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 Thuringian — that's a genuinely uncommon breed to see, so it's a fair question whether they need anything different from standard rabbit feeding advice. The short answer is: the fundamentals don't change. Hay should make up around 80% of any rabbit's diet — it's not a nice-to-have, it's what keeps the gut moving and the teeth worn down properly. Pellets are a small supplement on top, not the main event. That said, body size, age, and current condition do matter when we fine-tune things. How much does your rabbit weigh roughly, and what are you currently feeding them day to day?
He's about 4.5kg, which I think is normal for the breed. Right now he gets a bowl of pellets in the morning and some hay in the afternoon, plus the odd bit of leafy greens. He seems healthy but I wasn't sure if Thuringians have different needs because they're a larger, more muscular type.
inparticular.ai
That's a useful picture, thank you. The ratio is the main thing I'd flip here — at the moment hay sounds like it's playing second fiddle to the pellets, and it should be the other way around. For a 4.5kg healthy adult rabbit, you'd want unlimited good-quality hay available all day, and the pellets scaled back to roughly one to two tablespoons. The muscular build of a Thuringian doesn't change that equation — if anything, a larger rabbit needs that fibre throughput even more to keep gut motility healthy. What pellets is he on at the moment, and is the hay he gets a loose meadow or timothy type?
He's on a supermarket own-brand muesli mix — I know, I know — and the hay is just whatever comes in the small bags from the pet shop. I want to upgrade both but I'm not sure where to start.
inparticular.ai
Good instinct to switch — muesli mixes are the one thing I'd tell most rabbit owners to drop straight away. Rabbits selectively eat the sugary bits and leave the rest, so they end up with a skewed diet even when you think they're eating everything. For hay, the single best upgrade you can make is moving to Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. It's consistently high quality, low dust, and it comes in a decent-sized bag so it's not running out every two days. Timothy hay has the right fibre-to-protein ratio for adult rabbits and it's what most rabbit vets and rescues recommend as the daily staple. Does he currently eat hay freely when it's available, or does he tend to ignore it in favour of the pellets?
Mostly ignores it if the pellets are there. He'll eat it in the evening once the pellets are gone.
inparticular.ai
That's completely normal rabbit behaviour — they'll always go for the easy calories first. The fix is simple: put the hay out first thing, hold back on the pellets until later in the day, and keep the pellet portion small. Once he's less reliant on pellets as his main food source, most rabbits naturally start grazing on hay throughout the day. Oxbow Western Timothy Hay is a good choice here partly because it smells appealing fresh out of the bag — that does help with reluctant hay eaters. Pair it with a plain pellet like Selective or Science Selective rather than a muesli, and you'll have a solid diet for a healthy adult Thuringian. Any questions about quantities or the transition?
No, that's really clear actually. I'll get the Oxbow hay and start cutting the pellets back this week. Thanks.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — take it gradually over a week or so rather than cutting pellets overnight, and he should adjust without much fuss. The main thing to watch is that he's eating and passing droppings normally during the transition. If his hay consumption picks up and his droppings become more consistent and well-formed, you'll know it's working. He sounds like a well-cared-for rabbit — Thuringians are a lovely breed. Good luck with the switch.
