How much hay should rabbits be eating?

Hi all,

We adopted our rabbit Nibbles almost a month ago from a shelter. He's just over 2 months now, is 3 lbs, and we have been supplying him with unlimited alfalfa hay as I've read is good for young bunnies. From what I've read about other rabbits, it sounds like most tend to eat a lot of hay each day. Our rabbit hardly eats any! Last night I filled his hay ball, similar to this:



Today, nearly 24 hours later, the hay looks nearly untouched! I'm buying the Oxbow hay, which I've read is good quality, but we've also tried the Kaytee hay and he hasn't eaten much of that either, so it doesn't seem to be a taste issue. I thought maybe he disliked the ball, so I stuffed some hay into a toilet paper roll and he didn't do much with that either.

I'm worried he's not getting the nutrients he needs since he's not eating much of the hay. He does eat a ton of pellets each day (which we also supply unlimited amounts of since he's still a baby). Should we ration the pellets a bit to encourage him to eat more hay? Or is this eating habit more normal than I'm thinking it is?

Here's what the vet told me:

Size of body=hay for a day
Size of head=pellets
Size of ears=treats


I think as time goes on they pick up on eating hay. I really wouldn't worry too much. How are his droppings? weird looking at all? You might try scattering some loose hay on the floor. Also, the vet recommended oxbow to me as well (so you're definitly on the right track with that! ) but said to try several hays to make them more interested. Mine really like Oxbow's orchard grass hay as well as timothy. One of my buns really liked the Alfalfa as a baby, but the rest have been happy with timothy. Its likely, being a young bunny, that since he has unlimited pellets, there's not such a reason to go to the hay. No, I wouldn't ration the pellets. Young bunnies should be allowed unlimited hay as they grow soo much. Right now is the biggest growth he'll go through.

Bunnylova4eva said:

Here's what the vet told me:

Size of body=hay for a day
Size of head=pellets
Size of ears=treats


I think as time goes on they pick up on eating hay. I really wouldn't worry too much. How are his droppings? weird looking at all? You might try scattering some loose hay on the floor. Also, the vet recommended oxbow to me as well (so you're definitly on the right track with that! ) but said to try several hays to make them more interested. Mine really like Oxbow's orchard grass hay as well as timothy. One of my buns really liked the Alfalfa as a baby, but the rest have been happy with timothy. Its likely, being a young bunny, that since he has unlimited pellets, there's not such a reason to go to the hay. No, I wouldn't ration the pellets. Young bunnies should be allowed unlimited hay as they grow soo much. Right now is the biggest growth he'll go through.

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What about Vegetables? I've been told to feed 2 cups a day but that seems like a bit too much to me, the rabbits I am about to adopt are 3 months old so they should just be getting introduced to vegetables. What about your rabbits? How much vegetables do they eat in a day, or a week?

Mine prefers tearing up cardbord to eating hay.... occasionally she will eat some, but much less than her body size in a day.

mdith4him said:

I'm worried he's not getting the nutrients he needs since he's not eating much of the hay. He does eat a ton of pellets each day (which we also supply unlimited amounts of since he's still a baby). Should we ration the pellets a bit to encourage him to eat more hay? Or is this eating habit more normal than I'm thinking it is?

Click to expand...

Young rabbits are supposed to have unlimited pellets unless they aren't eating enough hay. Hay is very important for them to eat -- and eat lots of it.

I agree that you should begin to cut back on some of his pellets to encourage him to eat more hay. Also, do not put hay in balls or TP tubes. That makes it too much work for bunny to eat the hay. The hay should be readily and easily available. The balls and TP tubes are merely for entertainment but should not be the primary way to feed hay. Put generous amounts of hay directly in bunny's litter box. And add fresh hay 2 or 3 times per day. This will encourage hay-eating.

You can also mix in some other hay as well. Timothy hay can be mixed with the alfalfa. Since his pellets are likely alfalfa-based anyway, having grass hay is just fine.

[If your rabbit is still under 12 weeks of age, then greens can wait until then to be introduced slowly.]

Binkis Mum said:

Mine prefers tearing up cardbord to eating hay.... occasionally she will eat some, but much less than her body size in a day.

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If she's eating much less than her body size, then perhaps she is instead eating too much of something else. The grand bulk of her diet should be hay. What age is your rabbit?

Here's a visual for adult rabbits (over 6-7 months of age).

The main reason they need to eat hay is to keep their teeth ground down. Apparently they don’t chew pellets in the same manner, moving their jaws up and down instead of side to side. Does anyone know if fiberous greens like kale and broccoli awill also wear their teeth correctly? One of mine has had to get his teeth filed due to molar spurs and I want to do all I can to prevent more issues.

The hay (or grass) also has silica in it which is coarse and also - along with that figure 8 motion - helps to grind the teeth. I don't believe kale or broccoli contains silica like that.

Thanks Blue Eyes. I read online that fresh has actually has more silica than dried. Isn't that interesting? The person posting had just been to a rabbit dental presentation by a veterinarian who indicated that fibrous veggies have the same effect on the teeth as hay. Obviously they still need to eat alot of hay to keep their GI tracts working correctly but I found that quite interesting.

View media item 9587I have more experience with cavies than rabbits, but I have always been afraid of Brassicaceae causing gas and bloating. In a cavy it would be a no no, and they can live on fresh vegetables and greens as long as they chew enough to keep teeth ground down. I had a pet rabbit running around my sow pen and treated just like a cavy and she lived healthy that way for years. When I got Reva, our show bunny, and did serious research, I was surprised at how fussy and conservative feed recommendations are for juvenile rabbits. Now I have my buck and doe and boar that all live separate cages near each other with supervised visitation. The cavy likes the hay, any hay, the most, but I have raised hundreds of cavies and I think that, like people, much is individual preference. In the summer all of mine graze on the lawn in large playpens.View media item 9565 It seems to cause some weight gain but great condition. For my two Hollands and one current cavy I have Timothy, Oxbow orchard grass and alfalfa on hand. Because Bambi Buck is just turning 6 months, Reva was maturing then showing now breeding and Truffles the cavy showing it is a bit like an intuitive art form or alchemy. You learn to keep things like nutrition, teeth, happiness and love and probiotics on one hand and weight, excercise, growth and breeding on the other and constantly tweek for each animal. Because I have had cavies die from overgrown teeth in the past (usually if they get a respiratory and stop eating, then get cured of the virus but in the meantime the teeth have gotten long but I did not realize that the reason they are not eating changed. Then I would cut the front teeth but by then the back teeth have overgrown. I assume rabbits are similar but, again, I have not raised as many. ) I put a great deal of emphasis on teeth. My rabbits love those fake logs and the bowls made of compressed timothy hay, and the timothy apple treats, but oddly enough not the hay cubes. Truffles the cavy sits under his fake log house but doesn't chew it but does eat hay cubes. But cavies like to keep their heads covered because they are quite concerned about owls. Do I have a point? (Trying to remember...) Oh yes, I think one needs to have a good idea of both the ideal and scope as well as how much individual experience, needs and preferences influence how close one can get to that ideal. In my experience gender also makes a big difference.

try putting hay in the litter box or right next to it. Lots of buns will chew while they - er, 'think' in the bathroom.