Timothy or orchard hay for American Sable rabbits

You've got a 3-year-old American Sable and you're trying to choose between timothy and orchard hay — that's exactly the right thing to be thinking about. Before I answer that directly, here's the foundation: hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet. It's not a supplement or a side item — it's the mechanism that keeps the gut moving and wears down teeth that never stop growing. Pellets are fine in small amounts, but if hay isn't the bulk of what your rabbit eats every day, problems follow. So — is your rabbit healthy and eating well at the moment, and what does their current diet actually look like day to day?

That's useful — she's healthy, which means you're not trying to fix a problem, you're just optimising. The lack of enthusiasm for timothy is actually a common thing, especially in adult rabbits who've been on it a while. Orchard grass hay is a completely sound alternative for a healthy adult rabbit. It has a slightly softer texture and a sweeter smell, which tends to get rabbits eating more freely — and for your purposes, that's the point. Nutritionally, timothy and orchard grass are very close for a healthy adult. The fibre content does the same job. Can I ask — does she have any dental history or digestive issues, or is she genuinely straightforward?

Perfect — that makes this simple. For a healthy, medium-build 3-year-old with no dental or gut concerns, I'd switch her to Small Pet Select Orchard Grass Hay. It's high quality, cut properly so it has good length and texture, and it consistently gets rabbits eating more hay than they would with standard timothy. That matters because volume of hay consumed is the actual goal — it's not just about what's in the bag, it's about how much she'll actually eat. You can still mix in some timothy if you want variety, but make orchard grass the majority. The Small Pet Select is available on Amazon UK and comes in sizes that make sense for a single rabbit — the 1.36kg bag is a reasonable starting point to see how she takes to it.

Just swap the type — and make it unlimited. Hay should always be available, not rationed. A rabbit won't overfeed on hay the way they will on pellets. Keep her pellets to around one to two tablespoons a day maximum at her size and age — that's it. If she's eating the orchard grass well, you'll notice her pellet interest drop slightly, which is fine. That's the balance working correctly. She's in good shape and you're clearly paying attention to what she eats, so this is a straightforward upgrade rather than a fix.

Good call. Give her a few days to adjust — some rabbits take to the change immediately, others take a week to get fully enthusiastic. If she's eating it freely and you're seeing normal digestion, you're done. She sounds like a well-kept rabbit and this should be a straightforward improvement.