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 6-year-old Flemish Giant mix who's underweight and has unknown history — that's a situation that needs careful handling. Before anything else, here's the foundation you need to know: hay should make up around 80% of a rabbit's diet. It's not a side offering — it's what keeps the gut moving and keeps teeth worn down correctly. Pellets are a small supplement to that, not the main event. For a rabbit trying to regain condition, the temptation is to pile on pellets for calories, but that can cause more problems than it solves. What's your rabbit currently eating, and do you have any idea how underweight we're talking — has a vet confirmed it, or are you going on what you can feel?
The rescue centre said he was significantly underweight when he came in. He's been with me three weeks now. The vet confirmed it — she said his spine and hips are very prominent. He's been eating whatever the rescue gave him, which I think was just cheap supermarket pellets and not much else. He's eating but not with huge enthusiasm.
inparticular.ai
That's really useful to know, and honestly quite common with rescues — pellet-heavy, hay-poor diets leave the gut sluggish and teeth under-worn, which can make eating uncomfortable over time. The low enthusiasm might partly be that. The priority right now is getting unlimited, high-quality Timothy hay in front of him constantly — not as a treat, as the main event. For a Flemish Giant mix he'll go through a lot of it, but that's exactly right. What hay is he currently getting access to, and how much would you say he's eating?
I've been giving him some hay I bought from a local pet shop — it smells fine but it's quite dull and dusty looking. He picks at it but doesn't go mad for it. I want to upgrade but I don't know what's actually worth buying.
inparticular.ai
Dusty, dull hay is often lower-quality and lower-nutrition — rabbits with a choice will often ignore it, which is a problem when hay is supposed to be the bulk of the diet. For a rabbit in recovery, you want something consistently fresh, green, and sweet-smelling. I'd recommend Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it's reliably good quality, comes in a large bag that suits a big rabbit, and most rabbits who've been picking at bad hay switch to it readily. It's widely available on Amazon UK. On the pellet side, keep it to a small measured amount — for a Flemish Giant mix, around 60–80g of a plain timothy-based pellet once a day is the ceiling, even while he's building weight. More pellets won't fix underweight — better hay intake and gut health will.
That makes sense. Should I be doing anything else — like adding vegetables or supplements — to help him put on weight faster?
inparticular.ai
Go slowly with vegetables while his gut is still stabilising — introduce one leafy green at a time, small amounts, and watch his droppings. Dark leafy greens like romaine, spring greens, and fresh herbs are good choices once he's tolerating them. Skip fruit for now entirely — the sugar isn't helpful. No supplements are needed if the hay quality improves and pellets are a decent timothy-based brand. The weight will come back more safely through gut health than through calorie loading. Keep the vet in the loop on his progress — if he's not gaining after four to six weeks of good hay intake, there may be a dental issue worth investigating.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the Oxbow hay today and cut back the pellets. Fingers crossed he starts to improve.
inparticular.ai
That sounds like exactly the right plan. The fact that he's eating at all after a difficult start is a good sign — better hay quality often makes a noticeable difference within a couple of weeks, both in appetite and in droppings becoming more consistent. Keep the hay rack full at all times, weigh his pellets rather than estimating, and give it a few weeks before worrying too much. He's in better hands now than he was.
