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
Recurring bloating in a rabbit is a serious flag — it tells you the gut motility isn't working as it should, and diet is almost always part of the picture. Hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet: it's not a nice-to-have, it's what keeps the gut moving and the teeth worn down correctly. Pellets are a small supplement, not the main event. Before I point you toward anything specific, I need to understand what's going on with your Gotland: how old is she exactly, how often are the bloating episodes happening, and what is she currently eating day to day?
She's 4 years old. The bloating seems to happen every couple of weeks — she gets lethargic, her belly looks round and tight. The vet has checked her twice and said it's not GI stasis but advised more fiber. Right now she's getting a mix of meadow hay and pellets, maybe 50/50 by volume.
inparticular.ai
That 50/50 split is almost certainly contributing. Pellets are low in long-strand fiber and move through the gut quickly without giving the cecum and intestines the mechanical stimulation they need — meadow hay is better than nothing, but if the episodes are recurring your vet is right that fiber quality and quantity need to go up significantly. Can I ask: is the meadow hay she's getting loose and stemmy, or is it quite fine and dusty? And is she actually eating the hay enthusiastically, or leaving most of it and filling up on the pellets?
Honestly she leaves a lot of the meadow hay. She eats the pellets first and then barely touches the hay. It is quite fine — almost like grass clippings really. I've read that Timothy hay has longer strands and higher fiber. Is that worth switching to?
inparticular.ai
Yes, and that's exactly the right instinct. The problem with fine meadow hay is that it doesn't provide the long-strand abrasive fiber that physically stimulates gut movement — it's too similar in texture to what the pellets are already doing. Timothy hay has a coarser, stemmy structure that forces the gut to work properly and slows fermentation in the cecum, which is where a lot of bloating originates. The other thing you'll want to do in parallel is cut the pellets back sharply — for a healthy-weight 4-year-old rabbit, roughly one tablespoon per kilogram of body weight per day is the upper limit, and during a bloating episode many owners drop pellets entirely for a day or two.
That makes sense. So which Timothy hay would you actually recommend? I want something reliably high quality, not dusty, and available without having to order from abroad.
inparticular.ai
The one I'd point you to is Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. It's sourced from the western US where the climate produces consistently long, stemmy cuts with high fiber content — it's what a lot of rabbit-savvy vets and rescues in the UK recommend specifically because the quality is stable batch to batch, which matters when you're trying to manage a gut-sensitive rabbit. It's widely available on Amazon UK in 425g, 1.13kg, and larger bags. Start with the 1.13kg to see how your Gotland takes to it, and critically — reduce the pellets to roughly a tablespoon a day at the same time. The hay only does its job if she's actually hungry enough to eat it.
Really helpful, thank you. Should I switch cold turkey to the Timothy hay or mix it in gradually?
inparticular.ai
Gradual is better — not because Timothy hay is harsh, but because abrupt dietary changes can themselves disturb the gut flora and potentially trigger an episode. Mix it in over about a week: start with roughly 30% Timothy, 70% meadow, and shift the ratio each day until you're fully on Timothy by day seven or eight. At the same time, start pulling the pellets down. If you see any signs of bloating during the transition — tight belly, teeth grinding, reluctance to move — stop the pellets completely for 24 hours, keep the hay available constantly, and call your vet. But most rabbits make the switch without issue and owners typically notice improved stool shape and activity within two weeks.
