This is a specific conversation about Rabbit food and hay — getting the diet right — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Having one rabbit in a bonded pair who ignores hay while the other eats it happily is more common than you'd think — and it matters, because hay should make up around 80% of a rabbit's diet. It's not a nice extra; it's what keeps their gut moving and wears down their continuously growing teeth. Without enough hay, you're looking at GI stasis and dental problems down the line. Pellets should be a small supplement, not the main event. So — are both of your Rex rabbits otherwise healthy, and what does the hay-resistant one currently eat instead?
They're both 3 years old and healthy as far as I know — last vet check was fine. The one who ignores hay just fills up on pellets. I give them both a small bowl morning and evening. I think he knows the pellets are coming so he just waits.
inparticular.ai
That's exactly it — he's learned that if he holds out, something tastier arrives. The pellets need to come down significantly: for a healthy 3-year-old rabbit, around one to two tablespoons per kilogram of body weight per day is the ceiling, not a bowl twice daily. Once pellets are reduced, hunger does a lot of the work. But the other piece is the hay itself — what type are you currently using, and how are you presenting it?
I've just been buying whatever hay is in the pet shop, usually in those small plastic bags. I put it in a hay rack on the side of the enclosure. The other one goes straight to it but he just hops past.
inparticular.ai
Bagged hay from pet shops is often dusty, dry, and low on smell — and smell is a huge part of what draws a rabbit to hay in the first place. The hay rack position also matters less than you'd think; many rabbits prefer hay on the floor near their litter tray, because they like to graze and toilet at the same time. It's not glamorous, but it works. I'd switch him to Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it's consistently fresh, fragrant, and cut well, which makes a real difference for fussy rabbits. It's widely available on Amazon UK. Reduce his pellets to the correct amount, put a loose pile of the Oxbow hay on the floor of the enclosure near the litter area, and give it about a week. Most reluctant hay eaters come around once the pellet crutch is gone and the hay actually smells like something worth investigating.
That makes sense. Should I be worried that the one who does eat hay will eat even more of it now and the other one still gets left out?
inparticular.ai
Not really — hay is one of those things you can't overfeed. The good eater having more is fine. The goal is to make sure there's always an abundant supply available to both of them at all times, not to ration it. Put out more than you think they need. The reluctant one only loses access if supply runs out, so keep the pile generous. Once he starts eating it regularly, you'll notice pellet leftovers in the bowl — which is actually the sign you're looking for that things have shifted in the right direction.
Brilliant, I'll order the Oxbow hay and cut back on the pellets this week. Do I need different hay for each of them or is one type fine for both?
inparticular.ai
One type is absolutely fine for both — Timothy hay is suitable for healthy adult rabbits of any breed. Rex rabbits have no special dietary needs that would require a different hay. Buy one good-sized bag of the Oxbow Timothy, keep it stored somewhere dry and away from direct light to preserve the smell, and both rabbits can eat from the same supply. The only time you'd consider a different hay is if a vet flagged a specific health issue — calcium concerns sometimes prompt a switch to lower-calcium grass hays, but with two healthy 3-year-olds you're not there.
