All About Hay
Hay is the single most important part of a rabbit’s diet. For every rabbit, from the tiniest kit to the wisest senior, hay provides the fiber, nutrition, and enrichment needed for a long, healthy life.
Why Hay Matters
Digestive Health: Hay keeps your rabbit’s gut flora balanced, ensuring smooth digestion and helping prevent life-threatening gastrointestinal stasis.
Dental Health: The repetitive, side-to-side chewing motion required to eat hay naturally wears down rabbit teeth, preventing painful dental issues.
Mental Enrichment: Foraging and grazing on hay satisfies your rabbit’s natural instincts, reduces boredom, and encourages healthy activity.
Prevents Hair Blockages: Especially for long-haired breeds, hay helps move ingested fur safely through the digestive tract.
Hay should make up at least 85% of your rabbit’s diet - it’s not just a snack, it’s their main course that they need access to 24/7. There are a wide variety of hay available, and offering multiple options helps prevent picky eating. To better understand hay varieties, read more in our companion hay article here.
Special Considerations by Rabbit Age
Some hay varieties have very different nutritional contents, and as a result, hay varieties should be selectively offered based on a rabbit’s diet and specific needs.
Baby Rabbits (under 6 months): Alfalfa hay is ideal due to its higher protein and calcium, supporting growth. Offer with timothy and orchard hay mixed in to make adult transitions easier as they mature.
Adults: Grass hays (timothy, orchard, meadow) are best, offering the right balance of fiber and nutrients. SDHRS offers a 50:50 blend of timothy and Oorchard hay as part of our shelter rabbits’ standard diet.
Seniors: Softer hays (3rd cut Timothy, Orchard) may be easier to chew if dental issues arise, but always offer some coarser hay for dental wear if possible.
How to Store Hay
Cool, Dry, and Dark: Store hay in a temperature-controlled, low-humidity environment to prevent mold and nutrient loss.
Ventilation: Ensure hay can “breathe” - use original packaging with ventilation holes or loosely covered bins. Avoid airtight containers.
Keep It Fresh: Only buy as much as you can use in a few months. Check for mold, dust, or musty smells before feeding.
Avoid: The sun bleaches hay and degrades nutrients. Keep hay out of direct sunlight. Also, refrigerators, freezers, and humid areas can damage the quality and safety of the hay.
Garages and basements without temperature controls could also be dangerous for your rabbit’s hay. A room temperature of approximately 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended for optimal storage while avoiding sudden temperature changes.
Tips for Buying Hay
Look for green color, fresh smell, and minimal dust.
Choose pesticide-free and chemical-free hay.
Buy from reputable suppliers or local farms when possible.
Offer a variety to keep your rabbit interested and healthy.
Hay is a natural product gathered directly from wild fields. It’s possible, though uncommon, to find the occasional dried insect or, rarely, remnants of small woodland creatures among the strands. While this can feel unsettling, it’s a natural occurrence in field-harvested hay, and reputable hay companies take careful steps to minimize such surprises. Always check new hay before serving it to your rabbit, and know you can reach out to the supplier with any concerns.
Encouraging Your Rabbit to Eat More Hay
Getting a rabbit to eat more hay can take a little creativity, but it’s vital for their health. Here are effective strategies:
Limit Pellets and Treats: Reduce the amount of pellets and treats offered. Too many pellets can fill up a rabbit and make hay less appealing- potentially leading to GI issues. Offer pellets only once a day in a measured amount. You can determine a healthy amount based on their weight, age, and overall health, but we do recommend speaking with your Exotic Veterinary Doctor to decide on the best amount for your rabbit.
Offer Fresh Hay Frequently: Rabbits are selective and often prefer the freshest hay. Top-off hay at least once a day, and don’t hesitate to offer a new pile even if some is left over. Store “reject” hay separately and mix it back in with fresh hay later.
Provide Variety: Rotate between different types and cuts of hay (Timothy, Orchard, Meadow, Oat, etc.). Mixing in small amounts of more fragrant or tasty hays, like oat or herbal blends, can entice picky eaters.
Enrich with Safe Additions: Sprinkle dried herbs, edible flowers (from trusted sources in efforts to maintain biosecurity measures against RHDV), or safe fresh greens among the hay to make it more interesting.
Creative Presentation: Place hay in multiple locations, in hay racks, litter boxes, or toys. Stuff hay into cardboard tubes to encourage foraging behavior.
Model Eating: Sometimes, hand-feeding a few strands or rubbing a tiny amount of banana on hay can spark interest.
Safe Fresh Greens: If your rabbit is reluctant, offer high-water-content greens like green leaf or red leaf lettuce (no iceberg lettuce unless recommended by vet) alongside hay to stimulate appetite.
What To Do If Your Rabbit Isn’t Eating Hay
A sudden or prolonged refusal to eat hay is an urgent medical concern. Rabbits have delicate digestive systems that require constant movement of fibrous food. When a rabbit stops eating, the gut slows down or stops - a dangerous condition called GI stasis. This can become fatal in as little as 12 hours or less.
Immediate steps:
Assess Quickly: Note how long your rabbit has gone without eating and check for other symptoms (lethargy, no poops, hunched posture, bloating, teeth grinding)
Offer Tempting Foods: Try fresh, rinsed greens and fresh hay. Avoid pellets and sugary treats at this time.
Monitor Closely: If your rabbit eats nothing for more than 12 hours, or is eating very little and showing signs of illness, contact a rabbit-savvy veterinarian immediately.
Prepare for the Vet: Write down when your rabbit last ate, what they ate, what symptoms you’ve observed, and any recent changes in diet or environment.
Why Not Eating Hay Is So Serious
GI Stasis Risk: Without hay, the digestive system can shut down, causing gas buildup, pain, and potentially fatal toxin production.
Dental Disease: Refusing hay may signal dental problems. Overgrown teeth or dental pain can make chewing hay difficult or impossible. Even if your rabbit eats softer foods, dental issues require prompt veterinary attention.
Other Illness: Loss of appetite can be a symptom of many illnesses, including infections, pain, or stress. Only an Exotic Veterinary Doctor can diagnose and treat the underlying cause.
If your rabbit is not eating properly or has completely stopped eating, it’s crucial to act immediately. This isn’t a matter to delay; a rabbit’s digestive system is incredibly sensitive, and any disruption can quickly lead to serious, even life-threatening, complications. Immediate veterinary attention is necessary.
Never wait and see if a rabbit’s appetite will return on its own. Even a single missed meal can be life-threatening for rabbits.
In Summary
Hay is the foundation of rabbit health - always offer unlimited amounts.
Mix different types and cuts for variety and optimal nutrition.
Use cubes, stacks, and hay twists as enrichment, but not as replacements.
Store hay properly to preserve freshness and safety.
If your rabbit suddenly stops eating hay or shows a loss of appetite, act quickly - this can signal serious health issues like GI stasis or dental disease.
Providing yummy and nutritious hay isn’t just a chore - it’s a gesture of love from you to your rabbit. It’s your way of letting them know that they mean the world to you, and because of that, you will make sure that they have the very best hay possible - even if that means you might find yourself hand-feeding them strands of timothy hay one by one! If you have any questions about your rabbit’s diet and or health, do not hesitate to reach out to your exotic veterinary doctor and/or contact us at San Diego House Rabbit Society directly. Any one of us could talk about anything rabbit-related all day, every day.
Fresh SDHRS Hay Sources in San Diego County
San Diego House Rabbit Society offers freshly packed hays and grasses at a reasonable price, packed and distributed by local SDHRS volunteers. Purchasing hay at the locations listed below supports our rescue efforts and the veterinary care for our foster and shelter bunnies.
Plan ahead. Don’t let your hay supply run out before trying to buy more. Call ahead to see if there is hay; hay is sold on a first-come, first-served basis
North County
Diane Calkins - North County Hay Shed
1440 Paseo de las Flores
Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: 760-633-1564
(Checks preferred.)
Open for pick up 24/7 - On your honor system
Central San Diego
SDHRS Bunny Store
4807 Mercury Street, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: 858-565-2869
(Corner of Mercury Street & Ronson Road)
Online orders only at www.shop.sandiegorabbits.org
Open for pick up 7 days a week:
12:00pm to 5 p.m.
