Rabbits Food & Nutrition | The Complete UK Diet Guide for a Healthy Bunny

A balanced rabbit diet is built mostly from hay and grass, with smaller portions of greens and pellets.

Rabbits food and nutrition might look simple from the outside, but getting it right is the single biggest factor in how long and how happily a pet rabbit lives. A rabbit's body is built almost entirely around one job: processing huge amounts of fibrous plant matter, all day, every day. When that system is fed correctly, a rabbit stays active, keeps a healthy weight and avoids some of the most common and most preventable illnesses seen by UK vets.

This guide walks through exactly what rabbits eat and drink, how much of each food type they need, why their digestive system depends so heavily on hay, and which everyday foods are genuinely dangerous. It draws on current welfare guidance from organisations such as the RSPCA and the Rabbit Welfare Association, so owners across the UK can build a diet chart that actually matches what a rabbit's body needs.

What Do Rabbits Eat and Drink Every Day

At the most basic level, rabbits eat hay, fresh grass, a small handful of leafy greens and a measured portion of good-quality pellets. Alongside food, constant access to clean drinking water is just as important as the food itself, since a dehydrated rabbit is at far greater risk of the digestive problems covered later in this guide.

Hay or fresh growing grass should make up the bulk of what a rabbit eats, and it needs to be available around the clock rather than topped up once a day. Owners who are still narrowing down which breed suits their household may find it useful to read our guide to UK rabbit breeds before working out portion sizes, since larger and giant breeds naturally need more hay and pellets than a small Netherland Dwarf.

Fresh water should be offered in a heavy, tip-proof bowl or a drip bottle, ideally both, since some rabbits strongly prefer one over the other. Bowls and bottles need cleaning daily, and bottle spouts should be checked to make sure they are not blocked, particularly in freezing winter weather when water can ice over.

What Do Wild Rabbits Eat

The ideal rabbits diet chart: roughly 85% hay and grass, 10% leafy greens, and 5% pellets.

The European rabbit, known scientifically as Oryctolagus cuniculus, is the ancestor of every pet rabbit breed kept in the UK today. Wild rabbits live in large underground burrow systems called warrens and graze mainly at dawn and dusk on grasses, clover, wildflowers, herbs and the bark and shoots of young shrubs, particularly in winter when grass is scarce.

This natural grazing pattern explains why a captive rabbit's diet should look so similar. Wild rabbits are almost never far from a constant supply of fibrous, low-calorie plant material, and their gut has evolved to expect a steady trickle of food throughout the day rather than large, infrequent meals. Recreating that pattern with unlimited hay is the closest a pet owner can get to a wild rabbit's natural feeding rhythm indoors or in a hutch.

The Rabbits Diet Percentage: Building an Accurate Diet Chart

Wild rabbits graze mainly on grass and wild plants at dawn and dusk, a pattern pet rabbits share.

The most widely recommended rabbits diet chart, endorsed by both the RSPCA and the Rabbit Welfare Association, splits daily food into roughly 85% hay and fresh grass, 10% leafy greens and herbs, and 5% measured pellets. Some owners come across the figure of 80% hay instead of 85%, and in practice this is close enough to be considered correct too; the key point isn't the exact single digit but the principle that hay and grass should dwarf every other food combined, making up at least four fifths of everything a rabbit eats.

Growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight rabbits are the exception to this chart, since they typically need a larger portion of pellets and greens to support extra energy demands. A vet can advise on adjusted quantities for these life stages, and any dietary change should always be introduced gradually over one to two weeks to avoid upsetting the gut.

Rabbits Food List: Safe Foods and What to Avoid

Rotating five or six types of leafy greens daily helps keep a rabbit's diet varied and balanced.

A good rabbits food list starts with variety among the safe leafy greens. Rotating five or six types daily, such as cabbage, kale, broccoli, rocket, spinach, celery, parsley, mint, basil and dandelion leaves, gives a wider spread of nutrients than feeding the same green every day and reduces the risk of any single vegetable causing a stomach upset.

Carrots and other root vegetables or fruit, including apple, banana and strawberry, are best treated as an occasional treat rather than a daily food. Feeding carrots every day is a common habit, but because they are relatively high in natural sugar compared with leafy greens, vets generally recommend limiting root vegetables and fruit to a small amount a few times a week rather than a daily fixture. Owners researching rabbit behaviour will notice that most rabbits will happily overeat sugary treats given the chance, which is part of why portion control matters so much; our rabbit behaviour and training guide covers how food-motivated training can be used safely alongside a balanced diet.

Certain foods should never be fed to rabbits at all. Chocolate, avocado, onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, iceberg lettuce, bread, biscuits, sugary or salty human snacks and any form of muesli-style mix are all unsuitable. Muesli in particular has fallen out of favour with vets in recent years because rabbits tend to selectively pick out the tasty, high-calorie pieces and leave the fibre-rich pellets behind, which drives both obesity and dental disease over time. Bluebells, foxgloves, holly and tulips are examples of garden plants that are also toxic and should be kept well away from any rabbit enclosure or free-range area.

If a rabbit is still being fed a muesli-style mix, the switch to a healthier diet should happen gradually over several weeks, mixing in increasing amounts of plain pellets while reducing the muesli, so the gut has time to adjust without triggering digestive upset.

Understanding the Rabbits Digestive System

Rabbits are hindgut fermenters, meaning the bulk of their digestion happens in a large pouch called the caecum, positioned after the small intestine. This chamber houses a dense population of bacteria that break down the tough plant fibre found in hay and grass, releasing nutrients that would otherwise be indigestible.

One of the more unusual results of this system is caecotrophy. Rabbits produce two distinct types of droppings: hard, dry waste pellets and softer, moist pellets called caecotrophy, which are packed with nutrients and beneficial bacteria. Rabbits eat the caecotrophy directly from their own bottom, usually overnight or early morning, effectively passing food through their gut twice to extract the maximum possible nutrition. Sticky droppings left stuck in the fur or around the enclosure are a sign a rabbit isn't managing this process properly and should prompt a vet check.

Because the rabbit gut relies on a constant, steady flow of fibre to keep moving, gaps in eating are genuinely dangerous rather than a minor inconvenience. It is not considered normal for a healthy rabbit to go without eating or producing droppings for more than around eight hours, and any rabbit that has eaten nothing for a full 24 hours is at real risk of gastrointestinal stasis, a condition where the gut slows or stops completely. Left untreated, stasis can progress to a fatal liver condition called hepatic lipidosis, so a rabbit that refuses food, including favourite treats, for several hours should always be treated as an emergency rather than something to monitor overnight. Our rabbit health and safety guide goes into more detail on recognising the early warning signs of stasis at home.

Rabbits Dental Disease and Diet

Regular chewing of hay wears rabbit teeth down naturally, helping prevent dental disease.

A rabbit's teeth grow continuously throughout its life, and the constant chewing action of eating hay and grass is what naturally wears them down to the correct length and shape. A diet that is low in hay and high in soft, concentrated foods like pellets or muesli removes most of that grinding action, allowing teeth to overgrow.

Overgrown or misaligned teeth, a condition known as malocclusion, can develop sharp spurs that cut into the cheeks and tongue, making eating painful. A rabbit in this position often eats less, which then increases the risk of gut stasis, creating a cycle where dental disease and digestive illness feed into one another. This is one of the main reasons gastrointestinal and dental disease are consistently reported among the most common causes of vet visits, and in more advanced cases, death, in pet rabbits. A rabbit that suddenly becomes reluctant to eat hay, drools, or drops food from its mouth should see a vet promptly to rule out dental problems.

Rabbits Weight: What Counts as a Normal, Healthy Weight

Regular weighing and body condition scoring help catch weight problems early.

There is no single normal weight that applies to every rabbit, since it varies enormously by breed. As a rough guide, a Netherland Dwarf typically weighs under 1kg, a Dutch or Himalayan sits around 1.5 to 2kg, a Dwarf Lop or Miniature Lop around 2 to 2.5kg, and larger breeds such as the New Zealand White or English Lop can reach 4.5 to 5.5kg or more. What matters far more than the number on the scale is body condition.

Vets use a body condition score of 1 to 5 to judge whether a rabbit is a healthy weight. A score of 3 is the target, where the ribs and pelvis can be felt easily under a slight covering of flesh, with no sharp bones and no excess padding. A rabbit scoring close to 1 will have a concave rump and easily felt, sharp ribs, while one scoring close to 5 will have a rounded rump and a pelvis that is difficult to feel at all, alongside a thickened dewlap under the chin.

Excess weight in rabbits raises the risk of joint problems, heart and liver disease, and flystrike, since an overweight rabbit often cannot reach around to groom or eat its own caecotrophy properly. Weight problems are best corrected by increasing hay and grass intake and reducing pellets, treats and root vegetables, always under veterinary guidance rather than sudden, drastic cuts.

How Much Should a Rabbit Be Fed Each Day

Hay and fresh grass should be available at all times, in a bundle roughly the same size as the rabbit itself, topped up throughout the day so it is never allowed to run out. Leafy greens are typically given as a large handful once or twice daily, made up of several different types rather than one single vegetable.

Pellets should be a small, measured portion rather than a bowl that is kept topped up, since free access to pellets encourages rabbits to fill up on the less fibrous food and eat less hay. Manufacturer guidelines usually recommend a small amount per kilogram of body weight, and it's worth weighing this out rather than guessing, since overfeeding pellets is one of the most common causes of rabbit obesity in the UK.

Best Rabbits Food & Nutrition Choices in the UK

Choosing dust-extracted hay and a plain, high-fibre pellet is the foundation of good rabbit nutrition.

When shopping for the best rabbits food and nutrition products in the UK, the priority is a good-quality, dust-extracted hay as the foundation, followed by a plain, high-fibre pellet designed specifically for rabbits rather than a mixed muesli-style product. Pellets should list hay or grass as the main ingredient, with a crude fibre content of around 18% or higher, and no added sugary extras like dried fruit or coloured pieces. Households caring for more than one type of pet may also find it useful to compare feeding routines across species; our sister site catsmastery.com covers feline nutrition in a similar level of detail, which can be a helpful comparison for anyone managing a multi-pet UK household.

Fresh hay should be stored somewhere dry and well-ventilated, away from direct sunlight, and replaced regularly so it stays appealing rather than dusty or stale. Introducing a new hay or pellet brand should always be done gradually, mixed in with the old food over a week or two, to avoid triggering the digestive upset described earlier in this guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best diet for a rabbit?

The best diet for a rabbit follows roughly 85% hay and fresh grass, 10% leafy greens and herbs, and 5% measured pellets, with unlimited fresh water available at all times. Hay should never run out, since it drives both healthy digestion and correct tooth wear.

Can rabbits go 24 hours without food?

No. A healthy rabbit shouldn't go more than around eight hours without eating, and any rabbit refusing food for close to 24 hours is at serious risk of gastrointestinal stasis and hepatic lupinosis. This should always be treated as a same-day vet emergency rather than something to wait out.

What is the most common cause of death in rabbits?

Gastrointestinal stasis, often linked to an inappropriate diet low in hay and high in pellets or sugary treats, is consistently reported as one of the leading causes of serious illness and death in pet rabbits, closely followed by related dental disease.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for bunnies?

The 3-3-3 rule describes how long it typically takes a rabbit to settle into a new home: around 3 days to get over the initial shock, 3 weeks to begin exploring and showing its personality, and 3 months to feel fully secure. It's a behavioural guideline for adjustment rather than a feeding rule, but a settling rabbit should still be offered its usual hay-based diet throughout this period to avoid added digestive stress.

What smell do bunnies hate?

Rabbits have a strong sense of smell and tend to dislike strong, sharp scents such as citrus, vinegar, chilli and some strongly aromatic herbs like lavender in concentrated form. This sensitivity is worth bearing in mind around feeding areas, since strongly scented cleaning products near food and water can put a fussy rabbit off eating.

Final Thoughts on Rabbits Food & Nutrition

Getting rabbits food and nutrition right isn't complicated once the basic ratio is in place: plenty of hay and grass, a smaller daily portion of leafy greens, a measured amount of pellets, and constant access to clean water. Watching weight, droppings and appetite closely lets most digestive and dental problems be caught early, long before they become an emergency.

For more on choosing the right breed for a UK home, or spotting early signs of common health problems, take a look at our related guides on rabbit breeds and rabbit health and safety here on Pets Master.