Rabbits do not stop eating when they are full. They are grazers by nature, so they are wired to keep on eating.
You may have noticed your pet rabbit will continuously eat small amounts of food throughout the day rather than eating substantial meals.
Furthermore, they always seem hungry.
This may lead you to wonder if your rabbit ever gets full and if they will stop eating once they do. After all, you don’t want them to be hungry but you also don’t want them to overeat.
Rabbits Don’t Always Stop Eating When Full
Because rabbits are grazing animals, they are hardwired to constantly seek out the tastiest, most nutritious meals they can find.
This means that they may continue to eat even when they are full.
This is beneficial in the wild, but can potentially have drawbacks in a domestic situation and lead to overeating or obesity.
Rabbits are herbivores, which means they subsist on plants and plant matter to survive.
A healthy diet for a rabbit consists of hay, fresh greens, grass, leaves, bark, and pellets. This diet is intentionally high in fiber and low in fat and carbohydrates.
More specifically, a rabbit’s diet should be made up of at least 85% high-quality hay or grass, 10% fresh greens, herbs, and vegetables, and 5% pellets or nuggets.
Hay is something that a rabbit can and should snack on continuously throughout the day as it helps keep things moving in their complex digestive tract.
Rabbits can also eat fruits and root vegetables such as apples or carrots.
Although your rabbit will enjoy these foods and will eat as much as possible if given the chance, they are not a normal part of a rabbit’s diet.
When eaten in excess, the sugars in these can cause harm to your rabbit’s digestive system. This can show up in the form of bloating, diarrhea, weight gain, and gastrointestinal stasis.
To avoid these health issues, foods high in sugar, carbs, and starches should be given to your rabbit once or twice a week as special treats.
Selective Feeding
Rabbits are known to partake in what is referred to as selective feeding.
In the wild, grazing rabbits will seek out the tastiest, most nutritious foods that they can find. This can include everything from clover and wild grasses to plant roots.
However, domestic rabbits usually don’t have the luxury of choosing the food that they eat. They also have a penchant for high-sugar, low-fiber foods which are tasty, unhealthy options.
If given the choice between apples and muesli or leafy greens and hay, a rabbit will likely go for the less healthy option. This can have catastrophic long-term effects on their overall health.
That is why it is important to limit these treats and provide an abundance of choice, nutrient-dense foods for your rabbit to graze on throughout the day.
The Basics of a Rabbit’s Digestive System
The digestive system of a rabbit is designed to accommodate its high-fiber, plant-based diet.
Rabbits chew the food they eat up to 120 times per minute before swallowing.
They also have a quick digestion time due to their fibrous diet and small digestive tract, and typically digest their food in as little as 5 hours.
Other items that are larger or more indigestible can take closer to 20 hours to digest.
A rabbit has a single stomach with a small and large intestine.
They utilize a process called hind-gut fermentation which means that the actual microbial digestion takes place at the end of their digestive path.
The small intestine is where the food a rabbit eats is broken down and nutrients are absorbed into the body.
Then, the remaining food is digested in the cecum, a part of the large intestine which helps digest and absorb the nutrients in plant matter.
The cecum separates the good fibers in the food that they eat. Important vitamins and minerals are excreted by the rabbit in a special fecal pellet.
This pellet is then eaten by the rabbit as a way to introduce the necessary nutrients they contain into their system.
This may seem rather gross from a human perspective, but this is an important evolutionary response to help rabbits feel full and obtain everything they need to survive.
Indigestible vs. Digestible Material
The type of material that a rabbit eats also plays a role in how often they eat and their level of fullness.
Low-fiber food is easily broken down by the digestive enzymes in the rabbit’s large intestine. Therefore, it exits the body quickly.
Too much low-fiber food will keep your rabbit from feeling full. This can cause your rabbit to eat larger quantities of food in a shorter period to compensate.
High-fiber food, on the other hand, is harder for a rabbit’s digestive system to process.
This material is separated in the rabbit’s colon into two camps: digestible and indigestible.
High-fiber food is just as important as low-fiber food in a rabbit’s diet. This food helps wear down the rabbit’s teeth, which are constantly growing, as well as keep them entertained.
When Do Rabbits Eat?
Rabbits are crepuscular creatures, which means that they tend to eat large portions in the early morning and late evening.
However, due to the setup of their digestive systems and their grazing and foraging abilities, a rabbit can eat 24 hours a day.
As a rabbit owner, you should provide your pet with an abundance of fresh food at these peak hours to ensure they are well fed and can achieve fullness.
However, they should have access to food throughout the day and night as well.
Do Rabbits Feel Full?
As a result of their nearly constant daily eating regime, a rabbit’s stomach is rarely empty.
Some domesticized rabbits are great at self-regulating the food that they eat while others require more supervision.
However, most recognize when they are full, especially when they are given a diet rich in fibrous foods.
A rabbit’s hunger can also fluctuate, just like a human’s can. This may mean you notice your rabbit eating more one day than the next. This is normal and is nothing to worry about.
Should I Limit My Rabbit’s Food?
Unless specifically recommended by your veterinarian for the health and well-being of your rabbit, you should never limit the amount of food you provide your rabbit.
Rabbits can indeed experience obesity and other health issues due to overeating and selective feeding.
However, this can be easily resolved by feeding them the right kinds of foods that will provide them with the nutrients they need and avoiding sugary, tasty treats like berries or carrot bottoms.
It is important to note that a rabbit that does not have the opportunity or freedom to graze will likely experience negative physical and emotional side effects as well.
This can include depression, anxiety, boredom, and in some cases hostility or aggression towards humans or other animals.
Always consult your vet before making any drastic changes to your rabbit’s diet or feeding schedule.
Overeating can cause Health Issues in Pet Bunnies
Domesticated rabbits have a lot of choices available so they can over eat much more often than wild rabbits.
A lot of things can happen if the rabbits overeat. The most common symptoms of overeating are:
- Obesity – overeating means that the rabbit will become overweight. It will make it hard for the rabbit to groom himself and hop around
- Tooth decay – if a rabbit keep on eating food that is high in sugars, tooth decay may occur
- Heart problems – due to overeating, the rabbit can have heart failure and other heart problems including atherosclerosis
- Gastrointestinal stasis – if the rabbit is not eating a balanced diet, he there is a higher risk of gastrointestinal stasis
- Imbalance of gut bacteria – constipation and diarrhea can also occur by consuming too many sugars a fermented food
- Urinary tract problems –if the diet is high in calcium, the rabbit may be at risk of urinary tract problems. Cloudy urine is one of the signs of urinary tract problems
How Long can a Rabbit Survive without Eating or Drinking?
Rabbits are habitual of eating throughout the day due to their nature. They can go for 3 to 4 days without eating.
Although not having food for even 12 hours can lead to severe problems in your rabbit.
There is a high risk of them suffering from gastrointestinal stasis (GI stasis), which is a critical medical condition.
Gastrointestinal (GI) stasis is a condition that involves the stomach and the gut.
It is a medical emergency in which the metabolism slows down until it stops.
When the metabolism stops, the rabbit will start losing its appetite, and gas will be caused that will lower the rabbit’s appetite more.
The rabbit will be at a higher risk of having life-threatening infections that may take over its digestive tract.
Not having food can cause the pellets to harden and be difficult to pass through the rabbit, which causes another condition – obstruction.
If the symptoms are visible, you should take your rabbit to a vet immediately. The causes of Gastrointestinal stasis are:
- Poor diet
- Dehydration
- Stress
- Underlying illnesses
- Using antibiotics for a long time
A vet may be able to deal with this condition very efficiently because it is a common condition in rabbits.
Meanwhile, you should give your rabbit a balanced diet to avoid such issues and to keep his belly functioning.
The Takeaway
Rabbits are natural grazers that require constant access to food to stave off boredom, file down their teeth, and maintain a healthy weight.
Their bodies need to consume food continuously to keep their digestive system working properly as well.
Although a rabbit can feel full, food moves quickly through their digestive tract and they will be hungry again before you know it.
Rest assured that if you provide your bunny with the right mixture of high-quality foods, their constant eating is a good and normal process that will keep them happy and healthy.
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