What Do Rabbits Eat? The Complete UK Diet Guide
A healthy pet rabbit’s diet follows the 80/15/5 rule: 80% hay and grass, 15% leafy greens, 5% pellets and treats. Most diet problems in pet rabbits come from inverting that ratio.
The 80/15/5 Rule
| Proportion | What | How much per day |
|---|---|---|
| 80% | Hay & fresh grass | A pile bigger than the rabbit, refilled daily |
| 15% | Leafy greens & herbs | About 1 cup per kg of body weight |
| 5% | Pellets (good-quality, fibre-based) | 1 tablespoon per kg of body weight |
| <1% | Treats (fruit, root veg) | A piece the size of your thumbnail, 2–3 times a week |
1. Hay (80% of the diet)
Hay is the single most important food. It wears down constantly-growing teeth and keeps the gut moving — both of which prevent the two biggest killers of pet rabbits, dental disease and gut stasis.
For adult rabbits (over 6 months): Timothy, meadow or orchard grass hay. See our best hay picks →
For young rabbits (under 6 months): Alfalfa is appropriate for the calcium and protein. Switch to grass hay at 6 months.
2. Leafy Greens (15%)
Feed a variety — rotating three to five different greens per day is ideal. Introduce new greens one at a time over a few days to spot any digestive upset.
Safe Daily Greens
- Romaine and other dark leaf lettuces (not iceberg)
- Pak choi / bok choy
- Spring greens / collard greens
- Watercress
- Rocket / arugula
- Coriander, basil, mint, parsley, dill
- Dandelion leaves (pesticide-free)
- Plantain (the weed, not the banana)
Safe in Moderation (2–3 times a week)
- Kale and spinach — high in oxalates, rotate rather than daily
- Broccoli leaves and stems — can cause gas in some rabbits
- Carrot tops
- Celery (cut into 1cm pieces — the strings can tangle in teeth)
3. Pellets (5%)
A small daily amount of fibre-rich, hay-based pellets supplements vitamins and minerals. Look for pellets with at least 18% fibre and no added seeds, grains or coloured pieces (those are marketing, not nutrition).
Rule of thumb: 1 tablespoon per kg of body weight per day. An average 2kg rabbit needs about 2 tablespoons total.
4. Treats & Fruit (under 1%)
Pet rabbits love sugar but their digestive systems aren’t built for it. Treats should be the size of your thumbnail, no more than 2–3 times a week.
Safer treats: a slice of apple (no pips), a chunk of banana, a small strawberry, half a blueberry, a teaspoon of carrot (yes — carrots are a treat, not a daily food, despite cartoons).
Foods That Are Toxic to Rabbits
Never feed any of these — many are fatal even in small amounts. See the full toxic plant list →
- Avocado (toxic)
- Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol
- Onions, garlic, leeks, chives
- Rhubarb (leaves and stalks)
- Iceberg lettuce (no nutrition + lactucarium can cause diarrhoea)
- Potatoes (especially green or sprouted)
- Tomato leaves and stems (fruit OK in tiny amounts)
- Bread, cereal, biscuits, anything human-processed
- Yoghurt drops / commercial sugary “rabbit treats”
- Meat or dairy of any kind (rabbits are obligate herbivores)
Water
Constant access to fresh water. A water bowl is more natural and rabbits drink more from it; a bottle is harder to spill but needs daily cleaning. We’d provide both. See water bottle picks →
Diet Red Flags (Call the Vet)
Any of these signs means a vet trip — rabbits hide illness and gut stasis can be fatal within hours:
- Not eating hay for more than 12 hours
- No droppings (or very small, dry droppings) for 12 hours
- Soft, sticky droppings stuck to the bottom
- Sitting hunched up, grinding teeth loudly, refusing favourite foods
Sources & Further Reading
- Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF) feeding guidelines
- PDSA — Rabbit Care
- RSPCA — Diet for adult rabbits
- House Rabbit Society — Diet