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
Three rejected hay brands with a Flemish Giant is genuinely frustrating — especially because hay isn't optional. It needs to make up around 80% of your rabbit's diet, not as a guideline but as a biological necessity: it keeps the gut moving and wears down teeth that never stop growing. Pellets are a small supplement, not the main event. Before I point you toward something that might actually work, tell me: is your rabbit otherwise healthy, what are the three brands you've already tried, and how is the hay being stored at home?
He's healthy, vet checked him recently. I've tried Supreme Science Selective hay, a supermarket own-brand one, and Burgess Excel Timothy hay. He sniffs them and walks away. I store it in a cardboard box in a dry cupboard.
inparticular.ai
Good — healthy rabbit, reasonable storage, and you've already ruled out the most common mid-range options. Here's what I notice: both the Burgess Excel and the supermarket hay tend to be quite fine and dusty, which a lot of rabbits find unappealing. Flemish Giants also have a strong preference for hay with a bit of texture and scent to it — they're big animals and bland, powdery hay just doesn't interest them. What country does the hay come from on the packaging, do you know? And does he have any reaction to it at all, or is it a complete cold shoulder?
Complete cold shoulder. He'll eat a tiny bit if I hand-feed him but left in the rack he ignores it entirely. I don't know where the Burgess hay is from, I never checked.
inparticular.ai
That hand-feeding detail is really useful — it tells you he's not averse to hay in principle, just not motivated enough to seek it out. That's a palatability and presentation issue, not a medical one. My recommendation is Oxbow Western Timothy Hay. It's US-grown, cut from a different grass variety than most UK hays, and it comes out noticeably greener, more fragrant, and with longer stems than what you've been using. The scent difference alone tends to get reluctant rabbits investigating it. For a Flemish Giant you'll want the larger bag — the 1.13kg is fine for a small rabbit but he'll go through it quickly. Put a fresh pile directly on the floor near where he already sits rather than in the rack to start with; some rabbits engage with it far better that way. Once he's eating it reliably you can move it back to the rack.
That sounds worth trying. Is it easy to get hold of and roughly what does it cost?
inparticular.ai
It's widely available on Amazon UK — the 1.13kg bag typically runs around £8 to £10, and there's a larger 3.17kg option for roughly £18 to £22 which works out better value once you know he likes it. I'd start with the smaller bag to confirm he takes to it before committing to bulk. One thing to mention: if he's still largely ignoring hay after a week on the Oxbow, it's worth going back to your vet specifically about that, because in a healthy rabbit with good storage there's usually a reason they'll accept it from your hand but not seek it independently — sometimes it comes down to rack placement or room temperature near the hay. But most owners in your situation find the Oxbow switch does the job.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the small bag first and try it on the floor like you said.
inparticular.ai
Perfect approach. Give it three or four days before drawing any conclusions — sometimes the novelty of a new smell is what kicks them into action. If he's eating it well within a week, that's your answer. Good luck with him.
