Rabbit Nutrition Isn't Complicated, but It Is Specific
Most people assume rabbits eat carrots and lettuce. Thanks, Bugs Bunny. In reality, a rabbit's diet looks nothing like what cartoons taught us, and getting it wrong can lead to serious health consequences faster than you'd expect. I learned this the hard way when my first rabbit developed GI stasis after I'd been overfeeding pellets and skimping on hay.
The good news? Once you understand the basics, feeding a rabbit correctly is straightforward and affordable.
The 80/15/5 Rule
Think of your rabbit's diet as a simple ratio:
- 80% hay — This is the foundation. Non-negotiable.
- 15% fresh vegetables — Daily salad of leafy greens.
- 5% pellets and treats — A small measured amount, not a heaping bowl.
That ratio surprises a lot of new owners. Walk into any pet store and you'll see huge bags of pellets marketed as complete rabbit food. But feeding unlimited pellets is like feeding a kid nothing but fortified cereal. Technically all the nutrients are there, but the format matters for digestive health.
Hay: Why It's Everything
A rabbit's digestive system is essentially a fiber-processing machine, and without a constant flow of long-strand fiber, the whole system can shut down. GI stasis — where the gut stops moving — is one of the leading killers of pet rabbits, and it's almost always linked to insufficient hay intake.
Beyond digestion, hay serves another critical purpose: dental health. Rabbit teeth grow continuously, about 2-3mm per week. The grinding motion of chewing hay wears teeth down naturally. Without it, teeth overgrow into painful spurs.
Types of Hay for Adult Rabbits
Timothy Hay is the gold standard — high in fiber, moderate protein, widely available. Orchard Grass is slightly softer and sweeter, great for picky eaters. Oat Hay has seed heads that rabbits love picking out. Meadow Hay is a natural mix of grasses with good variety. You can mix types freely. The one to limit for adults is alfalfa — too rich in calcium and calories. Save it for babies under six months or pregnant does.
How much hay? Unlimited. A pile roughly the size of your rabbit's body every day. If the hay rack is ever empty, you're not providing enough.
Fresh Vegetables: The Daily Salad
Plan on about 1 packed cup of mixed greens per 2 pounds of body weight daily.
Everyday Greens (Low Oxalate)
- Romaine lettuce (never iceberg)
- Green or red leaf lettuce
- Cilantro and basil
- Bok choy
- Watercress and endive
- Arugula
- Dill and mint
Rotation Greens (Higher Oxalate — A Few Times Per Week)
- Kale and spinach
- Swiss chard
- Parsley
- Mustard greens and beet greens
When introducing any new vegetable, start with a small amount and watch for soft stools over 24 hours. If everything looks normal, that veggie gets added to the rotation.
Pellets: Small but Useful
For adults, the standard recommendation is 1/4 cup per 5-6 pounds of body weight daily. Look for Timothy hay as the first ingredient, minimum 18% crude fiber, no added sugars or dried fruits. Those gourmet mixes with yogurt drops? Skip them entirely — rabbits cherry-pick the junk and leave the nutritious pellets.
Treats: Less Is More
Keep fruit treats to 1-2 tablespoons per day maximum. Safe fruits include strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apple (remove seeds), banana (very small pieces), pear, and melon. Dried fruit is even more concentrated in sugar and should be given in tiny amounts if at all.
Foods That Are Dangerous
Some common foods are genuinely toxic to rabbits:
- Avocado — contains persin, toxic to most small animals
- Chocolate — theobromine toxicity
- Onions, garlic, chives — can cause hemolytic anemia
- Potato — solanine in green parts
- Rhubarb — all parts toxic
Also avoid anything starchy like bread, pasta, crackers, and cereal. These ferment abnormally in the rabbit gut and can cause fatal bloating.
Water: The Forgotten Essential
Clean, fresh water available at all times. Rabbits drink significantly more from open bowls than bottles, and hydration is crucial for preventing GI stasis and bladder sludge. I use heavy ceramic crocks rinsed and refilled daily.
Baby Rabbits vs. Adults
Kits under six months get unlimited alfalfa hay and alfalfa-based pellets. Start introducing vegetables slowly around 12 weeks, one new type at a time. Transition to Timothy hay and adult pellet portions gradually between 6-12 months — don't switch cold turkey.
Reading the Poop
Your rabbit's droppings are the best diet indicator. Healthy poop is round, dry, uniform, and light to dark brown. You'll also see cecotropes — soft, dark, grape-cluster-shaped droppings that rabbits re-eat for essential nutrients. If you find lots of uneaten cecotropes, the diet may be too rich. Mushy or very small dry droppings mean something needs adjusting: reduce treats and pellets, increase hay, and see a vet if things don't normalize within a day.