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What Do Backyard Rabbits Like to Eat? Hay First, Always

Unlimited grass hay is 80% of the diet. The greens that are safe daily, the ones that are weekly, and the foods that genuinely kill rabbits.

By Salma 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A black rabbit on straw bedding reaching into a dish of pellets
Photo: Alexas_Fotos, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Hay is the diet, not the bedding. Nearly every serious health problem in a pet rabbit traces back to a bowl of pellets eaten in preference to it.

The proportions, by volume

foodsharenotes
Grass hay~80%unlimited, always available
Leafy greens~10–15%3+ varieties daily
Pellets~5%measured, plain timothy-based
Treats (fruit, carrot)traceonce or twice weekly

Daily, weekly, never

dailysmall amountsnever
Romaine, dark leaf lettuceKale, broccoli, cabbageAvocado
Coriander, basil, mint, dillCarrot rootChocolate, any human sweets
Rocket, watercressApple, berriesOnion, garlic, leek
Bok choy, celery leavesPepper, cucumberRhubarb leaves
Carrot tops, dandelionParsleyPotato and tomato foliage
Grass (untreated)Grass clippings, iceberg in quantity

Muesli mixes cause the problems they claim to prevent

Given a mix, a rabbit eats the sweetened flakes and peas and leaves the fibre pellets. The result is a low-fibre, high-sugar diet — dental disease and obesity — in an animal that appears to be eating well. Plain uniform pellets remove the choice.

The signs that matter

A rabbit that stops eating is an emergency, not a wait-and-see. Gut stasis can become fatal within 24 to 48 hours.

  • No droppings for 12 hours — call a vet
  • Refusing hay but eating pellets — usually dental pain
  • Soft or sticky caecotrophs — too much sugar or starch, usually pellets or fruit
  • Grinding teeth loudly, hunched posture — pain
  • Wet chin or dropping food — dental disease

Check the garden before the rabbit gets it

Foxglove, bluebell, daffodil and other bulbs, ivy, rhododendron, azalea, yew and buttercup are all present in ordinary gardens and all are dangerous. A run moved onto unchecked planting is the usual way a rabbit meets one.

Common questions

What should a backyard rabbit eat?

Unlimited grass hay — timothy, orchard, meadow or oat — making up around 80% of intake by volume, plus a handful of fresh leafy greens daily and a small measured portion of pellets. That ordering matters: hay is not bedding with a secondary use as food, it is the diet. The long fibre keeps the gut moving and grinds the continuously growing teeth, and a rabbit that stops eating hay develops gut stasis or dental disease, which are the two things that actually kill pet rabbits.

How much pellet food should they get?

Far less than most people give. Roughly 25 g per kilogram of body weight per day for an adult — about an eggcup for a medium rabbit — of a plain timothy-based pellet. Muesli-style mixes should be avoided entirely: rabbits selectively eat the sweet pieces and leave the fibre, which causes both dental disease and obesity. Pellets are a supplement to hay, not a meal.

Which greens are safe every day?

Romaine and other dark leaf lettuces, coriander, basil, mint, dill, parsley in moderation, rocket, watercress, bok choy, celery leaves, carrot tops and dandelion leaves. Aim for three or more different kinds daily rather than a large amount of one, and introduce anything new in small quantities over several days — a sudden change of greens is a common cause of soft stools.

What should be occasional or avoided?

Carrot root, fruit and anything sweet are treats, not food — a slice of apple or a couple of blueberries once or twice a week at most, because the sugar disrupts gut flora. Brassicas such as kale, broccoli and cabbage are fine in small amounts but cause gas in quantity. Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally empty and contains lactucarium, which can cause problems in volume.

Which foods are genuinely dangerous?

Avocado, chocolate, onion, garlic, leek, rhubarb leaves, potato and tomato foliage, raw beans, iceberg lettuce in quantity, and almost all human processed food — bread, crackers, cereal, yoghurt drops. Among garden plants: foxglove, bluebell, daffodil and other bulbs, ivy, rhododendron, azalea, yew, hemlock and buttercup. A rabbit with free run of a garden needs the planting checked before it is given access, not after.

Can they just graze the lawn?

Grazing real grass is excellent for them, provided the lawn has had no herbicide, insecticide or fertiliser and is clear of wild predator-attracting cover. Grass clippings from a mower are a different matter and should never be fed — they heat and ferment quickly in the bag, and feeding fermented clippings causes serious digestive upset.

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