Opening Hours
8.30am - 7pm Mon to Friday
9am - 11.30am Saturday
Consultations are available by
appointment
We have a 24 hour
emergency service and details
of how to contact the
emergency clinic are always
available on the answerphone
Riverside Veterinary Clinic
17 Severnside South
Bewdley
DY12 2DX
Telephone 01299 402960
Riverside Veterinary Clinic is a trading name of CVS (UK) Limited; a company registered in England and Wales
Registered number: 03777473. Registered Office: CVS House, Vinces Road , Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4AY © Web Design Vetwebsites
Rabbits have a unique dental and digestive system. For these to function
properly, your rabbit must have a diet that is high in fibre, low in protein and low in
energy.
As pet owners, we like to think that we are doing the best for our rabbits and are
all too ready to provide them with a diet that is too rich and contains insufficient
roughage. Without the fibre, you will have constant teeth and digestive problems
which mean a very poor quality of life for your pet rabbit.
A diet of grass or hay and occasional vegetables, with added complete food
being fed only in small quantities and not as a large or major part of the diet, and
a constant supply of water is all that a rabbit needs. Anything beyond that is a
'treat' and should be given in limited quantities, completely avoiding sweets and
chocolates which build up harmful bacteria in the rabbit gut and can kill.
Rabbits in the wild are grazers. If the diet is inadequate, these are the problems
you may see:
• hairballs
• chronic soft faeces instead of hard normal pellets
• diarrhoea
• obesity
• teeth problems which can be so severe as to form an abscess. If this
happens, it may be too late for treatment to be successful
• eye or tear duct infections which are secondary to teeth problems as the
tooth roots grow abnormally and affect the tear duct.
To prevent these problems, it is vital to feed a simple diet that is almost the same
as that of a wild rabbit. Rabbits are called Lagomorphs which means that they are
similar to rodents in that their teeth grow continuously.
They are adapted to a life of grazing and chewing and therefore constant wear on
the teeth. A diet lacking in fibre will mean that less time is spent chewing food,
less wear on the teeth and so overgrown teeth will be the end result.
Offer a small portion of dried food and leave the discarded ingredients in the bowl
until they are all eaten. Only by doing this will your rabbit get a truly balanced
diet. One thought is not to leave concentrate feed down for any longer than 8
hours a day.
Try to buy pellets that are high in fibre (18% or more). The best food to buy are
the pellets where all the nutritious ingredients are blended together so that the
rabbit eats all the food and does not become a selective feeder.
Vegetables look to provide your rabbit with a small amount of different leafed and
rooted vegetables, but stay away from beans and rhubarb. Never give vegetables
that have come straight out of the fridge as they can cause quite a shock to your
rabbit's system. Always wait until they are at room temperature.
Many rabbits have too little calcium in their diet which can result in brittle bones
and teeth. Feeding green stuff such as fresh grass, cabbage leaves and
dandelion leaves can help correct this. However, feeding too much green stuff
invariably results in soft stools indicating an imbalance in the gut flora. If this
happens, stop feeding the vegetables immediately, clean your rabbit's bottom and
be prepared to book an appointment with us if it doesn't clear up in a couple of
days.
Your rabbit should have access to fresh water 24 hours a day. If you keep your
rabbit in an outside hutch throughout the winter, change the water twice or three
times a day to prevent it freezing.
Riverside Veterinary Clinic is a trading name of CVS (UK) Limited; a company registered in England and Wales
Registered number: 03777473. Registered Office: CVS House, Vinces Road , Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4AY © Web Design Vetwebsites
Rabbits have a unique dental and digestive system. For these to function
properly, your rabbit must have a diet that is high in fibre, low in protein and low in
energy.
As pet owners, we like to think that we are doing the best for our rabbits and are
all too ready to provide them with a diet that is too rich and contains insufficient
roughage. Without the fibre, you will have constant teeth and digestive problems
which mean a very poor quality of life for your pet rabbit.
A diet of grass or hay and occasional vegetables, with added complete food
being fed only in small quantities and not as a large or major part of the diet, and
a constant supply of water is all that a rabbit needs. Anything beyond that is a
'treat' and should be given in limited quantities, completely avoiding sweets and
chocolates which build up harmful bacteria in the rabbit gut and can kill.
Rabbits in the wild are grazers. If the diet is inadequate, these are the problems
you may see:
• hairballs
• chronic soft faeces instead of hard normal pellets
• diarrhoea
• obesity
• teeth problems which can be so severe as to form an abscess. If this
happens, it may be too late for treatment to be successful
• eye or tear duct infections which are secondary to teeth problems as the
tooth roots grow abnormally and affect the tear duct.
To prevent these problems, it is vital to feed a simple diet that is almost the same
as that of a wild rabbit. Rabbits are called Lagomorphs which means that they are
similar to rodents in that their teeth grow continuously.
They are adapted to a life of grazing and chewing and therefore constant wear on
the teeth. A diet lacking in fibre will mean that less time is spent chewing food,
less wear on the teeth and so overgrown teeth will be the end result.
Offer a small portion of dried food and leave the discarded ingredients in the bowl
until they are all eaten. Only by doing this will your rabbit get a truly balanced
diet. One thought is not to leave concentrate feed down for any longer than 8
hours a day.
Try to buy pellets that are high in fibre (18% or more). The best food to buy are
the pellets where all the nutritious ingredients are blended together so that the
rabbit eats all the food and does not become a selective feeder.
Vegetables look to provide your rabbit with a small amount of different leafed and
rooted vegetables, but stay away from beans and rhubarb. Never give vegetables
that have come straight out of the fridge as they can cause quite a shock to your
rabbit's system. Always wait until they are at room temperature.
Many rabbits have too little calcium in their diet which can result in brittle bones
and teeth. Feeding green stuff such as fresh grass, cabbage leaves and
dandelion leaves can help correct this. However, feeding too much green stuff
invariably results in soft stools indicating an imbalance in the gut flora. If this
happens, stop feeding the vegetables immediately, clean your rabbit's bottom and
be prepared to book an appointment with us if it doesn't clear up in a couple of
days.
Your rabbit should have access to fresh water 24 hours a day. If you keep your
rabbit in an outside hutch throughout the winter, change the water twice or three
times a day to prevent it freezing.