# Rabbit daily hay calculator

> Enter your rabbit’s weight to get the daily pellet allowance and a breed-size-specific hay note. The 80% hay / 10% greens / 5% pellets / 0–5% treats split comes from the House Rabbit Society and RSPCA rabbit diet guidance.

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## How much hay should a rabbit eat per day?

Unlimited grass hay — 80% of the daily diet, available 24/7. Pellets are a supplement, not a staple: about 0.4 oz per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg; ≈ 1.8 oz/day for a 4.4 lb rabbit, ≈ 4.4 oz/day for an 11 lb rabbit). Pair with leafy greens and limit treats to under 5% of the diet.

## Daily plan by breed size

| Body weight | Hay | Pellet allowance |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4.4 lb (0–2 kg) (Dwarf / small breed) | Offer unlimited grass hay (timothy, orchard, meadow) around the clock — refill before the rack empties. | Limit pellets to roughly 0.4 oz per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg; about 0.9 oz/day for a 2.2 lb dwarf). |
| 4.4–11 lb (2–5 kg) (Standard breed) | Grass hay should make up around 80% of the daily diet — keep unlimited grass hay available 24/7 (at least a body-sized bundle). | Limit pellets to roughly 0.4 oz per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg; about 1.8–4.4 oz/day for a 4.4–11 lb rabbit). |
| 11 lb (5 kg) and up (Large / giant breed) | Hay intake scales with body size — keep unlimited grass hay available 24/7, provide multiple hay racks and refill twice daily; giants can eat a full bundle a day. | Limit pellets to roughly 0.4 oz per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg; about 4.4 oz/day for an 11 lb rabbit, scaling upward). |

Hay is unlimited in every row — only the pellet allowance scales with body weight.

## How the daily plan works

Grass hay (timothy, orchard, meadow) is the staple: it should make up around 80% of a rabbit’s daily intake and stay available 24/7. Hay wears down continuously growing teeth and keeps the gut moving — take it away and gut stasis becomes a real risk.

Pellets are a supplement, not a main course. The widely cited reference is about 0.4 oz of pellets per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg). A 4.4 lb (2 kg) rabbit gets roughly 1.8 oz (50 g); an 11 lb (5 kg) rabbit gets roughly 4.4 oz (125 g). Measuring the portion matters — dwarf breeds gain weight fast on free-choice pellets.

Pair the pellets with leafy greens (about 1 cup per 2 lb of body weight per day) and keep treats (fruit, carrots, commercial treats) to under 5% of the diet. Anything more shifts the calorie ratio away from hay and toward sugars and starches.

Worked example: a 12.2 lb (2.5 kg) standard rabbit gets about 2.2 oz (62.5 g) of pellets per day on the 0.4 oz/lb rule, while a 29.2 lb (6 kg) large breed gets about 5.3 oz (150 g)/day and a 6.8 lb (1.4 kg) dwarf only 1.2 oz (35 g)/day — hay stays unlimited for all three.

## Hay feeding FAQ

**Q: How much hay should a rabbit eat per day?**

As much as it wants — keep grass hay (timothy, orchard, meadow) available 24/7. Hay should be around 80% of the daily diet. A typical adult rabbit eats roughly its own body size in hay each day.

**Q: How many pellets should I feed my rabbit?**

About 0.4 oz of pellets per pound of body weight per day (25 g per kg). That is roughly 1.8 oz for a 4.4 lb (2 kg) rabbit, 2.6 oz for a 6.6 lb (3 kg) rabbit, and 4.4 oz for an 11 lb (5 kg) rabbit. Measure the portion — dwarf breeds get fat on free-choice pellets.

**Q: Can a rabbit survive on pellets alone?**

No. Pellets are too calorie-dense and too low in fibre for the rabbit’s gut. A pellet-only diet leads to obesity, dental disease, and gut stasis. Hay must make up around 80% of the diet.

**Q: What kind of hay is best?**

Grass hay — timothy, orchard grass, or meadow hay. Alfalfa is a legume hay, higher in calcium and protein, and is best reserved for young or underweight rabbits.

**Q: My rabbit ignores hay — what now?**

Try a fresher cut, switch grass types (timothy vs orchard), or offer hay in different forms (loose, in a rack, in a foraging toy). Limit pellets — rabbits on free-choice pellets rarely eat enough hay. A rabbit-savvy vet can rule out dental disease if the disinterest persists.

## Sources & diet standards

The 80 / 10 / 5 / 5 split and the pellet guideline below come from the House Rabbit Society and the RSPCA rabbit diet guidance.

- [[Hygienic quality of feedstuffs for small mammals sent to the consultation service]](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24737185/) — Wolf P, Siesenop U, Verspohl J, Kamphues J, Tierarztl Prax Ausg K Kleintiere Heimtiere, 2014.
- [Rabbit diet FAQ — feeding the correct diet](https://rabbit.org/faq-diet/) — House Rabbit Society. Welfare organization laying out the 80% hay / 10% greens / 5% pellets / 0–5% treats diet split, with pellet portions measured against body weight.
- [Rabbit diet and welfare](https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/rabbits/diet) — RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). UK welfare body emphasizing hay as the staple, with pellets as a measured supplement and leafy greens as a daily addition.

_Plan your rabbit's diet with the interactive calculator: https://petguidecalc.com/hamster/rabbit-hay/_