Vitamin A
Rabbits need Vitamin A in their diet. Their guts don’t make Vitamin A like it does for Vitamins B and K. Vitamin A is essential for bone development, cell regeneration, reproductive function and a good immune system.
If rabbits don’t get enough Vitamin A in their diet, they can get very sick.
If you buy hay or foods from the pet shop shelf, it may have been sitting there for a long time and the Vitamin A from it would have disappeared. This can lead to a nutritional deficiency.
Signs of vitamin A deficiency include deformed growth, neural lesions, ataxia, paralysis, blindness/keratitis and impaired reproduction.
Rabbits need between 5,000IU/kg and 75,000IU/kg of Vitamin A in their diet a day. Levels outside this range can lead to sickness or even death.
Too much Vitamin A will cause a Vitamin E deficiency.
Vitamin B Complex
Thiamin (B1)
Rabbits synthesise thiamin in their intestine. A severely deficient rabbit can develop ataxia, paralysis, convulsions, coma and death.
Riboflavin (B2)
Works alongside Pantothenic acid (B5), makes bunnies grow normally.
Niacin (B3)
The synthesis of niacin occurs in the intestinal tract. Can cause significant growth if fed excessive amounts. When deficient, a rabbit will have a loss of appetite, then diarrhoea.
Choline (B4)
Deficiency in Choline shows as retarded growth, fatty liver, kidney tubule necrosis and muscular dystrophy.
Pantothenic acid (B5)
Works alongside Riboflavin (B2), makes bunnies grow normally.
Pyridoxine (B6)
When a rabbit is deficient in B6, it will not grow at a normal speed, there will be neurological issues and skin lesions.
Biotin (B7)
A deficiency in B7 causes hair loss and dermatitis.
Folate or Folic Acid (B9)
Not required as a supplement in a rabbits diet. Most pellets contain some folic acid, which is beneficial for calcium absorption.
Cobalamin (B12)
Common rabbit diets do not usually contain B12. Rabbits can excrete B12 from their system without it being present in their diet. Cobalt is required for the proper synthesis of B12.
Vitamin C
Rabbits don’t need a dietary source of Vitamin C. They generate their own from the foods they consume.
When rabbits have a Vitamin C deficiency, they lose weight and die.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble antioxidant that helps control infections, healing wounds and neutralises free radicals. It is needed to make collagen which is a fibrous protein found in connective tissue found in the nervous, immune, bone, cartilage and blood systems.
Vitamin D
Rabbits need sunshine. They get most of their Vitamin D requirements from the sun’s ultraviolet B rays. If they aren’t getting enough sun, they may be slow and lethargic.
If you’re feeding foods that contain Vitamin D, rabbits only need 600-1000IU/kg of Vitamin D in their diet daily. Any more than 2000IU/kg can cause serious issues.
Vitamin D deficiency in rabbits can display as circling, twitching, paralysis and seizures.
Low Vitamin D interferes with bone calcification.
Vitamin D toxicity causes high blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, which calcifies soft body tissues.
Vitamin E
According to studies, it is good to give bunnies about 40mg/kg of Vitamin E a day to maintain a healthy diet.
Vitamin E maintains healthy muscle and nerve function. It is an antioxidant that supports the immune system.
Vitamin E deficiency can cause liver lesions and infections. Muscular dystrophy is recognised as being caused by Vitamin E deficiency, where signs of the syndrome include degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscles, paralysis and fatty liver.
Hay has Vitamin E in it, but the older the hay is the less Vitamin E there is in it. It can lose between 54-73% of Vitamin E within 3 months. A hay-only diet must be supplemented with Vitamin E.
Fresh grass is a great source of Vitamin E, but it won’t give the daily required amount and must be supplemented by dry food that contains Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Rabbits naturally produce Vitamin K in their digestive flora. It is known to help with the clotting of blood.
Vitamin K is a water soluble vitamin and is found in green leafy vegetables.
A Vitamin K deficiency leads to internal hemorrhages and increased blood clotting time. It also impairs bone mineralisation because of the low levels of osteocalcin. It also changes the microbial bacteria of the gut, where the intestine cannot absorb nutrients, and the liver won’t be able to utilise any available Vitamin K.
Vitamin K comes in three forms:
- Vitamin K1, known as phytonadione or phylloquinone, is the naturally occurring vitamin that is found in plants.
- Vitamin K2, known as menaquinone, is naturally occurring as a fat that is synthesised by the gut.
- Vitamin K3, known as menadione, is a synthetic, water-soluble version of K that is changed into K2 in the intestine.
Rabbits don’t need a dietary source of Vitamin K because their gut automatically makes it in the rumen.