Switching a Rex rabbit to hay-first diet

Switching a pellet-heavy rabbit to a hay-first diet is one of the best things you can do for their long-term health — and at three years old, your Rex has plenty of time to benefit from it. Hay should make up around 80% of a rabbit's diet: it keeps the gut moving, prevents dangerous blockages, and the constant chewing physically wears down teeth that never stop growing. Pellets have a role, but they're a supplement — a tablespoon or two a day — not the main event. Before I point you toward anything specific, tell me: what does your Rex currently eat day-to-day, and roughly how much hay, if any, is he getting right now?

You've read correctly, and the fact that he's healthy at three is good news — it means you're not correcting a problem, you're preventing future ones. The main thing to know about the switch is that you can't just cut pellets overnight. His gut bacteria are tuned to what he's currently eating, so a sudden change can cause digestive upset. You need to reduce pellets gradually over three to four weeks while making hay available constantly — not as a treat, as the permanent backdrop to his day. Is he already eating any particular pellet brand, and does he show any interest in the hay he does get, or does he ignore it?

That's a reasonable starting point — he's not hay-averse, which makes this easier. The pellets are the bigger issue; own-brand supermarket or pet shop pellets often have higher sugar and starch content than rabbits need, which is part of why they become the preferred food. For hay, I'd move him onto Burgess Excel Timothy Hay. It's consistently high quality, dust-extracted which matters for respiratory health, and the texture and smell tend to engage rabbits who've been a bit indifferent to hay before. Timothy hay is also lower in calcium than meadow hay, which is better for adult rabbits. Get a good-sized bag, put it in a rack or hay feeder at head height — rabbits eat more hay when it's presented that way — and let it be available around the clock. Over the next month, bring his pellets down to about one tablespoon per kilogram of body weight per day. How much does he weigh roughly?

Yes, keep the veg — it's a good part of the diet. Aim for a large handful of leafy greens daily: romaine lettuce, kale, fresh herbs like parsley or basil, and the occasional dandelion leaf. Avoid iceberg lettuce and go easy on anything high in oxalates like spinach. So for a 3.5kg rabbit, you're looking at roughly one tablespoon of pellets twice a day as you transition down, a large pile of leafy greens in the evening, and unlimited Burgess Excel Timothy Hay throughout the day. Within a few weeks you'll likely see him choosing the hay more naturally as the pellets reduce — they fill up on pellets quickly, which is exactly why they ignore hay when there's too much of it around.

Watch his droppings closely — they're your best real-time gut health indicator. You want them to be round, firm, and plentiful. If they become small, misshapen, strung together with hair, or drop off significantly in number, slow the pellet reduction and check he's drinking enough. A rabbit that goes more than 12 hours without producing droppings needs a vet call — that's GI stasis territory. But done gradually, most rabbits handle this transition without issue, and within a month or so you'll have a rabbit eating the way he's supposed to. Burgess Excel Timothy Hay on Amazon UK is the easy starting point — grab the largest bag that's practical for your storage, it works out cheaper and you'll get through more than you expect.