How Much Hay and Pellets Does a Rabbit Need?
The single most important fact about feeding a rabbit is that grass hay, not pellets, is the foundation of the diet. A healthy adult rabbit should eat a pile of grass hay roughly the size of its own body every single day, which works out to about 50 grams of hay per kilogram of body weight, or close to 2 ounces a day for a 5 lb bun. Hay should make up 80 to 85 percent of what your rabbit eats because the long fiber keeps the gut moving and wears down teeth that grow continuously. Pellets, by contrast, are a small supplement: the long-standing veterinary rule is about a quarter cup of timothy pellets per 5 to 6 pounds of body weight, which is roughly 25 grams of pellets per kilogram for a healthy adult.
How We Calculate Each Portion
This calculator converts your rabbit\'s weight to kilograms, then estimates a daily hay pile at 50 g per kg and a pellet portion at 25 g per kg for healthy adults. Seniors and overweight rabbits get pellets cut to about 15 g per kg to encourage weight loss, while young, growing, and nursing rabbits get unlimited pellets and alfalfa to fuel growth and milk. Fresh leafy greens are estimated at about one cup per 2 pounds of body weight.
Daily Hay (g) = Weight(kg) x 50 ; Adult Pellets (g) = Weight(kg) x 25
Why Grass Hay Beats Alfalfa for Adults
Alfalfa is a legume, not a grass, and it is loaded with calcium and calories. That makes it perfect for a growing kit or a nursing doe, but for a healthy adult it is a recipe for obesity and painful bladder sludge or stones. Once a rabbit passes about 7 months, switch from alfalfa to a grass hay like timothy, orchard, or meadow, and reserve alfalfa only for rabbits that are young, pregnant, nursing, or underweight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much hay should a rabbit eat per day?
A healthy adult rabbit should have unlimited access to grass hay and will typically eat a pile about the size of its own body each day, roughly 50 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 5 lb rabbit that is around 110 to 115 grams, or 2 ounces, daily. Hay should make up 80 to 85 percent of the whole diet.
How many pellets should I give my rabbit?
The standard guideline is about a quarter cup of timothy pellets per 5 to 6 pounds of healthy adult body weight per day, which is roughly 25 grams per kilogram. Overweight and senior rabbits should get less, while young, growing, and nursing rabbits can have unlimited pellets. Too many pellets crowd out hay and lead to obesity and digestive trouble.
What kind of hay is best for rabbits?
For adult rabbits, grass hays such as timothy, orchard grass, or meadow hay are best because they are high in fiber and low in calcium and calories. Alfalfa hay should only be fed to rabbits under 7 months old, pregnant or nursing does, or underweight rabbits, since its high calcium and calorie content can cause obesity and bladder stones in healthy adults.
Can a rabbit live on pellets alone?
No. A diet of only pellets lacks the long fiber rabbits need to keep their gut moving and their teeth worn down, and it commonly causes obesity, dental disease, and life-threatening GI stasis. Hay must always be the bulk of the diet, with pellets as a small daily supplement and fresh leafy greens added in.
Practical Guide for Rabbit Hay & Pellet Calculator
The number that surprises most new rabbit owners is how little pellet a healthy adult actually needs. A common mistake is to fill a bowl with pellets and top it off whenever it empties, which quickly leads to an overweight rabbit that ignores its hay. Measuring out a flat quarter cup per 5 pounds once a day, and never refilling until tomorrow, is the simplest way to keep your bun lean and hungry for the hay that should dominate its diet.
Hay quality matters as much as quantity. Rabbits are picky and will refuse hay that is dusty, brown, or stale, so buy in amounts you will use within a couple of months and store it somewhere dry and airy rather than in a sealed bag that traps moisture. A full hay rack or a generous pile in a litter box, where many rabbits like to eat and toilet at the same time, encourages the near-constant grazing that healthy digestion depends on.
Watch your rabbit's body and droppings as the real feedback on whether portions are right. You should be able to feel the ribs with a light touch but not see them, and droppings should be plentiful, round, and roughly pea-sized. Small or sparse droppings, a rabbit that picks at hay but devours pellets, or any drop in appetite are early warning signs to cut pellets, increase hay, and call an exotic vet if a rabbit stops eating, since GI stasis can become an emergency within hours.
Quick Checklist
- Keep grass hay available at all times, refilling so it never fully runs out.
- Measure pellets once a day, about a quarter cup per 5 lb, and do not top off.
- Feed grass hay to adults and reserve alfalfa for young, nursing, or thin rabbits.
- Introduce new greens one at a time and watch droppings for any change.