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
So your rabbit has turned their nose up at oat hay — that's actually more common than people realise, and the good news is there are solid alternatives. Before I point you in the right direction: hay needs to make up about 80% of your rabbit's diet. It's not optional — it's what keeps the gut moving and the teeth worn down correctly. Pellets are a small supplement, not the main event. You mentioned a Champagne d'Argent, which is a medium-to-large breed, so getting the hay right really matters. How old is your rabbit, are they otherwise healthy, and what are they currently eating day to day?
She's 3 years old, healthy, good weight. She gets a small amount of pellets morning and evening plus fresh veg. She was eating Timothy hay fine for ages, then I tried oat hay thinking she'd enjoy the variety, and she just completely ignored it. Wasted a whole bag. I want to go back to a grass hay but want to make sure I get a good one this time.
inparticular.ai
That's really useful — she's got a proven track record with Timothy, which tells you a lot. Oat hay is coarser and has a stronger smell; some rabbits just won't accept the switch, especially once they have a preference established. Going back to a quality Timothy hay is the right call. What I'd ask is: was the Timothy she was eating loose and green, or was it pale and dusty? The quality varies enormously between brands, and a low-quality Timothy can also start getting refused over time.
Honestly it was from a local pet shop and it did look a bit pale and stalky. She ate it but never seemed that enthusiastic. Maybe that's why I thought I'd try something different.
inparticular.ai
That explains it. Pale, stalky Timothy is usually old stock or poorly dried — lower in nutrients and less appealing. A rabbit that's lukewarm about her hay is a rabbit eating less of it than she should, which matters a lot for gut health and dental wear. The fix here is straightforward: get her onto a genuinely high-quality Timothy. I'd recommend Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it's consistently green, fragrant, and cut from first or second cuts which rabbits find much more palatable. It's well-established, widely trusted, and available in larger bags so it's cost-effective. At 3 years old with no health issues, this is exactly the hay she should be building her diet around.
Is Oxbow better than something like Small Pet Select or the Burgess Excel hay? I've seen those mentioned online.
inparticular.ai
Burgess Excel is decent and widely available — fine if Oxbow isn't accessible to you. Small Pet Select is excellent quality but harder to source consistently in the UK and can be pricey. Oxbow hits the sweet spot: reliable quality control, good availability on Amazon UK, and most rabbits respond well to it precisely because it's consistently fresh. Given that your girl has already shown she'll reject hay she doesn't like, you want something with a track record for palatability. Oxbow Western Timothy has that. Start with a medium bag so she can confirm she likes it before you commit to a larger quantity.
That makes sense. Should I do anything to transition her onto it, or just swap straight over?
inparticular.ai
Straight swap is fine for hay — unlike pellets or veg, there's no digestive adjustment needed. If anything, putting the new hay in a fresh spot in her enclosure, somewhere she likes to sit, can help spark curiosity. Some owners put a small handful near the litter tray, which is where rabbits naturally graze. Given the Oxbow is noticeably greener and more fragrant than what she's been getting, I'd expect her to investigate it pretty quickly. Keep her pellet amount where it is for now — a small daily portion appropriate for her size — and let the hay do the work.
