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
Hay has to be the foundation — it should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet, and that's not flexible. It's what keeps the gut moving and what wears the teeth down properly; without it, you get stasis and dental spurs, which become serious fast. Pellets are a supplement, not a staple — a tablespoon or two a day at most, not a bowl. Now, a 7-year-old Miniature Lion Lop with early senior signs is exactly the right time to get proactive. What are you currently feeding, and what signs are you noticing that made you think about adjusting the diet?
She's on a standard adult pellet mix at the moment and gets meadow hay daily. The signs are fairly subtle — she's a bit slower, her droppings are slightly smaller than they used to be, and her weight has dipped a little over the last few months. Vet said she's okay but to keep an eye on things.
inparticular.ai
That picture makes a lot of sense for a rabbit her age. Smaller droppings and a slight weight dip together usually point to the gut slowing down — it's the first thing that changes as rabbits get older, and it often happens before anything dramatic shows up on a vet check. The muesli-style mix is the first thing I'd change. Rabbits pick and choose from mixes, eating the sugary bits and leaving the fibrous ones, which makes the gut problem worse. Are you currently using a muesli mix or a uniform nugget pellet?
It's a muesli mix, yes. I did wonder whether that was an issue. Should I be switching to something specifically for older rabbits, or is that more of a marketing thing?
inparticular.ai
It's not just marketing in this case — there's a real difference worth paying for. Senior-specific nuggets are lower in calcium, which matters because older rabbits are more prone to urinary sludge and kidney strain as their filtration becomes less efficient. They're also formulated with higher digestible fibre to support a gut that's naturally becoming less robust. The one I'd point you toward is Burgess Excel Mature Rabbit Nuggets. It's a uniform nugget so she can't selectively eat the nice bits, it's specifically balanced for the reduced calcium and adjusted protein needs of an older rabbit, and it's well-established — not a niche brand. Transition slowly over two weeks, mixing it in with her current food and shifting the ratio gradually. Keep the hay generous throughout — if anything, offer a wider variety of hays like timothy and orchard grass to keep her interest up and gut moving.
That sounds sensible. Should I be doing anything else alongside the food change — supplements, anything like that?
inparticular.ai
At this stage I'd hold off on supplements and focus on the diet change first — you'll get more benefit from switching the pellet and improving hay variety than from adding anything on top. One thing worth doing is tracking her weight weekly with kitchen scales. A gram or two of fluctuation is nothing, but a consistent downward trend over a month tells you the gut still isn't absorbing well and that warrants a vet conversation about dental checks or gut motility. Also make sure her water is always fresh and easily reachable — older rabbits sometimes drink less if a bowl is slightly awkward to get to, and hydration is closely tied to how well the gut works. Keep things simple for now, let the diet settle, and reassess in four to six weeks.
That's really helpful, thank you. I'll order the Burgess Excel Mature and start the transition this week.
inparticular.ai
Good plan. The combination of unlimited good hay, the mature nugget in a small measured portion, and weekly weight checks gives you a solid foundation going into her senior years. Most 7-year-old rabbits with attentive owners do really well with adjustments like this — you're catching it at the right time. If her droppings normalise and her weight stabilises over the next month, that's a good sign the gut is responding. Best of luck with her.
