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Best Rabbit Food

Updated March 2023
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Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Kaytee Forti Diet Pro Health Rabbit Food For Adult Rabbits
Kaytee
Forti Diet Pro Health Rabbit Food For Adult Rabbits
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Trusted Brand
Bottom Line

This food keeps your rabbits and their teeth healthy with natural antioxidants.

Pros

Larger, crunchy pieces support dental health through natural chewing activity. Prebiotics and probiotics to support digestive health. This food contains 18% fiber. Resealable bag to help keep food fresh.

Cons

Complaints about rabbits only eating the treats out of it.

Best Bang for the Buck
Oxbow Animal Health Organic Bounty Adult Rabbit Food
Oxbow Animal Health
Organic Bounty Adult Rabbit Food
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Good for Digestion
Bottom Line

This mix will help keep your rabbits healthy without breaking the bank.

Pros

Contains essential omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, as well as organic ingredients. Promotes effective digestion and contains vitamins. Does not contain soy.

Cons

Some reports that the product causes diarrhea in rabbits.

Kaytee Fiesta Gourmet Food for Rabbits
Kaytee
Fiesta Gourmet Food for Rabbits
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Tasty Mix
Bottom Line

This food provides variety and flavor for rabbits who don't enjoy eating just one thing.

Pros

Made of a premium blend of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains from a veterinarian-recommended brand. Contains prebiotics and probiotics to support digestive health. This product comes in a resealable bag to keep the food fresh.

Cons

Despite claims about the food being organic, some consumers say that the food uses artificial dyes.

Small World Rabbit Feed for All Rabbits
Small World
Rabbit Feed for All Rabbits
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Simple Yet Solid
Bottom Line

For rabbits with digestive issues, this basic mix will go easy on your pet's stomach.

Pros

This mix is high in dietary fiber with a no-corn formula. Fortified with essential minerals and vitamins. Low price. Has a delicious taste that bunnies love.

Cons

Consumer complaints about not recieving the product pictured.

Small Pet Select Select Rabbit Food Pellets
Small Pet Select
Select Rabbit Food Pellets
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Customer Favorite
Bottom Line

A high-fiber mix with essential vitamins, this food is pet-friendly and fills dietary needs.

Pros

Enviornment and pet-friendly pellets that are high in fiber and vitamins. Low in calcium. Created with a veterinarian partner. Low in calories.

Cons

Fairly expensive. Contains additives such as husks, soy, and molasses.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

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Buying guide for best rabbit food

Rabbits might be common pets, but they require more complex care than many people realize. One of the simplest steps you can take to improve your rabbit's health and well-being is switching to an appropriate, high-quality rabbit food. But what constitutes quality rabbit food, and how do you know which one to choose? 

One of the most important factors to learn about is the difference between rabbit pellets and rabbit muesli-style food because muesli food isn't recommended by rabbit experts. You also need to know about the kinds of ingredients to expect in rabbit food, the recommended nutritional content, and what else you should feed your rabbit beyond commercial rabbit food. 

All this might take more thought and effort than just picking a rabbit food at random, but your bunny will thank you for it. 

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To keep it fresh, don't buy more than six weeks’ worth of food for your rabbit at a time.

Key considerations

Pellets vs. muesli

You've probably noticed two distinct types of rabbit food on the market: pellet food and muesli food. Rabbit pellets are simply brown pellets of compacted hay and more, whereas muesli rabbit food contains some pellets plus flaked maize, seeds, peas, dried fruit, and other bits and pieces. Given how much more interesting muesli looks compared to pellets, you'd be excused for thinking muesli is the best choice for your rabbit. In fact, the reverse is true. 

Muesli rabbit food is the junk food of the bunny world, containing unnecessary starchy components that many rabbits will pick out first, leaving behind the more nutritious pellets. Rabbits need the high fiber content of pellet food, so feeding a muesli-style food could ultimately lead to dental and digestive problems. 

Ingredients

The natural diet of a rabbit is predominantly grass with the occasional foraged root vegetable or cereal crop (such as wheat or oats). Wild rabbits would very rarely eat nuts, seeds, or fruit, so these types of ingredients have no place in commercial rabbit food. Instead, the bulk of the pellets should consist of grass hay, such as Timothy hay. Alfalfa hay is a little too rich for most adult rabbits, so it isn't usually the best choice. Along with the hay, pellets may contain small quantities of cereal (such as wheat) and legumes (such as soybeans). Plus, commercial rabbit food is fortified with a wide range of vitamins and minerals to get your bunny all the nutrients she requires. 

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Caution
If your rabbit is reluctant to eat or is eating less hay than usual, it could be a sign of dental problems. Take her to see a vet right away.
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Features

Fiber content

Rabbits require plenty of fiber to stay healthy, so a quality rabbit food should contain ample fiber. The absolute minimum fiber content of an adult rabbit food should be 18%, but higher is better. 

Protein content

It's important your rabbit gets enough protein but not too much. Adult rabbits require rabbit food with a protein content between 12% and 14%. Rabbits under five months old are growing extremely quickly and therefore require higher protein levels to support their growth — around 16% is ideal. 

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Did you know?
Rabbits naturally forage for food, so sprinkling food around their hutch or run will keep them occupied longer.
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Accessories

Food bowl: Kaytee Paw-Print PetWare Bowl
Although it's great for rabbits to be able to forage for their food when possible, sometimes you need a food bowl to contain the mess — for instance, if your rabbit is roaming free in your house. When not filling it with food, you can use it as a water bowl, and with an adorable bunny print, there's no question who it belongs to. 

Hay: Small Pet Select 2nd Cutting "Perfect Blend" Timothy Hay
Hay is an important part of a rabbit's diet, as it provides roughage to reduce the risk of hairballs and other digestive blockages. In fact, your rabbit should constantly have access to fresh hay. This Timothy hay from Small Pet Select is of excellent quality, and rabbits seem to love it.

Treats: Kaytee Yo Chips
On an average day, your rabbit should eat nothing but pellets, hay, fresh vegetables, and the occasional piece of fruit, but it's okay to offer treats every so often to help with training or bonding. These berry-flavored treats are suitable for rabbits six months and older. 

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Expert Tip
While you should offer your rabbit unlimited hay, offering unlimited rabbit food will lead to obesity, so portion it carefully.
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Rabbit food prices

How much should you expect to pay for an average 4- to 5-pound bag of rabbit food? While you can find some bargains, price is usually an indicator of quality. 

Inexpensive: You can find some basic rabbit food for less than $10 a bag, but generally, the quality of these foods isn't great. 

Mid-range: Mid-priced rabbit food tends to cost between $10 and $15 a bag. Most of these are of decent quality, but you may find some muesli foods that are best avoided. 

Expensive: The costliest rabbit food is priced between $15 and $20 a bag. This includes foods with top-quality ingredients or certified organic ingredients. 

Tips

  • Don't necessarily trust the portion guidelines on the package of your rabbit food. An average-size adult rabbit really only needs to eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup daily (plus hay and fresh vegetables). The recommended portion sizes may be larger since rabbit food manufacturers want to sell more rabbit food. 

  • Rabbit food should contain plant-based ingredients only. Rabbits are herbivores, which means they only eat plant matter (though added vitamins and minerals are fine). 

  • Consider using a treat ball. You can make feeding time more interesting by loading rabbit pellets into a treat ball so your bunny has to work harder and engage her brain to find it. This goes down well with rabbits' natural foraging behavior. 

  • Always check the nutritional analysis of your chosen rabbit food. Don't listen to empty marketing claims such as food being "all natural" or "gourmet," as these terms don't mean anything concrete; they’re not a guarantee of high-quality food. 

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Even if your rabbit has access to fresh grass, she still needs a varied diet, including rabbit food pellets and fresh vegetables.

FAQ

Q. Should rabbit food make up the bulk of my rabbit's diet? 
A. While it's important to feed some rabbit food daily to help ensure a balanced diet, it's by no means the only thing you need to feed your rabbit. All rabbits should have constant access to quality grass hay or oat hay, as the fiber is important for their digestive system. You should also feed your rabbit a variety of fresh vegetables, particularly leafy greens — but small amounts of root vegetables are good, too. Fruit is nice as a treat but should be limited due to its high sugar content. Adult rabbits generally need no more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup of rabbit food daily per 6 pounds of weight. 

Q. What vegetables might my rabbit enjoy eating? 
A. Rabbits might enjoy eating all kinds of vegetables, but the healthiest vegetables for them to eat are leafy greens and green herbs. This includes lettuce, cabbage, kale, basil, parsely, collard greens, endive, and carrot greens. Root vegetables, such as carrots, make a nice treat but shouldn't be offered too often due to their high sugar content. Offer new greens gradually because too much at once could cause a stomach upset. 

Q. How do I switch my rabbit to a new food? 
A. Rabbits are sensitive to changes in food, so stopping one food cold turkey and switching to another right away could wreak havoc on your bunny's digestive system. Instead, you should switch foods gradually over the course of 10 days, replacing around 10% of the old food with new food on the first day. Increase this amount by 10% each day until you've completely replaced the old food with the new.