Switching older rabbit from muesli to pellets and hay

Switching a seven-year-old rabbit off muesli is genuinely one of the best things you can do for her health — muesli mixes let rabbits selectively eat the sugary bits and skip the nutritious ones, which leads to dental problems, gut issues, and obesity over time. The good news is it's absolutely doable at any age, you just need to go slowly so her digestive system adjusts. Before I point you toward the right pellet, can I ask — is she currently eating mostly the muesli and not much hay, or has hay always been a decent part of her diet? And does she have any known health issues like dental disease or weight problems?

That selective eating is exactly the problem with muesli — she's been filling up on sugar and starch and not getting the fibre she needs. The fact that she's made it to seven without obvious issues is lucky, but the dental and gut risks are cumulative, so switching now still makes a real difference. For a senior rabbit, you want a pellet that's high in fibre, low in sugar, and formulated with older rabbits in mind. I'd go with Science Selective Senior Rabbit — it's specifically designed for rabbits over four years old, higher fibre than standard pellets, and very plain, which is what you want. No seeds, no coloured bits, nothing she can selectively eat around.

Go slowly — four to six weeks at minimum for a senior rabbit. Start by mixing about 75% muesli with 25% pellets for the first week or two, then go 50/50, then 25% muesli and 75% pellets, then all pellets. If at any point her droppings change — fewer, smaller, or she stops eating — slow down and hold at that ratio a little longer. The more important change, actually, is getting her hay intake up. Unlimited fresh timothy hay should be the foundation of everything. As the pellets improve her nutrition, her appetite for hay often improves too, because she's not getting that sugary hit from the muesli anymore. Keep pellet portions small — about an egg-cup per kilogram of body weight per day — hay should be the bulk of what she eats.

Supermarket hay is often dusty and low quality — fine to top up with but not great as a main source. For a rabbit who needs to dramatically increase her hay intake, freshness and palatability really matter. Supreme Science Selective Timothy Hay is consistently good quality, dust-extracted, and most rabbits genuinely seem to prefer it over the bagged supermarket stuff. Buying in larger quantities — a 2kg or 4kg bag — also keeps it fresher and works out cheaper. If you want to add variety and encourage more hay eating, you can mix in a little orchard grass or meadow hay, but timothy should be the staple.

At seven years old, a vet check is always a good idea regardless of the diet switch — senior rabbits benefit from annual check-ups, and a vet can do a dental check while they're there, which matters a lot given the years of muesli. But you don't need to wait for an appointment to start introducing the pellets gradually — that part is safe to begin now. If you notice any changes in eating, drinking, or droppings during the transition, that's worth flagging to a vet. But you're doing the right thing, and a slow, steady switch with plenty of good hay alongside it is exactly the right approach for a rabbit her age.