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
A lean, energetic Belgian Hare at 18 months — that's a rabbit in its prime, and honestly a joy to feed well. Just so you know where I'm coming from: hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet. It's not a side note — it's what keeps the gut moving and the teeth worn down correctly. Pellets are a small supplement at best, not the main event. To point you toward the right hay, a couple of quick questions: is your Belgian Hare in good health with no digestive issues, and what are you currently feeding day to day?
Yes, she's perfectly healthy — vet gave her a clean bill last month. Right now she gets a mix of meadow hay and some pellets, maybe a bit more pellets than I should probably be giving. She's very active, runs around a lot, and I want to make sure the hay I'm giving her really supports that energy and keeps her lean.
inparticular.ai
That's a great foundation to work from. The one thing I'd flag is that pellets for an active adult rabbit can quietly add weight if they're not carefully measured — usually a tablespoon per kilogram of body weight per day is plenty, and for a lean Belgian Hare I'd err on the lower side. The hay is doing the real work here. Can I ask — is she eating the meadow hay enthusiastically, or does she pick through it and leave a lot behind?
She picks through it a bit, definitely has preferences. She'll eat the softer bits and ignore the stalky stems. I wondered if a different type of hay might get her eating more consistently.
inparticular.ai
That picking behaviour is very common with meadow hay because the quality and texture varies a lot between batches. What you want for a consistently active, lean rabbit is something with uniform structure and high fibre that she'll actually work through properly. I'd switch her to Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. It's a single-species, premium-cut hay with consistent texture — longer strands than most, good fibre content, and low in calories, which is exactly right for a rabbit you want to keep lean and energetic rather than padded out. The consistent quality means she's less likely to cherry-pick, and the chewing action on those longer stems is doing proper dental work. You can keep a small amount of meadow hay as variety if she enjoys it, but make Timothy the bulk of what's always available.
That makes sense. How much should I be putting out for her — is it a set amount or just always available?
inparticular.ai
Always available — that's the rule with hay. You never ration it. A rabbit's gut needs to be moving almost constantly, and an active Belgian Hare especially should never have an empty hay rack. A rough guide is a bundle roughly the size of her body per day, but honestly just keep the rack topped up and let her self-regulate. She won't overeat hay the way she might overeat pellets. If you're buying Oxbow Western Timothy, get the larger bag — it works out better value and the hay stays fresh if you store it somewhere dry and away from direct light.
Perfect, that's really clear. I'll get the Oxbow Timothy and dial back the pellets too.
inparticular.ai
That combination will make a real difference. Less reliance on pellets, unlimited Timothy hay, and a healthy active rabbit — you're already doing the right things, just fine-tuning the balance. She'll likely eat more consistently once the hay quality is reliable. If you ever notice her slow down on hay intake or see any change in her droppings, that's worth a vet call quickly — gut slowdown in rabbits moves fast. But from what you've described, she sounds in excellent shape.
