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What Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Reptiles and Birds Actually Eat

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Around 80 percent of what a pet rabbit eats should be hay. That single number shows how far the diets of small mammals, reptiles and birds can drift from what the pet store shelf suggests. Each group below has a short daily menu and the feeding mistake vets see most often in that species. Amounts are general guidelines for healthy adults; young, pregnant, elderly or ill animals need individual advice.

Rabbits

  • Unlimited grass hay, such as timothy, orchard grass or meadow hay, roughly a pile the size of the rabbit each day
  • Fresh leafy greens, about one packed cup per two pounds of body weight, such as romaine, cilantro, parsley, dandelion greens and bok choy
  • A small measure of plain, high-fiber timothy pellets, often around a quarter cup per five pounds of body weight
  • Fruit or carrot only as a treat, a tablespoon or two
  • Fresh water in a heavy bowl, which most rabbits drink from more readily than a bottle

The most common mistake is feeding a muesli-style mix, the colorful bags of flakes, seeds, dried corn and pellets. Rabbits pick out the sweet, starchy pieces and leave the rest, so they get too little fiber and too much sugar. A 2015 study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that rabbits fed muesli ate less hay and showed more dental problems than those on hay-based diets. Rabbit teeth grow throughout life and are worn down by long periods of chewing tough, fibrous hay; without it, the cheek teeth develop sharp points and overgrown roots. Low fiber also slows the gut. A rabbit that has stopped eating or passing droppings for 12 hours needs to see a vet the same day.

Guinea pigs

  • Unlimited grass hay, as with rabbits
  • Guinea pig pellets fortified with vitamin C, about an eighth of a cup per adult
  • Roughly one cup of fresh vegetables, including a vitamin C source such as bell pepper, with smaller amounts of kale, parsley or broccoli
  • Fresh water, changed daily

Guinea pigs, like people, cannot make their own vitamin C, and a shortfall leads to scurvy within a few weeks. Signs include a rough coat, reluctance to move, swollen joints, bleeding gums and weight loss. The usual error is assuming the bag of pellets covers it. Vitamin C breaks down with time, heat and light, so pellets lose much of it a few months after they are made; check the milling or best-by date and store the bag sealed in a cool place. Vitamin C drops added to drinking water are unreliable as well, since the vitamin degrades quickly in water and the taste can make some animals drink less. Daily bell pepper is the simple fix. Do not substitute rabbit pellets, which are not formulated with extra vitamin C.

Bearded dragons and leopard geckos

  • Bearded dragons: young animals eat mostly insects, while adults should eat mostly plants, roughly three parts greens to one part insects
  • Greens for dragons: collard, mustard and turnip greens, dandelion greens, squash and a little bell pepper
  • Leopard geckos: insects only, with no plant matter, fed every day as juveniles and every two or three days as adults
  • Insects for both: crickets, dubia roaches and black soldier fly larvae, gut-loaded with fresh vegetables for a day before feeding, and no wider than the space between the animal's eyes
  • A shallow water dish

The mistake that does the most damage in both species is getting calcium wrong. Insects are low in calcium, so they need to be dusted with a calcium powder most feedings, and calcium with vitamin D3 a couple of times a week, plus a reptile multivitamin about weekly; the exact schedule depends on lighting, so follow your vet's plan. Bearded dragons also need a UVB tube across a large part of the enclosure to make their own D3, and the bulb loses output long before it stops glowing, so most makers advise replacing it every six to twelve months. Glass and plastic block UVB, and a mesh screen cuts it. Leopard geckos were long kept without UVB on D3 supplements alone, though many reptile vets now recommend low-level UVB for them too. When calcium, D3 or UVB falls short, the result is metabolic bone disease: a soft or swollen jaw, tremors, bowed or swollen legs and bones that fracture easily.

Pet birds such as budgies and parrots

  • A good-quality pelleted diet sized for the species, often around two-thirds to three-quarters of the daily food
  • Fresh vegetables daily, such as dark leafy greens, bell pepper, carrot, squash and broccoli
  • A small amount of fruit, and seeds or nuts as treats and training rewards
  • Clean water changed daily, and never avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion or salty snacks

A seed-only diet is the classic mistake, and it is especially common with budgies and cockatiels. Seed mixes are high in fat and short on vitamin A and calcium, which leads over time to obesity, fatty liver disease and respiratory and skin problems. Switching is not as simple as swapping the bowl, because many birds do not recognize pellets as food and will go hungry rather than try them. Mix pellets in gradually over several weeks, weigh the bird every few days on a kitchen scale that reads in grams, and call a vet if the weight drops noticeably.

Finding a vet who treats these species

Many general practices see only a few exotic patients a year. The Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) both run online directories of member vets, and the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians covers rabbits and guinea pigs. Book a wellness visit soon after you bring the animal home, and bring the food packaging and a photo of the enclosure, including the date you installed any UVB bulb.