Switching a rabbit to hay-based diet

Sounds like you're already ahead of most rabbit owners — recognising that a vegetable-heavy diet needs correcting is the first step. Hay should make up around 80% of a rabbit's diet: it keeps the gut moving, prevents dangerous blockages, and wears the teeth down naturally in a way that nothing else does. Pellets are a small supplement, not a staple. To point you toward the right hay and transition approach for your rabbit, a few quick questions: how old is your rabbit, are there any current health issues — weight, teeth, digestion — and what does a typical day of feeding look like right now?

That's a pretty typical setup that's tipped the wrong way — the veg has become the main event and the hay is an afterthought. At 6 she's not elderly but she's mature, and her gut bacteria will have adapted to that high-sugar, high-starch intake. The good news is her teeth sound fine, which means there's no damage to undo yet. The key now is making hay unavoidable rather than optional. Before I get specific: is she eating the pellets enthusiastically, and roughly how much veg are you putting down per day — a large cereal bowl's worth, or more?

Right, so the pellets and veg are filling her up before she gets to the hay — that's the whole problem. At 2.5kg she should be getting no more than a tablespoon of pellets a day and a small handful of leafy greens, with unlimited good-quality hay always available. The switch needs to be gradual over three to four weeks: cut the veg by roughly a quarter each week and reduce pellets at the same rate, while making sure fresh hay is replenished twice a day so it stays appealing. For the hay itself, I'd go with Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. It's the benchmark for adult rabbits — the right fibre length, low calcium, consistent quality, and most rabbits find the smell attractive enough to actually start eating it properly. Buy it in the larger bags so you're replacing it frequently and it stays fresh. That freshness is what makes the difference between a rabbit who ignores hay and one who grazes on it all day.

That's a real concern and worth taking seriously — a rabbit that stops eating entirely for more than 12 hours can develop GI stasis, which is an emergency. So you don't go cold turkey. The gradual reduction I described is exactly the safeguard: you're never removing so much at once that she has nothing she'll eat. If she's resistant, try placing the Oxbow hay right next to her litter box — rabbits graze and toilet at the same time, it's instinctive, and most will start eating hay there even if they ignore it elsewhere. You can also try a small amount of dried chamomile or dried forage mixed into the hay initially to make it more interesting. Within two to three weeks of genuine reduction in veg, most rabbits start eating hay properly simply because they're hungry enough to try it. Keep a close eye on her droppings — good cecotropes and consistent round pellets mean the gut is adjusting well.

Yes, both are worth limiting even once you're on a better overall diet. Spinach is high in oxalates, which can contribute to kidney and bladder sludge over time — fine occasionally, not as a daily staple. Kale is a goitrogen and can affect thyroid function with repeated large quantities, and it's also quite high in calcium for a rabbit's needs. Neither is toxic in small amounts, but given she's been having a big bowl of this daily for presumably years, winding them back is sensible. Once you've completed the transition, a small amount of leafy greens daily is fine — romaine lettuce, fresh herbs like parsley or coriander, or a little rocket are all lower-risk choices. The Oxbow Timothy Hay as her foundation, a tablespoon of pellets, and a modest herb-and-leaf mix is a diet she can thrive on at 6 and well beyond.