The 80 percent rule
Rabbit feeding has one rule that matters more than all others: hay should make up about eighty percent of the diet. Everything else, pellets, vegetables, and treats, fits around that mountain of hay. The reason is both dental and digestive. Rabbit teeth grow continuously, and chewing fibrous hay wears them down evenly. Rabbit guts also depend on constant fibre to keep moving, and a gut that slows down can stop entirely, a dangerous condition called gut stasis. A rabbit that eats mostly pellets or muesli mix, with hay as an afterthought, is heading for dental disease, obesity, and gut trouble. The calculator therefore starts with hay, then adds pellets and vegetables as measured supplements.
Hay: unlimited, always available
A two-kilogram rabbit eats at least 160 grams of hay a day, but that figure is a minimum, not a ration. Hay should never run out: top it up morning and evening, and keep it in a rack or pile where the rabbit can graze naturally. Timothy hay is the standard for adult rabbits, while alfalfa hay suits young or pregnant rabbits but is too rich in calcium for most adults. Oat hay and meadow hay add variety. Hay quality matters: it should smell sweet and grassy, feel dry and soft, and contain plenty of green strands. Dusty, mouldy, or musty hay should be discarded, since it irritates lungs and guts. A rabbit that suddenly stops eating hay needs a vet, not a new brand.
Pellets: a measured supplement
Pellets exist to top up vitamins and minerals, not to fill the rabbit up. About twenty grams per kilogram of body weight per day is right, which is roughly an eggcup full for an average two-kilogram rabbit. Choose plain, grass-based pellets rather than muesli mixes, because rabbits pick out the tasty coloured bits and leave the nutritious ones, unbalancing their diet. Weigh pellets rather than pouring them, since a heaped scoop can easily be double the right amount. Overfed pellets are a leading cause of rabbit obesity, and overweight rabbits struggle to groom, move, and stay healthy. If a rabbit is already overweight, a vet can advise on reducing pellets gradually while keeping hay unlimited.
Vegetables: variety in leafy greens
Fresh vegetables add moisture, vitamins, and enrichment, at about fifty grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Leafy greens should dominate: romaine lettuce, spring greens, coriander, parsley, basil, and dandelion leaves are all good daily choices. Offer a mix of at least three types per day, rotating through the week for variety. Carrots, fruit, and root vegetables are treats, not staples, because their sugar content is high for a rabbit's gut. Introduce any new vegetable slowly, one at a time, and watch droppings for softness, which signals the gut is unhappy. Remove uneaten fresh food after a few hours, especially in warm weather, when it wilts and spoils.
Water and treats
Fresh water is essential and often overlooked. Rabbits drink roughly fifty to one hundred millilitres per kilogram per day, more in hot weather. A heavy ceramic bowl suits most rabbits, since bottles can be hard to use and some rabbits drink less from them. Change water daily and clean the container, since algae and slime build up quickly. Treats should be tiny and infrequent: a small piece of apple, a slice of banana, or a few herbs. Commercial yoghurt drops and seed sticks are unsuitable, despite pet-shop marketing. The best treat for a rabbit is a new herb to sniff and a pile of fresh hay, which sounds dull to humans and delightful to rabbits.
Feeding routine
A good daily routine is simple. Morning: top up hay, give the pellet portion, and offer half the vegetables. Evening: top up hay again and offer the rest of the vegetables. Check the hay rack at both times, since a rabbit that has not touched its hay may be ill. Weigh the rabbit monthly, using kitchen scales for small rabbits or bathroom scales for large ones, and adjust pellets if weight drifts. Keep a note of favourite greens and any that cause soft droppings. Rabbits thrive on routine, and a consistent feeding schedule makes changes in appetite, which are often the first sign of illness, easy to spot.
A worked example
For a two-kilogram rabbit, the calculator gives 160 grams of hay, 40 grams of pellets, and 100 grams of vegetables per day. For a four-kilogram rabbit, those figures double to 320 grams of hay, 80 grams of pellets, and 200 grams of vegetables. For a small one-and-a-half-kilogram rabbit, the figures are 120 grams of hay, 30 grams of pellets, and 75 grams of vegetables. Remember that hay is a minimum: offering 250 grams to a two-kilogram rabbit is fine, because the rabbit will eat what it needs and the rest becomes bedding and enrichment. Pellets, by contrast, should be measured exactly, since extra pellets are where weight gain comes from.
Warning signs and vet visits
Appetite changes are the most important warning sign in rabbits. A rabbit that stops eating, eats less hay, or produces fewer or smaller droppings needs a vet promptly, ideally the same day, because gut stasis worsens fast. Drooling, difficulty eating, or a wet chin can signal dental problems. Weight loss, even gradual, deserves investigation. Rabbits hide illness well, so the daily feeding routine doubles as a health check: if the hay pile is untouched or the vegetable bowl is full, something is wrong. Regular vet check-ups, including dental checks, catch problems early. Good feeding prevents many problems, but it does not replace veterinary care.
Hay varieties and foraging enrichment
Hay variety keeps rabbits interested and grazing, which is exactly what their teeth and guts need. Timothy hay is the daily staple, but oat hay, meadow hay, and orchard grass each offer different textures and flavours, and rotating them prevents boredom. Botanical hay, mixed with dried herbs and flowers, makes an occasional treat that encourages foraging. Scatter feeding, hiding pellets in hay or in a cardboard tube, turns mealtimes into enrichment and slows down greedy eaters. Fresh herbs grown on a windowsill, like parsley, basil, and mint, are cheap, safe, and loved by rabbits, and growing them yourself avoids pesticide worries. A rabbit that forages, grazes, and explores its food is a rabbit whose gut and teeth stay healthy, and whose behaviour stays lively and curious.
Bonding through feeding time
Feeding time is also bonding time, and rabbits learn to associate their owner with good things when food arrives predictably and gently. Hand-feeding a few herbs, sitting quietly nearby while the rabbit grazes, and speaking softly all build trust, especially with shy or newly homed rabbits. Avoid chasing or grabbing a rabbit to feed it, since that teaches fear rather than friendship. Scatter a few favourite greens around the enclosure so the rabbit forages naturally, and use feeding as a daily health check at the same time: is the hay pile disturbed, are droppings normal, is the water level falling? A rabbit that runs to greet you at feeding time is a rabbit that feels safe, and that trust is one of the great rewards of rabbit keeping.
Daily rabbit food by weight
| Rabbit weight | Hay (minimum) | Pellets | Vegetables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 kg | 120 g | 30 g | 75 g |
| 2 kg | 160 g | 40 g | 100 g |
| 3 kg | 240 g | 60 g | 150 g |
| 4 kg | 320 g | 80 g | 200 g |
- Hay is 80% of the diet and should never run out.
- Pellets: about 20 g per kg per day, weighed, not poured.
- Vegetables: about 50 g per kg, mostly leafy greens.
- Carrots and fruit are treats, not staples.
- A rabbit that stops eating hay needs a vet the same day.
Feeding a rabbit well is mostly about hay, measured pellets, and varied greens, repeated every day. Use the calculator to set the numbers for your rabbit's weight, keep hay constantly available, and watch appetite as a daily health check. A well-fed rabbit is an active, curious, long-lived companion, and the routine that keeps it that way is simpler than most people expect.