Feeding Rabbits in the UK: Hay, Greens, Nuggets and What to Avoid

If you take one thing from this guide, take this: a rabbit's diet is mostly hay, and almost everything that goes wrong with pet rabbits comes back to not enough of it. The bright bags of colourful mix on the pet-shop shelf, the bowl of nuggets topped up every morning, the daily carrot; all of it feels like feeding a rabbit well, and all of it quietly works against the two things a rabbit's body actually needs. Feed hay first and generously, keep the rest small and simple, and you sidestep the dental disease and gut problems that fill rabbit-vet appointments.

This guide is about feeding pet and smallholding rabbits in the UK. If you are just starting out, read it alongside our beginner's guide to keeping rabbits in the UK, and if you are still choosing, our roundup of the best rabbit breeds for the UK will help you match a rabbit to your setup.

Hay and grass: around 85 to 90 per cent of the diet

Hay is not a bedding material that rabbits happen to nibble. It is the food. UK welfare guidance is strikingly consistent on this: the PDSA puts hay and grass at around 85 per cent of the diet, the RSPCA at 85 per cent, and the Rabbit Welfare Association at roughly 80 per cent, so somewhere around 85 to 90 per cent is the target, and it should be available around the clock, never rationed.

The rule of thumb keepers actually use is simple. Your rabbit should eat a bundle of hay at least as big as its own body every single day. If that sounds like a lot, that is the point. A rabbit grazing properly spends much of its waking day chewing, exactly as a wild rabbit does on grass.

There are two reasons this matters so much, and both are matters of survival rather than preference.

It is worth knowing the difference between feeding hay and bedding hay. Feeding hay is fresher, greener and sweeter-smelling, with more nutrients, and it is what your rabbit should be eating. Bedding hay is drier and coarser; fine to sleep on, and no disaster if the odd mouthful goes down, but not the main supply. Good feeding hay should smell sweet and be dust-free. Growing grass is excellent too, and letting a rabbit graze a safe patch encourages both eating and exercise, though new grass should be introduced slowly to avoid an upset tummy.

Leafy greens and forage: a handful, twice a day

After hay, the next layer of the diet is fresh leafy greens, herbs and safe plants. Aim for an adult-sized handful twice a day, and try to offer variety, ideally five or six different types across the day, so your rabbit gets a good spread of vitamins and minerals. Wash everything first, even home-grown or foraged plants, and always introduce anything new slowly and in small amounts.

Good, widely-recommended greens and herbs for UK rabbits include:

• Leafy greens: kale, spring greens, cabbage (dark green types, in moderation), broccoli and cauliflower leaves, watercress, rocket, chard, and romaine or other dark lettuce (never iceberg).
• Herbs: basil, coriander, dill, mint, parsley and thyme.
• Veg and stalks: celery and its leaves, courgette, fennel, and bell peppers.
• Safe forage: dandelion leaves (small amounts, they are a mild diuretic), bramble and raspberry leaves, chickweed, and apple or pear twigs and leaves for gnawing.

Introduce each new green gradually. A rabbit's gut is a finely balanced thing, and a sudden pile of unfamiliar veg is a classic trigger for the digestive upsets covered below. If in doubt about a plant, leave it out: never feed anything you cannot confidently identify, and steer clear of anything that may have met pesticide or fertiliser.

Nuggets: small, measured, and never topped up

Pellets, usually sold now as uniform nuggets, are the smallest part of the diet and the one most people overdo. A rabbit does not need a bowl of them. A small measured amount, roughly an eggcup or about a level tablespoon per rabbit per day, is enough for an average adult, given as one or two feeds. Rabbits over about 3.5kg can have that tablespoon twice daily.

Nuggets are very concentrated, which is exactly why the portion is so small. The danger is the always-full bowl: given free access, a rabbit fills up on nuggets, eats less hay, and slides towards overgrown teeth, an unbalanced gut and a widening waistline. So measure the day's ration, do not free-pour it, and resist topping up an empty bowl before the next day. Scattering the nuggets in the hay or around the enclosure, rather than serving them in a dish, makes your rabbit forage for them and slows the eating down.

Water: always, and always fresh

Fresh clean water must be available at all times, changed daily. Many rabbits actually prefer drinking from a heavy ceramic bowl rather than a drip-feed bottle, and a bowl is easier and more natural to drink from, so offering one is worthwhile. If you use a bottle, check the spout every day to make sure it has not blocked. In winter, check more than once a day, because bottles and bowls freeze and a rabbit without water becomes ill quickly. In summer, watch for algae greening the water or container.

Getting the balance right

Put the four parts together and the picture is easy to hold in your head.

Feed this, in this order	Go easy or avoid
Hay and grass, unlimited, around 85-90% of the diet	Muesli-style mixes (selective feeding, dental and gut disease)
A handful of safe leafy greens and herbs, twice daily	Carrot and root veg (sugary, a treat not a staple)
A small measured eggcup of good nuggets per rabbit per day	Fruit such as apple or banana (occasional small treats only)
Constant fresh water, changed daily	Shop-bought sugary treats, bread, cereal and grains
Apple or willow twigs to gnaw	Lawnmower clippings, and anything you cannot identify

Switching a diet safely

Because a rabbit's gut is so easily upset, any change to what it eats should be made slowly, over roughly two to four weeks, whether you are moving off muesli, changing nugget brand or introducing new greens.

How to change a rabbit's diet without an upset

1. 1

   Start by mixing a small amount of the new food into the current food.

2. 2

   Each day, increase the new food a little and reduce the old food a little.

3. 3

   Watch the droppings closely: they should stay firm, round and regular.

4. 4

   Introduce new fresh greens one at a time, in small amounts, so you can spot anything that disagrees.

5. 5

   If droppings soften, or your rabbit eats less or seems off, slow right down or pause, and see a vet if it does not settle.

6. 6

   Aim to complete the full switch over two to four weeks, never in a single day.

Baby rabbits versus adults

Young rabbits have different needs from grown ones. Under about six months old, and while pregnant or nursing, a rabbit is growing fast and can have a richer diet: alfalfa hay, which is higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, along with a more generous ration of a junior nugget. Around the six-month mark you should transition, gradually as always, off alfalfa and onto grass hay such as timothy or meadow hay, and settle into the small adult nugget portion. Adult rabbits should not be kept on alfalfa, because the extra calcium and calories they no longer need can contribute to bladder problems and weight gain. Introduce fresh greens carefully to youngsters, in small amounts, as their guts are especially sensitive.

The gut, and why droppings matter

Two quirks of rabbit digestion are worth understanding, because they explain a lot of the advice above.

The first is that rabbits eat some of their own droppings, and this is entirely normal and necessary. A rabbit produces two kinds of dropping: firm, round, dry pellets, and soft, dark, sticky clusters called caecotrophs. It eats the caecotrophs straight from itself, usually out of sight, to re-absorb nutrients and keep its gut flora healthy. You will rarely see them. If you start finding uneaten sticky caecotrophs around the hutch, that often signals too rich a diet or a health problem, and it is worth a vet's opinion.

The second is the one that makes diet mistakes so dangerous.

The short version

Feed hay and grass as around 85 to 90 per cent of the diet and keep it available all the time; a rabbit should get through a bundle as big as itself each day. Add an adult handful of varied, washed leafy greens twice daily, introduced gradually. Give only a small measured eggcup of good nuggets per rabbit per day, and never top up the bowl or feed muesli. Keep fresh water available at all times. Treat carrot and fruit as occasional treats, not staples, and keep well clear of lawnmower clippings and toxic foods. Above all, protect the gut: change diets slowly, watch the droppings, and if your rabbit ever stops eating or pooing, treat it as the emergency it is. For where your rabbit lives and how that affects its grazing and hay, see our guide to rabbit housing and hutches in the UK.