Switching a rabbit off muesli to hay

Switching a five-year-old rabbit off muesli is one of the best things you can do for them — but it does take patience, because rabbits who've been on muesli often resist hay at first. Quick foundation point before we get into it: hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet. It's not a side dish — it's what keeps the gut moving and grinds the teeth down naturally. Pellets are a small supplement, not the base, and muesli is genuinely problematic because rabbits pick out the sugary bits and leave the rest. So — how old is your Harlequin exactly, are they in good health right now, and what does their current daily feeding actually look like?

Good — healthy at five is a great starting point, and the fact that she's ignoring hay right now is completely normal for a muesli-fed rabbit. The muesli is essentially junk food with strong flavours, so plain hay seems boring by comparison. The fix is to make hay unavoidable rather than optional. First thing I'd do: cut the muesli portions by about a third this week. Don't go cold turkey — that causes stress and can trigger GI problems. Can I ask: where are you putting the hay at the moment? The placement genuinely matters.

The rack on the side is actually the right instinct — rabbits eat hay most readily when they have to pull it out themselves, ideally positioned so they're eating it while they'd naturally be sitting or even toileting. A lot of owners put a hay rack directly above or beside the litter tray, which sounds odd but works brilliantly. Now, for the hay itself: the single most important upgrade you can make is switching to a high-quality timothy hay if you're not already using it. I'd recommend Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it's consistently fresh, long-stemmed, and has a good natural scent that actually encourages rabbits to engage with it. It's available in a 1.13kg bag on Amazon UK, which is a good size to start with before committing to a larger quantity. The long strands matter because they're more effective at wearing teeth and more interesting to pull at than short chopped hay.

Realistically, give it two to three weeks before you judge progress — some rabbits come round in a few days, others take longer, especially at five when habits are well established. Keep reducing the muesli steadily: cut by a third the first week, halve the original amount by week two, and by week three aim to replace it entirely with a small daily portion of plain pellets — around one to two tablespoons for a medium-sized rabbit. Oxbow Essentials Adult Rabbit Pellets work well as the pellet side of this, but the hay is the priority. Make sure the Oxbow Timothy Hay is available constantly — never let it run out. Fresh greens a couple of times a week alongside this will also help keep her interested in eating overall while she adjusts.

That's exactly the right approach. One last tip: if she's resistant in the first week, try lightly mixing a tiny amount of dried herbs — dried chamomile or dried mint — into the hay. It adds scent and interest without adding sugar, and it can break the initial reluctance. Once she's eating hay freely, you won't need it. Good luck with the transition — you're genuinely doing right by her making this change at five rather than waiting.