Mini Lop diet after neutering at 8 months

Neutering is actually a meaningful dietary turning point for rabbits — especially at 8 months, where your Mini Lop is still adolescent but the hormonal shift post-neuter will start slowing their metabolism sooner than most owners expect. Hay should already be making up around 80% of the diet — it's not a background extra, it's what keeps the gut moving and the teeth worn correctly — with pellets as a small, measured supplement. Now that your rabbit's been neutered, the pellet question becomes particularly important. Before I give you a clear steer: is your rabbit recovering well, how much in the way of pellets are you currently giving per day, and are you feeding a junior or adult pellet right now?

Two egg cups a day is too much — that's a common over-feeding amount and it matters more now post-neuter. For an 8-month Mini Lop, you want roughly one level tablespoon of pellets per kilogram of body weight per day, which for most Mini Lops works out to about one egg cup total, not two. The bigger question is the junior formula. Science Selective Junior is higher in protein and calories to support growth — that's appropriate up to around 6 months, but at 8 months and freshly neutered, his growth is effectively done and his calorie needs are dropping. What does he weigh currently, roughly?

Yes, now is exactly the right time to transition him. At 2kg, freshly neutered, and 8 months old, he needs an adult maintenance pellet rather than the calorie-dense junior formula — continuing on junior food after neutering is one of the most common routes to weight gain in young rabbits, and Mini Lops are already prone to it. The product I'd point you to is Science Selective Adult Rabbit — same brand so he'll take to it easily, but formulated for adult maintenance with a lower calorie density and higher fibre content. Transition gradually over about two weeks, mixing increasing amounts of the adult in with the junior until you've fully switched. Keep the total daily amount to around one tablespoon per kg, so roughly 50–55g per day for him, and make sure unlimited timothy hay is always available. That combination — reduced pellets, adult formula, unlimited hay — is exactly what a newly neutered young rabbit needs.

Hay should stay unlimited and unchanged — it's actually the most important thing to keep consistent right through recovery because gut motility can slow a little post-surgery and hay is what keeps things moving. If you noticed him eating less hay in the first day or two after the procedure that's normal, but if he's back to himself now he should be eating it freely. On vegetables: keep them modest and stick to what he already knows. A small handful of leafy greens like romaine, fresh herbs, or dark leafy veg once a day is fine. Avoid anything gassy — broccoli, cabbage, spring greens — especially while his gut is settling post-neuter. No fruit for the time being; the sugar load isn't helpful when you're also reducing pellet calories.

Good plan. You're catching it at exactly the right moment — a lot of owners don't switch until they notice weight creeping up, and by then it's harder to shift. Science Selective Adult Rabbit is easy to find on Amazon UK and comes in 1.5kg and 3kg bags; the 3kg works out better value once you know he's settled on it. Gradual two-week transition, one tablespoon per kg per day, unlimited timothy hay alongside — he'll be in great shape.