A fresh pile of hay is one of the most useful things you can give your rabbit. It provides food to graze on, fibre for normal digestion and plenty of chewing time. Choosing a hay your rabbit enjoys, and keeping it fresh and easy to reach, helps make it part of everyday life.
Our expanded rabbit food, hay and treat range includes different feeding hays and natural forage to help you add variety. Here is how to choose and use them.
Why is hay so important for rabbits?
Rabbits are grazing herbivores. Good-quality grass hay or suitable fresh grass should make up the largest part of their diet, with a smaller amount of leafy greens and a measured portion of rabbit pellets alongside it.
- Digestion: the fibre in hay helps the gut work normally.
- Teeth: chewing grass and hay helps wear down teeth that keep growing throughout a rabbit's life.
- Natural behaviour: pulling out stems, investigating different textures and grazing give rabbits something worthwhile to do.
Pellets, forage mixes and chew toys each have their place, but none replaces a plentiful supply of feeding hay.
How much hay should a rabbit have?
Keep fresh feeding hay available all day and night. A bundle around the size of your rabbit's body is a useful daily starting point, but it is not a limit: top it up whenever needed and replace anything wet or soiled.
Offer hay in more than one accessible place, especially where rabbits share their home. Keep fresh drinking water available too.
Timothy, meadow or alfalfa: which hay should you choose?
Timothy hay for everyday feeding
Timothy is a grass hay and a good everyday option for healthy adult rabbits. Its mixture of stems, leaves and seed heads gives rabbits different textures to investigate.
Pillow Wad Timothy Hay 2kg is UK sourced and dust extracted. We also stock Snowflake British Timothy Hay, giving you another option to try alongside your rabbit's usual hay.
Meadow hay for a mixture of grasses
Meadow hay contains a mixture of grasses, with the exact texture and appearance varying between harvests. It can be offered on its own or alongside Timothy hay to give your rabbit a choice.
Pillow Wad Meadow Hay 2.25kg contains meadow grasses and herbs and is supplied unchopped and dust extracted. Our British Meadow Hay is another everyday feeding option.
Alfalfa is different from grass hay
Alfalfa is a legume rather than a grass. It is richer in protein and calcium, so it is not the usual main hay for healthy adult rabbits. It may have a role for growing or nursing rabbits, or where your vet recommends it, alongside grass hay.
Our Pillow Wad Alfalfa Hay 1kg is listed separately so you can choose it for the right purpose. If your rabbit has urinary problems or other dietary needs, ask your rabbit-savvy vet which hay and overall diet are appropriate.
What should good feeding hay look and smell like?
Choose hay with a pleasant, fresh smell. It should be dry and free from mould, excessive dust and foreign objects. Natural colour variation is normal; colour alone does not tell you whether a hay is suitable.
Store it somewhere cool and dry, protected from moisture. Check each fresh handful as you put it out and keep feeding areas clean.
How to make hay feeding more interesting
Small changes in presentation can encourage your rabbit to investigate their hay:
- Add a little leafy forage. Introduce a small amount of Natural Nibbles Dandelion Salad through their usual hay. This blend contains dandelion, nettle and echinacea leaves.
- Try an edible hay bowl. The Natural Nibbles Timothy Hay Bowl combines Timothy hay, meadow grass and flowers in a palm leaf bowl. Offer it as complementary enrichment while keeping ordinary feeding hay freely available.
- Vary where hay is offered. A shallow forage tray or a suitably positioned hay feeder gives your rabbit another place to explore. Keep hay easy to reach without climbing or becoming caught.
Introduce new foods gradually and follow the product's feeding guidance. For more activities and suitable chew toys, read our enrichment and foraging guide for rabbits, guinea pigs and small pets.
Rabbit hay FAQs
Can I mix Timothy and meadow hay?
Yes. Offering both gives your rabbit a choice of textures. Watch what they actually eat and keep replenishing fresh hay.
Can guinea pigs eat the same feeding hay?
Good-quality Timothy and meadow hay are suitable for guinea pigs too. Their overall diet is different, however: they need guinea-pig-specific food and a reliable dietary supply of vitamin C. Browse our guinea pig food, hay and treats for suitable options.
Is straw the same as feeding hay?
No. Straw is mainly used as bedding and should not replace the grass hay your rabbit eats.
What if my rabbit will not eat hay?
Try a fresh batch, a different grass hay and a more accessible feeding position. Review pellets and treats with your vet if they are crowding hay out of the diet. A sudden drop in appetite, fewer droppings or no eating needs urgent veterinary advice; do not assume your rabbit is simply being fussy.
Find your rabbit's next favourite hay at Woofingtons
Explore our rabbit feeding range for everyday hay and complementary forage, or browse small-pet toys and enrichment for new ways to keep feeding interesting. You can also visit our Leigh, Hindley and Pemberton shops for help choosing from the range.