We all want the best for our furry friends, and that starts with their diet! While it’s easy for us to decide between an apple and a chocolate bar, making the right food choices for rabbits can feel overwhelming. Pet store shelves are packed with options, but not all of them are healthy—some are even dangerous.
Let’s break it down so you can be feeding your rabbits the nutritious diet they need to thrive.
Understanding Rabbit Nutrition
Obesity is a common problem for pet rabbits and carries risks similar to those in humans, such as strain on the heart and joints. Unfortunately, many foods marketed for rabbits are high in sugar and calories. While we might consider carrots a healthy snack, for rabbits, they’re the equivalent of a candy bar—a rare treat, not a staple.
Did you know that a slice of carrot the size of a 2p coin once a week is plenty for your bunny? The same goes for other sugary treats like bananas, strawberries, and apples. Overindulging can lead to health issues like obesity, flystrike, and even difficulties eating their cecotropes (nutrient-packed droppings they re-ingest).
Keeping your rabbits at a healthy weight, where you can feel but not see their spine, is crucial for their overall well-being. A proper diet will help you avoid frequent vet visits and keep your rabbits happy and healthy.
The Cornerstone of a Healthy Diet: Hay, Hay, and More Hay!
Hay should make up 80-90% of your rabbit’s diet. Not just any hay will do, though! Long-stranded hay is essential for both gut and dental health. Rabbits should eat an amount roughly equivalent to their own body size in hay every day.
Why is Hay so Important?
Hay keeps teeth in check. Rabbits’ teeth grow constantly, and chewing fibrous hay helps wear them down naturally. Without enough hay, molar spurs can form, causing painful ulcers. Sadly, we see many rabbits arriving at our rescue with dental problems that could have been prevented with a hay-based diet.
Hay also provides the fibre rabbits need for a healthy digestive system. Without it, rabbits risk gastrointestinal (GI) stasis—a potentially life-threatening condition where the digestive system shuts down. While stasis can be triggered by many issues, a diet rich in hay helps reduce the risk.
So what exactly is stasis and why is it so dangerous?
Stasis occurs when a rabbit begins to refuse some foods or stops eating altogether. Rabbits’ digestive systems rely on constant movement of food, and when that stops, their system shuts down. Once shut down, it cannot restart, and without intervention, the rabbit will not survive.
That’s why stasis is considered an emergency. There is only a small window to "fire up" their digestive system again and get it moving. A healthy diet won’t guarantee protection against stasis, but it significantly reduces the risks and the severity of episodes.
Choosing The Right Hay
Not all hay is created equal. While all hay provides beneficial dietary fibre, not all hay contributes to good dental health. This is important because the length and texture of the hay play critical roles in maintaining dental health.
Coarser, stalkier strands create more wear and tear on the molar surfaces, helping to wear down tooth growth and prevent spurs from forming. Longer strands, while not directly impacting gut health, take more time to chew compared to shorter strands. This prolonged chewing action is vital for preventing dental issues and maintaining optimal oral health.
Selecting a coarse, stalky, long-stranded hay is the best choice for dental health. For this reason, it’s best to avoid the commonly available bagged hay found in pet shops, which is often lower quality, softer, and made up of shorter strands. Instead, consider sourcing hay from reputable suppliers or local farms to ensure your rabbits are getting the best nutrition and dental benefits.
We recommend:
A rabbit eating sufficient hay will produce large, crumbly poops that vary between dark and golden brown in color. Small, hard, dark poops are a clear sign your rabbit isn’t eating enough hay.
Although we tend to think of poop as pretty gross, it's actually one of the best indicators of overall health in our rabbits. It can tell us a lot about their gut health and how they are feeling in general. As a prey species, rabbits hide illness and injury incredibly well. They can hop about acting normally, but actually, they are suffering from pain or feeling very poorly, and we, as owners, have no idea. So don't just bin those poops! Have a look at their quantity, size, quality, and consistency before you throw them out.
A good poop from a healthy rabbit should be large, golden to dark brown in colour, dry and easy to crumble, and have a nice ball shape. When you crumble a poop, you should be able to visibly see sawdust-like strands of indigestible hay fibres. There should also be plenty of them. Any changes from the above indicate problems. If size and quantity drop, this indicates that the gut has slowed down and the rabbit is going into stasis. This is the point when you make a vet appointment, and this is classed as an emergency! Quick and prompt treatment at this stage can and does make all the difference to a quick and successful recovery.
Rabbits actually produce two different types of droppings. There's the dry ball-like pellets we see in litter trays and a second mucus-covered dropping we should never be aware of. We should never know about these poops because rabbits actually eat them directly from the anus. Known as cecotropes, these droppings are packed with nutrients and beneficial bacteria. When we haven't got our rabbits' diet correct, it's common to see an overproduction of cecotropes.
How To Feed Hay
We’ve discovered that the way hay is offered can make a huge difference to your rabbit’s health. Instead of using hay racks, try placing fresh piles of hay directly on the floor. Since we made this switch in 2022, the results have been amazing: rabbits eat significantly more hay, and their poops are noticeably healthier. It’s such a simple change with big benefits!
It’s best to avoid providing other food items in the morning to encourage them to fill up on hay first. Each morning, offer your rabbits 2-4 fresh hay piles. You’ll likely find that they immediately start munching—it’s their breakfast, after all! Let them graze throughout the day as they would naturally. For a bit of extra excitement, sprinkle a small amount of dried forage (about 1-2 tablespoons per rabbit) over the hay.
Not only does this make their meal more enticing, but it also encourages natural foraging behaviour.
The Remaining 10-20% of a Healthy Diet
If your rabbit isn’t eating enough hay, it might be time to take a closer look at their diet. Sometimes, simplifying things can help. Start by stripping back to a diet that’s 90% hay, with just 5% pellets and 5% fresh foods. For rabbits that already enjoy their hay, you can aim for a slightly more varied mix—around 80-85% hay, 5% pellets, and 10-15% fresh foods and treats.
Pellets
Now, let’s talk about pellets. They’re a handy way to make sure your rabbits get their essential nutrients, but not all pellets are created equal. Look for high-fibre, hay/grassed-based options like Supreme Science Selective or Burgess Excel Light.
Muesli mixes might look tempting, but they encourage selective feeding and don’t offer enough fibre to keep your bunnies healthy. And remember, your rabbit doesn’t need a lot! A tablespoon of pellets per day for every 2kg of body weight is just right.
We don’t agree with a pellet-free diet for rabbits, and here’s why: in the wild, rabbits would nibble on a huge variety of plants, grasses, and herbs, consuming a diverse range of nutrients every day. It’s practically impossible to replicate this variety in captivity, no matter how much effort we put into sourcing fresh foods. This is where pellets come in—even just 5-10 pellets a day can provide essential vitamins and minerals that your rabbit needs to stay healthy.
Think of pellets as a nutritional safety net. They’re not meant to replace hay or fresh foods but to fill in any gaps in your rabbit’s diet. It’s a small addition with a big impact, ensuring that your bunnies get everything they need without the guesswork. So, while we absolutely encourage offering fresh forage, a few pellets each day can make all the difference for their long-term health.
Fresh Foods
By far the best fresh foods we can offer are the plants/weeds rabbits would naturally eat in the wild. We are very lucky here at Nibbles to have forage available on our doorstep and we even grow some plants specially for the buns. We currently have raspberries (for the leaves not the fruits), hazel, willow, apple trees (for the leaves and branches), yarrow, dead nettle, bittercress, dandelions (leaves and flowers), cleavers, ribbon wart, bramble, rose, and hand picked grass. Not only is this a 'free' snack for the buns, but it's also really healthy.
Foraging can be pretty daunting when you first start out. Identifying safe plants can be tricky and it's easy to feel pretty lost and confused. But there's a great group on FB which can help you identify safe plants. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1652220135072671
It's important to choose where you forage very carefully. Many weeds and even fruit trees can be treated with pesticides, if you cannot be 100% sure they haven't been treated don't offer them to your buns.
How about creating a little section of your garden to grow suitable plants? If you don't have a garden, grow some plants in trays on the window sill.
Let's talk veg, buns really enjoy fresh foods and for many the easiest way to source fresh foods is at the supermarket. So what should you be choosing for the buns during your weekly shop?
The best thing by far is fresh herbs, parsley, basil, coriander, dill and mint make really healthy additions to a daily portion of fresh food. Rocket and romaine lettuce are also a good choice.
Veg like kale, spring greens, broccoli, sprouts, sweetheart cabbage and savoy cabbage are all very gassy foods. Some buns don't find this a problem, but for others it can lead to gas building up in their digestive system and lead to stasis. These items should never be fed in large quantities and should be completely excluded for sensitive buns.
Carrots and fruits such as apple, strawberries and banana should be considered as an occasional treat and not part of their daily diet. These foods are incredibly high in naturally occurring sugars and the equivalent of human junk food.
Fresh vegetables are a great supplement to your rabbits' diet, but they’re not a substitute for fresh grass and forage. Rather than using vegetables as a direct replacement, offer them in small quantities as an additional treat. If fresh grass and forage aren’t available, don’t worry—your rabbits can still thrive with a modest amount of supermarket greens.
Treats and Extras
We all love to treat our pets, but it's important that we keep treats healthy. Thankfully, there are a lot of options now available to give our buns something special and not compromise their overall health. It is also important to remember that the definition of a treat is an event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure. If we provide our rabbits with a treat everyday, it is no longer a treat and becomes part of their daily diet.
Dried forage and flowers is a lovely addition, which can be sprinkled on hay, to encourage natural foraging behaviours. From dried plantain, nettles, dandelion, meadow mixes and flower mixes, there is plenty of choice to keep it interesting for our buns.
Science Selective now produces a wonderful selection of dried treats, and fenugreek crunchies still remain the most popular treat amongst our buns at the rescue. We hide these small treats in children's stacking cups, to help increase enrichment.
Many will think of willow balls as a toy rather than a treat, however, many buns will actually eat the willow. They do make a lovely treat and all our buns adore them.
Feed with Caution
Freeze-dried grass is another option to treat our rabbits. It is important to remember that this isn't a substitute for hay and should only be fed as an occasional treat.. Some rabbits, especially lops, can find this too rich and it will lead to an overproduction of cecotropes. If this is the case, it's best to avoid these grasses altogether. Rabbits should only be given a small handful once or twice a month.
Hay cookies are very popular here at the rescue, and the rabbits quickly devour them. Although they contain plenty of dietary fibre, they don't contribute towards good dental health. Pigging out on hay cookies leaves no room for their long-stranded hay piles! These should be offered as a rare special treat so we don't compromise good dental health.
So what items should we be avoiding and why?
Why Avoid Muesli Diets and Certain Rabbit Treats?
Muesli diets, often sold as commercial feeds, are made up of mixed grains, colourful biscuits, and sometimes dried fruits coated in molasses. While they may look appealing, they pose several risks to your rabbit's health.
The Problems with Muesli Diets
Selective Feeding: Rabbits tend to pick out their favorite bits from the mix, leaving behind less appealing but essential nutrients. This selective feeding leads to an unbalanced diet that fails to meet their nutritional requirements.
High Sugar, Low Fiber: Muesli diets are often loaded with sugar and contain little dietary fiber—both of which are crucial for a rabbit's health. Over time, this imbalance can have severe consequences:
Zizi, who was fed muesli for 5 years, developed diabetes.
Tim, given large amounts of fruity muesli, now has ongoing diabetic issues.
We've seen countless rabbits arrive overweight, with poor gut health, mucky bottoms, and no dental health benefits from these diets. Worse yet, rabbits on sugar-rich muesli often neglect essential hay altogether.
Treats to Avoid
Many commercially marketed rabbit treats can also be harmful.
Dried Maize: Found in almost every pet shop, dried maize is indigestible for rabbits—much like sweetcorn is for humans. Not only is it nutritionally useless, but it can also cause dangerous gut blockages.
High-Sugar, Dairy, and Grain-Based Treats: Many treats contain:
Excess sugar
Dairy products or honey
Whole grains and seeds
These ingredients are unsuitable for rabbits and can lead to obesity, digestive problems, and other health issues. Treat sticks designed to hang on cage mesh are particularly problematic, as they are often packed with unhealthy ingredients.
Water
We recommend providing water in a bowl rather than a bottle. Bowls are easier for rabbits to drink from and much simpler to clean. Research shows that rabbits tend to drink more when offered water in a bowl, leading to better hydration. A heavy ceramic bowl is ideal, as it reduces the chance of tipping. We made the switch from bottles to bowls many years ago and would never consider going back.
Summary
Making sudden changes to your rabbits' diet, aside from increasing hay, can lead to digestive upset or stasis. When introducing new foods or switching brands of commercial feeds, it’s crucial to do so gradually over several days to avoid any issues.
This blog does not provide an exhaustive list of suitable fresh forage, supermarket vegetables, or treats but instead highlights commonly available options. For more detailed and reliable information on rabbit care and welfare, I highly recommend visiting The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund at https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk. Their website is an excellent resource packed with up-to-date guidance.
This blog was updated in January 2024 to reflect the latest recommendations based on peer-reviewed research, ensuring your rabbits’ health and welfare are optimised. There is always more to learn about keeping our furry family members happy, healthy, and living their best lives!
If this article has been helpful, please consider supporting our work at Nibbles with a donation. As West Wales' only specialist rabbit and rodent rescue, we rely entirely on the kindness and generosity of people like you to keep our centre running. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us provide care, shelter, and second chances to rabbits and rodents in need. Together, we can continue making a difference—one life at a time.
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This is superb information, it is a shame that garden shops that sell rabbits and small mammals don’t offer the same info. l recently purchased 10 booklets from the RWAF called “on the hop”, with the hope that pets at home would take them for any would be rabbit owners, but to my dismay there was to much red tape to trawl through. I could send them to you the booklets are an excellent guide to bunnies needs. Also the RWAF do forage guide booklets that are illustrate. Well done all of you for your dedication and compassion