Switching Angora rabbit to single-species hay

Switching from a mixed meadow hay to a single-species grass hay is a sensible move — and for a Satin Angora it can make a real difference, since you get more consistency in fibre quality and dust levels. Just to set the baseline: hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet. It's not a supplement — it's the mechanism that keeps gut motility going and wears the teeth down properly. Pellets are a small top-up, not a main event. Before I point you toward a specific timothy or orchard grass, can you tell me how old your Satin Angora is, whether they're in good health, and what their current feeding routine looks like day to day?

That's a really solid baseline — good teeth at 5 is exactly what you want to hear. Your instinct about the dusty meadow hay is right; dust and mould spores are a genuine respiratory irritant for rabbits, and inconsistency in the mix means the fibre profile changes bag to bag. For a healthy adult Angora your size, timothy hay is the go-to single-species choice. It has the right balance of crude fibre, it's widely available in consistent quality, and most rabbits take to it readily. Can I ask — is she a picky eater? Does she tend to eat the whole pile down or leave a lot behind?

Good — that tells me she'll adapt well. A slight preference for softer stems is completely normal and nothing to worry about as long as she's moving through a reasonable volume. For your switch, I'd recommend Hay Experts Premium Timothy Hay. It's grown and dried in the UK, consistently low-dust, and comes in sizes from 1kg up to a large sack so you can trial it without committing to a huge quantity first. The stems are medium-fine — not the coarse, woody timothy you sometimes get from cheaper sources — so it should suit her preference. Transition over about ten days: start with roughly 80% meadow hay and 20% timothy, then gradually shift the ratio. This avoids any gut disruption from an abrupt change, even though the fibre profile is similar. Keep the pellets and greens exactly as they are — no need to change anything else.

Good question — yes, Angoras do have one particular vulnerability. All that wool means they ingest more fibre when grooming than short-haired breeds, which raises the risk of wool block if gut motility ever dips. High-quality timothy hay actually helps here because the consistent long-strand fibre keeps things moving. During the transition, just keep an eye on her droppings — you want them round, uniform in size, and plentiful. If they get smaller, fewer, or misshapen over a few days, slow the transition down and give her gut time to settle. Also make sure she's well-brushed during any dietary change; reducing the amount she ingests while grooming is a sensible precaution. But honestly, a healthy 5-year-old with good teeth and your current feeding routine is in a really good position for this switch.

That sounds like a great plan. Start with a small bag first so you can check she's happy with the texture before buying in bulk — once you're confident she likes it, the larger sacks work out much better value. If her droppings stay consistent and she's eating well through the transition, you'll know you've landed on something that suits her. Good luck with it.