Avoid drafts, however, regardless of ventilation method. The domestic rabbit is primarily herbivorous and consumes most types of grains, greens, and hay. Diet, whether homegrown or commercially prepared, consists almost entirely of ingredients from plant sources. Although a few producers still rely on homegrown feeds, a major portion of rabbit feed is commercial, pelleted feed. Since the rabbit can utilize a certain amount of forage, it has a place in food production by making use of some noncompetitive feeds.
Rabbits habitually practice coprophagy, sometimes referred to as pseudorumination.
This refers to the production of two kinds of fecal matter, one hard and one soft, the latter consumed directly from the anus as it is excreted. This practice begins in rabbits shortly after they begin eating solid feed at about 3 to 4 weeks of age, but it is not practiced by germ-free rabbits. Fermentation in the large intestine and the practice of coprophagy probably provide the necessary amounts of most B vitamins, provide some bacterially synthesized protein, and permit further digestion of some nutrients by multiple passage through the digestive tract. The high digestibility of forage protein in rabbits may be due partially to coprophagy. Observation of rabbits indicates they prefer a pelleted diet to one in a meal form.