Rabbit Diet Plan: Portions by Weight, Safe Foods and Switching Off Muesli

This page is for adult pet rabbits whose owners already know the basic 85/10/5 split (85% hay, 10% greens, 5% pellets) from the rabbit care guide and want actual portions. It covers how much to weigh out each day, which foods to rotate, limit or ban, and how to fix a diet that is already wrong.

Daily portions by body weight

Weigh your rabbit first. All three portion rules scale with body weight, and the sources don’t agree on pellets.

Body weight	Hay	Leafy greens	Pellets (RSPCA rule)	Pellets (Merck rule)
2.2 lb (1 kg)	Unlimited, at least a rabbit-sized bundle (RSPCA)	1.1 cups (Merck); 0.5–1.1 cups (House Rabbit Society)	0.9 oz (25 g) (RSPCA)	About 1/8 cup (Merck)
4.4 lb (2 kg)	Unlimited (RSPCA)	2.2 cups (Merck); 1.1–2.2 cups (House Rabbit Society)	1.8 oz (50 g) (RSPCA)	About 1/4 cup (Merck)
6.6 lb (3 kg)	Unlimited (RSPCA)	3.3 cups (Merck); 1.7–3.3 cups (House Rabbit Society)	2.6 oz (75 g) (RSPCA)	About 1/3 cup (Merck)
11 lb (5 kg)	Unlimited (RSPCA)	5.5 cups (Merck); 2.8–5.5 cups (House Rabbit Society)	4.4 oz (125 g) (RSPCA)	About 1/2 cup (Merck)

The figures come from three rules. The RSPCA allows 25 g of nuggets per kg of body weight for a healthy adult. Merck gives 1/4 cup of timothy-based pellets per 5 lb and 1 cup of vegetables per 2 lb. The House Rabbit Society gives 1–2 cups of vegetables per 4 lb, made up of at least three types of leafy green. Merck’s pellet amount is noticeably smaller than the RSPCA’s. A sensible approach is to start at the lower amount for an indoor or neutered rabbit and adjust based on body condition. Growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight rabbits may need more (RSPCA).

Feed pellets and greens in the early morning and late afternoon, when rabbits naturally graze (RSPCA). Weigh the pellet ration out each time rather than topping up the bowl.

Safe, limit and never

Food	Status	Notes
Grass hay (timothy, oat, orchard, meadow)	Safe, unlimited	Lower in calcium than alfalfa (Merck)
Romaine, spring greens, watercress, rocket, basil, rosemary, coriander, mint, dandelion leaves	Safe daily	Rotate several types (RSPCA)
Spinach, cabbage, celery	Limit	Fine occasionally (RSPCA)
Kale, collard, mustard and turnip greens, broccoli leaves, cauliflower	Limit	Listed as “limit amounts” (Merck)
Alfalfa hay	Limit	Only for youngsters and pregnant or nursing does. A small handful 3–4 times a week is plenty (RWAF)
Carrots, apple, banana, strawberries	Treat only	High in sugar. Feed carrot tops instead of roots (RSPCA). Once or twice a week (House Rabbit Society)
Muesli mixes, cereals, bread, pasta	Never	Encourages selective feeding (RSPCA)
Avocado, onion, leek, garlic, rhubarb, mushrooms, chilli	Never	Harmful or toxic (RSPCA)
Iceberg lettuce, potato and sweet potato, sweetcorn, tomato leaves and stems	Never	(RSPCA)
Apple seeds, fruit pits, raw beans, chocolate	Never	Toxic (Merck; RSPCA)
Lawnmower clippings, house plants, xylitol	Never	(RSPCA)

Introduce one new green at a time and drop it if droppings go soft (House Rabbit Society).

Switching a rabbit off muesli

The RSPCA’s method takes 14 to 28 days, depending on the rabbit:

1. Make sure hay and water are unlimited before you start.
2. Mix a small amount of plain nuggets into the current muesli.
3. Every few days, increase the nuggets and reduce the muesli until no muesli is left.
4. Check the rabbit at least twice a day. It should be eating plenty of hay and greens and passing normal droppings.
5. If droppings change and don’t return to normal within 24 hours, or the rabbit is eating less, book a vet visit (RSPCA).

Muesli is a problem because rabbits pick out the low-fibre pieces. The RSPCA links this to dental disease, digestive problems and obesity. Merck notes the same selective eating with pellets that have dried fruit or nuts mixed in.

Caecotrophs: the droppings they should eat

Rabbits produce two kinds of dropping. Hard, dry pellets are waste. Soft, moist caecotrophs are eaten straight from the bottom, mostly in the early morning (Merck). Merck says caecotrophs supply important protein and vitamins. You should rarely see them. Sticky clusters in the litter tray or matted under the tail mean the rabbit isn’t eating them, which raises the risk of digestive trouble and flystrike (RSPCA). See the grooming and hygiene guide for twice-daily rear checks.

Diet-related problems

Problem	Dietary link	What you notice
Dental disease	Front teeth grow about 2–3 mm a week, and too little hay and grass means too little wear. Some lops, dwarfs and minis are at higher risk (RSPCA)	Drooling, difficulty eating, overgrown incisors (RSPCA)
GI stasis	Too little fibre, often alongside dental pain or stress (Merck; RSPCA)	Fewer or no droppings. No droppings for over 12 hours is an urgent warning sign (Merck)
Obesity	Uncontrolled pellets, muesli and sugary treats (House Rabbit Society; RSPCA)	Gradual weight gain. Track weight and body condition score (RSPCA)
Urinary sludge and stones	Excess calcium, especially alfalfa-heavy diets in adults, plus heredity, infection and dehydration (Merck)	Blood in the urine (Merck)

Merck says moving adults from alfalfa to grass hay can help reduce recurrence of urinary sludge.

Mistakes that cause problems

• Giving alfalfa to an adult rabbit “for extra nutrition”. Its calcium is too high for adults other than breeding does (RWAF). Over time this can contribute to kidney damage and bladder stones (Merck).
• Topping up the pellet bowl. The rabbit fills up on pellets and eats less hay (RSPCA). That means less tooth wear and less gut fibre.
• Changing food overnight. Sudden changes upset the digestive system (RSPCA). Merck lists diet change among the triggers for serious intestinal disease, especially in young rabbits.
• Buying “gourmet” pellets. The House Rabbit Society warns against mixes containing seeds, nuts or grains, because they are high in carbohydrate.
• Treating carrots as a staple. The roots are high in sugar and contribute to weight gain (RSPCA).

For how rabbit feeding compares with guinea pigs, which also need vitamin C, see the guinea pig diet guide. For other species, see pet nutrition fundamentals.