A Healthy Rabbit is a Hay-Eating Superstar

By Florence Hu

A proper rabbit diet consists of about 80% grass hay, 10% veggies, 5% healthy pellets and 0 to 5% healthy treats (offer fresh water at all times). 

Why so much hay? 

Unlike cats, rabbits cannot vomit, so everything must pass through their GI tract. Hay is an important part of keeping the intestinal tract moving. GI Stasis, a common malady, occurs then the GI tract slows down or stops.*  Unlimited hay and a healthy diet can prevent this from happening. 

Hay is much more than food

Here are some additional benefits of hay:

  • Hay keeps cecal flora in balance and promotes gut health.

  • Repetitive chewing promotes dental health

  • Hay provides many key nutritional components

  • Helps prevent fur blockage (especially important in Angora and long-haired breads)

  • Hay encourages natural foraging and grazing behavior

  • Promotes activity, diminishes boredom and provides a sense of security

  • Satisfies natural snacking and chewing urges.

Pile litter boxes full of fresh hay each morning. Add it to baskets in your rabbit's play pen or exercise area, or to baskets around your home. Rabbits naturally graze, eating hay, grass and other plants for long periods, mainly at dawn and dusk. 

(Studies suggest that hay offered only in a hay rack leads to lower consumption. If you use a hay rack, offer hay in other containers as well.)

Notice these red flags

If you notice your rabbits suddenly produces small poops, overly large poops, misshapen poops, soft poops or poops with a bad smell, get your animal to the vet as soon as possible. These may be signs of a GI tract condition or an underlying illness or parasite. 

*You may often hear that a rabbit has a hairball which slows down the GI tract. In fact, the GI tract was slowed before the hairball. When things are not moving through your bunny's GI tract, hair and other particles accumulate, causing pain. If not addressed quickly, this condition can lead to death within 12 hours. 

Rabbits like variety too

A diet of diverse hay encourages eating and desensitizes rabbits to small changes in smell and texture. Lower in protein and calcium, grass hays are best. Try bluegrass, marsh, timothy, orchard, marsh, rye and brome. The grass and flora "Hay Toppers" offered for sale at BUNS are a great way to add variety to your rabbit's hay. 

How to buy and store hay 

Good hay should be green and sweet smelling, never moldy. Ideally, it will not be damp, or contain a lot of dust. The greener hay is, the closer it is nutritionally to grass. Hay on the browner end of the scale will contain plenty of fiber but will have less nutrients.

Hay should be stored in a cool, dry, dark location. It is very important to make sure your hay does not get damp or wet, as this could cause mold, which is life threatening to rabbits. 

Hay needs air to circulate. Do not store hay in an airtight container; try a hay bin with loose lid, or a large cardboard box. If your hay is in a plastic bag, do not seal the bag; leave the top open. 

If you have cats, make sure they do not have access to the stored hay, as they often like to use it as a litter box.

Try these tips to encourage hay eating

If you suspect your rabbit prefers other foods to hay, try these tricks:

  • Reduce treats

  • Be sure not to over-feed pellets

  • Try adding different varieties of hay to your usual litter box mix.

  • Keep hay near your rabbit at all times

  • Incorporate hay into toys and games. Try blocking a favorite tunnel or box with hay, so your rabbit has to remove hay to get through it.

  • Try mixing dry food, vegetables, fresh grass, or herbs (dry or fresh) in to the hay so your rabbit has to dig through the hay to find food. While searching through the hay your rabbit may accidentally eat some hay and realize hay doesn't taste so bad after all. A hay topper from BUNS is great addition.