Feeding - Ross Rabbits - home of the cuddliest, snuggliest French Lop companion pet rabbits

Fresh, clean water must be available at all times and is best given via a water bottle rather than a bowl which can be tipped over. Adding a Bottle Snug can help prevent water freezing in winter while keeping it cool and fresh in summer.

Rabbits are herbivores and, in the wild, would consume large quantities of fibrous plant material which is essential for maintaining an healthy digestive system.   

Long, fresh meadow hay with herbs is the most important part of the diet and essential for helping to keep molar teeth in trim, helping to prevent dental spurs forming while the high fibre also helps to keep the digestive system in top condition.  The hay sold in plastic bags in pet shops is usually of poor quality and stale so we recommend buying from a local farm or specialist. Ideally, you should aim to feed your bunny a pile of hay equivalent to his/her body size each day.

A good quality rabbit mix of flaked peas, nibbles, cereals and grains such as 'Russel Rabbit', or a composite feed of 'Burgess Supa Rabbit Excel'  or ‘Supreme Science Selective’ pellets, should be available in heavy bowl to prevent your bunny tossing it around.  We feed our French Lops on My Pet Supreme Rabbit Mix or Allen & Page Breeder & Grower pellets due to their higher protein content required by French Lops and other large breeds.

Mixes can also allow rabbits to be selective  in the bits they eat and leave.  Many rabbits prefer the flaked peas and coloured crunchy nibbles  in preference to pellets - if the vitamin and minerals are added to the pellets, then rejecting these will not provide your rabbit with a fully balanced diet.  Therefore, it is advisable to feed you rabbit once their bowl is empty (or soiled) to ensure your rabbit has a balanced diet.

Rabbits also enjoy clean fresh vegetables (which must be introduced very gradually for young rabbits - see below)  such as carrots, carrot tops, cabbage, and occasional tomatoes and apples. Potatoes and most types of lettuce, especially iceberg,  should not be offered.