Yarrow

-Zucchini Leaves

Small Part of the Diet (up to 15% of daily food)

*Beet Greens

-Bell Pepper

-Carrots

Jerusalem Artichoke

Kolrabi Greens

-Squash

-Zucchini

Sweet Treats (up to 10% of Daily Diet)

Apples (fruit with no seeds or stems, leaves, and twigs)

Apricots

Banana (no peel, and no more than 1/4 inch per day)

-Berries

-Blackberry Leaves

Borage

Burdock

Buttercups

-Calendula

Chamomile

Cherries (no pits)

Chickweed

Cornflowers

Currants

Dahlia

Daisy

Dandelion Flowers

Echinacea

Fireweed

Goat’s Rue

Hollyhock

Kiwi

Lavender

Mango

-Marigold

Melons (peel and seeds okay)

-Nasturtium

Nectarine

Nettles

Pansies

Papaya

Peach

Pear (fruit, leaves, and twigs)

Pineapple (no skin)

Plum (no pits)

-Raspberry Leaves

Roses

Shepard’s purse

Star Fruit

Strawberry Greens

-Sunflower Seeds

Wild Geranium

Nailing Rabbit Nutrition Requirements

How much rabbits should eat on a natural based diet varies depending on what source you consult. I have seen everything from 1-3 cups per day to 1 cup per 2 pounds of body weight. Depending on the size of your rabbit, that can be a very big discrepancy. The 1-3 cups per day seems to be the most wildly accepted, so we will be starting there.

I will do 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening.

I will watch my rabbits to determine if that meets their nutritional needs or if I need to go up or down on the amount. Good animal husbandry always starts with paying attention to the animal.

Along with the natural feed you are feeding your rabbits, they should have unlimited access to hay. Timothy, brome, oat, and clover hay are good options, and a mixture of these options should also be considered. Alfalfa is also a good option since it is high in protein and calcium. It should be limited when feeding pellets, since they already contain alfalfa in high amounts, and too much alfalfa can lead to excess protein and calcium in your rabbit.

Where to Find Nutrition in Food

Protein- Protein can be found in spinach, kale, parsley, cucumbers, and green peppers. Additionally, protein is found in high quantities in alfalfa, since it is a legume not a hay.

Calcium- Calcium can be found in high levels in alfalfa. This is why too much alfalfa can be damaging to your rabbit, and it is not recommended to be fed with a pelleted food.

Magnesium- Magnesium can be found in leafy greens. Feeding a good mix should satisfy this requirement.

Phosphorus- Phosphorus can be found in beet greens, pepper leaves, radish greens, and or sunflower seeds.

Potassium- Potassium can be found in spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, bok choy, zucchini, and summer squash.

Sodium- Sodium is a necessary part of your rabbits diet, but it will not commonly be found in vegetables. Adding a salt lick or sprinkling a bit of table salt on to the food once a day can meet this nutritional requirement.

A- Vitamin A can be found in hay and leafy greens, with alfalfa having the highest concentration. Supplying unlimited hay and making sure at least 75% of the diet is leafy greens should more than meet this vitamin requirement.

B- Rabbits get all of their Vitamin B requirements from bacteria in their gut since they are cecotrophic (they eat their own poop.)

C- Rabbits make their own Vitamin C. They do not need it from food.

D- Vitamin D can be found in hay with the highest concentrations being in the freshest cuts of hay, but your rabbit can get all of its nutritional vitamin D needs through sunlight.

E- Vitamin E can be found in sunflower seeds, turnip greens, red bell pepper, beet greens, mustard greens, swiss chard, spinach, and more.

K- Rabbits get all of their Vitamin K requirements from bacteria in their gut.

Almost every need your rabbit has can be met through feeding a diverse diet full of homegrown produce and foraged items. Diversity is the key to feeding your rabbit a nutritionally complete diet, just as it is to feeding your family a nutritionally complete diet.

To get started on feeding your rabbits a natural, whole foods diet, you will need to start slowly.

You can either stop all pellets for 2 weeks, and feed solely hay to your rabbit, and then add in small amounts of produce daily until you work up to their full amount needed.

Or

You can add in one produce at a time, while slowly cut back on the pellets they are given.

Rabbits digestive systems are very sensitive and any quick changes will shock it.

With rabbits slow is key, but if you notice any diarrhea or sickness feed only hay for a week to allow their digestion to recuperate.

Resources Used

Nutrition of Rabbits By Joerg Mayer , DMV, MSc, DABVP (ECM), DECZM (Small mammal), The University of Georgia

Rabbit Food: Suggested Vegetables and Fruits for a Rabbit Diet By Susan A. Brown, DVM, The House Rabbit Society

Which plants are safe to feed rabbits? By Dr. Emma Bower, Veterinarian, FirstVet

Nutrients Required by Rabbits By Lisa Karr-Lilienthal, PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Companion Animals

FEEDING RABBITS NATURALLY | REDUCE PELLET FEED By Ann Accetta-Scott, A Farm Girl in the Making

Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits, Fifth Edition By Bob Bennett