“The Vet Says….” Fly Strike in Rabbits Part 3

This is part 3 of our The Vet Says series on fly strike in rabbits – you can read part 1 here and part 2 here. The wrong diet can increase the risk of your rabbit suffering from fly strike in a number of ways. If they are fed too much food they will become obese which means they will not be able to groom themselves properly. Also, the wrong diet greatly increases the risk of them developing dental disease which again can lead to failure to groom and a soiled perineum. Finally, simply overfeeding can result in rabbits not performing caecotrophy and getting a soiled back end. As well as fly strike, many of the problems we see in rabbits every day is caused by poor diet. So what constitutes a good diet for your rabbit? Remember that domestic rabbits are no different from wild rabbits in terms of their digestive system, so mimicking a wild rabbits diet is a good place to start. The most important component of their diet needs to be hay. Rabbits in the wild are grazers and only eat grass and other plants. They are designed to eat lots of low quality, high fibre food. This is vital for the health of their digestive system and helps to wear down their teeth, that grow continuously throughout their life. You should feed your rabbit at least its own body size in hay each day. They also can eat grass but must never be fed lawnmower clippings as these can make them ill. Secondly, you should feed your rabbit fresh vegetables. A handful morning and evening is about the right amount. In the wild, rabbits do not eat fruit or root vegetables. Green vegetables are the best to feed such as broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, kale, celery leaves, parsley, spinach. Despite the common idea that rabbits should eat carrots, they are high in sugar and should only be fed sparingly. The green carrot tops are ideal though. There are some plants that are very dangerous to your rabbit and must be avoided. These include: Amaryllis, Bindweed, Bracken, Elder Poppies, Foxglove, Laburnum, Yew, Lily-of-the-Valley, Lupin, Most evergreens, Oak leaves, Privet, Ragwort, Rhubarb leaves. If in any doubt ask your vet. Finally, you can feed some commercial rabbit food. What are the different types of commercial rabbit food you can feed? Find out next time!