Nutrition of rabbits (Merck): hay, cecotrophs, calcium, fiber
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual article "Nutrition of Rabbits" (first-hand, retrieved 2026-07-29 via curl, HTML stripped to plain text). All bullets are exact verbatim substrings of the cited source_file and C1-substring verified.
Dietary requirements of pet rabbits
Rabbits are small herbivores with specialized feeding needs and digestive systems. They are selective eaters and choose nutrient-rich leaves and new plant shoots over mature plant material that is higher in fiber.Cecotroph ingestion is highest when rabbits are fed a diet high in nondigestible fiber. This reingested material provides microbial protein, vitamins (including all the B vitamins needed), and small quantities of volatile fatty acids, which are essential in rabbit nutrition.Reducing the calcium level to 0.4%–0.5% of the diet for nonlactating rabbits helps reduce these problems. This can be accomplished by feeding pelleted diets with a timothy hay base.A rabbit should always have an unlimited supply of hay, because they frequently need to nibble on it to keep peristalsis active.