Best hay for rabbit dental health

Hay should make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet — this isn't a guideline to aim for, it's the foundation of gut motility and the primary mechanism that keeps teeth worn down correctly. Rabbits' teeth grow continuously throughout their lives, and the lateral grinding action of long-stem hay is what prevents overgrowth and the painful malocclusion problems that follow. Pellets are a small supplement at most, not a main course. You're asking specifically about dental health for your Fauve de Bourgogne, which is exactly the right question to be asking at one year old — this is when good habits set the trajectory for life. How old is your rabbit exactly, are they in good health currently, and what are they eating day to day right now?

Good that she's healthy — and you're right to flag the pellet ratio, that's worth correcting. Half and half by volume is too much pellet for a one-year-old adult rabbit; it crowds out the hay eating and reduces the grinding time her teeth need. For dental health specifically, the variety of hay matters. Meadow hay is fine as a secondary hay, but for the primary dental benefit you want Timothy hay. It has a coarser, longer stem than meadow hay and a higher fibre-to-softness ratio, which means more lateral jaw movement per mouthful — that's the mechanical action that keeps molars and incisors wearing evenly. Have you been offering the meadow hay ad lib, or measured amounts?

Meadow hay does some of the work, but Timothy is the gold standard for dental wear — it's what most rabbit vets and dental specialists recommend when they're being specific. The stems are firmer, the structure is more consistent, and rabbits tend to chew it more deliberately rather than pulling it apart loosely. For a Fauve de Bourgogne who's going to be a medium-to-large rabbit for many years, building that chewing habit on Timothy now is the right call. I'd recommend Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it's consistently high quality, the stems are long and coarse, it's dust-extracted well which matters for respiratory health, and it's widely trusted by rabbit rescues and vets in the UK. Move her to Timothy as the main hay, keep the meadow as maybe 20% of the hay portion if you like variety, and cut pellets to no more than a tablespoon once a day at her size.

The one to get is Oxbow Western Timothy Hay — it comes in a 425g box or larger 1.13kg bags on Amazon UK, and for a single adult rabbit the 1.13kg bag is the practical choice because you want hay fresh and plentiful, not rationed. A healthy adult rabbit should be eating a pile of hay roughly the size of their own body every single day, so you'll go through it faster than you might expect. The Oxbow bag keeps well if you store it somewhere dry and cool. Check the harvest date on the bag — fresher cuts are greener and more aromatic, which encourages eating. If she ignores a batch, it may be stale; Timothy hay should smell slightly sweet and grassy, not dusty or musty.

Good plan. Transition gradually over a week or two — mix the Timothy in increasing proportions with her current meadow hay so her gut bacteria adjust. Once she's fully on Timothy as her main hay, you should see her spending more time actively chewing, which is exactly what you want. Keep the pellets to that small daily supplement and she'll be in great shape dentally for the long term. Fauve de Bourgognes are robust rabbits — get the diet right at one year and you're setting her up well.