PAC Meeting:
Agenda Item:
Australian Veterinary Association
Feeding Rabbits and Guinea Pigs
Policy
Rabbits and guinea pigs must be fed a predominantly grass hay and/or grass diet, to ensure
proper wear of their dentition, to promote proper gut function and to ensure adequate water
intake. This is essential to prevent major health issues, poor welfare, and death.
Muesli-style diets are completely inappropriate, and can lead to severe dental disease, poor
gut function or ileus and predispose to urolithiasis.
Additionally, guinea pigs need to be supplied with an adequate amount of vitamin C every
day.
Background
Rabbits and guinea pigs are small herbivores, exhibiting aradicular hypsodont dentition. This
is an evolutionary adaption to the consumption of high fibre, highly abrasive diets. High fibre
diets are essential for adequate gastrointestinal function, the maintenance of an appropriate
microbial flora and the prevention of ileus.
Inappropriate feeding regimes contribute to the development of dental disease, which is
progressive and incurable once clinical. Prevention of dental disease leads to a much better
welfare outcome than managing the disease once present.
Many muesli style diets are labelled as complete foods, but selective feeding by the animals is
likely to render the consumed diet nutritionally imbalanced. Lower fibre levels lead to
increased gut retention time, which can be linked to increased development of clinical ileus.
Rabbits (and likely guinea pigs) consume the largest amount of water when on a hay only diet.
Given the frequency of calcium urolithiasis in these species, increasing water intake and thus
increasing urine dilution is highly desirable. Rabbits (and likely guinea pigs) exhibit increased
calcium load associated with lucerne hay diets.
Guinea pigs do not synthesise vitamin C, and must be supplemented with sufficient amounts
every day to ensure proper physiological function. This can be done by provision of
calculated volumes of high vitamin-C containing foods, or by using oral vitamin C
supplements. Vitamin C provided in water is prone to degradation, and may be affected by
cleaning chemicals.
References
Clauss, M., Burger, B., Liesegang, A., Del Chicca, F., Kaufmann-Bart, M., Riond, B., Hässig,
M. and Hatt, J.-M. (2012), Influence of diet on calcium metabolism, tissue calcification and
urinary sludge in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal
Nutrition, 96: 798–807. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2011.01185.x
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PAC Meeting:
Agenda Item:
Australian Veterinary Association
Feeding Rabbits and Guinea Pigs
Ginter E,iBobek P,oVargová D. Tissue levels and optimum dosage
ofov/pubmed?term=vargov%25c3%Nutr Metab. 1979;23(3):217-26.
Prebble JL & Meredith AL. Food and water intake and selective feeding in rabbits on four
feeding regimes. Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition; Jan 01; 2014
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