After much research, we have come up with a list of foods to feed and to not feed the rabbits. We are not vets or vet technicians — this is just the list we have come up with for feeding the rabbits in our care.
Hay - hay should be their main source of food. It can be given in unlimited amounts. Just be careful it's not moldy. (If you must give them hay pellets, make sure it's not alfalfa-based as it'll make them fat.)
timothy hay
grass hay
brome
oat
Bermuda
mixed orchard grass
Avoid: alfalfa hay (it's too high in calories and protein and will make your bunny fat)
Vegetables - A good selection of vegetables that can be offered in small to moderate amounts:
Basil
Beet greens (tops)
Bok choy
Broccoli (leaves/stems)
Brussels sprouts
Carrots and carrot tops
Cauliflower
Celery
Cilantro
Collard greens
Dandelion greens and flowers
Endive
Escarole
Green peppers
Leaf lettuces: red, green, romaine (but iceberg has little nutrition)
Parsley
Pea pods (flat, edible kind)
Peppermint leaves
Radish tops
Radicchio
Raspberry leaves
Sprouts (alfalfa, radish and clover)
Watercress
Wheat grass
Avoid: spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, rape, kale, and mustard greens as regular treats, since they can be toxic over a period of time. (We've seen contradictory recommendations on mustard greens, some places saying it's great and others saying it's not good over a long period of time so we're opting on the side of caution and avoiding it.)
Fruits - Rabbits can also be fed a variety of fruits. However, fruit should be limited to one to two tablespoons per 5 pounds of body weight. Sugary fruits such as bananas and grapes should be given only as occasional treats, as rabbits have a sweet tooth and will devour sugary foods to the exclusion of healthful ones.
The following fruits are high in fiber and good for rabbits:
Apples (remove seeds, they are toxic).
Blueberries
Cranberries
Grapes
Melons
Oranges
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Be sure that all fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly to remove all traces of pesticides and herbicides.
Things to avoid:
Absolutely no corn, cookies, cabbage, crackers, beans, breakfast cereals, bread, nuts, pasta, peas, popcorn, or other "human treats." There is research that suggests these items may contribute to fatal cases of enterotoxaemia, a toxic overgrowth of "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract.
While bunnies like chewing on weeds and fruit tree limbs, here are some more things to keep them away from: ;
Arrow grass
Broken Fern
Broom weed
Burdock
Buckeye
Castor Beans
Chinaberry
Fireweed
Foxglove
Golden Rod
Horehound
Jimsom weed
Johnson grass
Larkspur
Laurel
Lupine
Mesquite
Milkweed
Miners lettuce
Oleander
Poison Hemlock
Poppy
Sweet clover
Tarweed
Water hemlock