Rabbit Nutrition

The Rabbit Nutrition course provides an understanding of the requirements of the rabbit digestive system and about food groups and the function of nutrients for rabbits.

Learn about how natural and commercially produced foods satisfy the requirements of the rabbit digestive system.

This course is aimed at those who care for rabbits as part of their work, as well as the responsible rabbit owner.

*You will have access to the course for 6 months only. You can purchase course extensions.

A digestive system is organised to break down foodstuffs so that the body can absorb and use the nutrients within the original food. All animals have a digestive system of sorts, with differences according to the specific animal. Certain mammals have additional modified organs for example ruminants (e.g. cows, sheep, deer) whilst other mammals have modified sections of the digestive system to allow greater breakdown of particular foodstuffs. In this course, we will be looking at a typical mammalian digestive system as the digestive system of the rabbit is organised in exactly the same way as any other mammal.

There are no additional organs but certain organs are modified according to the lifestyle of the wild rabbit. This rabbit nutrition course explores the rabbit digestive system, nutrients, the functions of nutrients as well as commercial and natural foods for rabbits. Having a good understanding about rabbit nutrition is important for anyone working with rabbits and it is also of relevance to rabbit owners.

Making informed decisions about what foods to provide for rabbits is an important part of rabbit care and welfare and this can only be achieved with a good comprehension of the functions of nutrients. Part of this course considers what to provide a rabbit with as their primary foodstuff and at the supplementary foods which are provided as treats.

The consideration of fresh foods which every rabbit should have on a daily basis is also examined and an analytical approach to the subject of how much water should be provided with a given quantity of dried food. Pet shops, supermarkets, farm shops, garden centres and online stores sell a wide range of rabbit food all of which are dried mix type products part of this course investigates these commercial feeds to compare the ingredients.

Supplementary foods are also sold alongside the traditional rabbit mix plus, there are numerous treats to add some more interest to the diet and all of this is explored in this rabbit nutrition course. Ensuring adequate nutrition is crucial for good health and high standards of welfare and care.