Rabbit food portions by age and weight: how to calculate them
A rabbit's daily ration follows a strict order: unlimited hay first, then a serving of fresh vegetables sized to the animal, and finally a limited amount of pellets calculated from its actual weight, never eyeballed. Getting this order wrong is the most common cause of obesity in pet rabbits.
How many pellets by body weight?
The most widely used rule is around 25 g of pellets per kilo of body weight per day for a neutered adult, adjusted for activity level and actual build rather than breed. A 2 kg rabbit would therefore get around 50 g a day, split into one or two feedings, never left out freely, which invites weight gain.
How many fresh vegetables each day?
Aim for roughly one cup of varied leafy greens per 1-1.5 kg of body weight, introduced gradually to avoid digestive upset in an animal not used to them. Our guide to safe vegetables and greens for rabbits covers which types to favour and which to avoid.
Should the ration change with age?
A growing kit and a pregnant doe need richer pellets and unlimited access, while a sedentary neutered adult should have its ration reduced to prevent weight gain. In a senior rabbit, appetite and mobility often shift: weighing the animal monthly with our guide to weighing and tracking a rabbit's weight lets you adjust the ration before a problem sets in.
- Hay: unlimited, round the clock, the non-negotiable base of the ration;
- Pellets: around 25 g/kg/day for a neutered adult, never left out freely;
- Fresh vegetables: around one cup per 1-1.5 kg, introduced gradually;
- Monthly weigh-ins: the best indicator for adjusting the ration over time;
- Diet changes: always gradual, over 7-10 days, to avoid digestive upset.
To choose a solid pellet base, our guide to reading a rabbit pellet label helps spot a genuinely sound composition. Find all our food guides in the rabbit food section and the whole universe on the rabbit hub.
Frequently asked questions
Can a rabbit eat unlimited hay without gaining weight?
Yes, hay is low in calories and high in fibre: it's precisely the one item that should stay unlimited, unlike pellets, which carry most of the ration's calories.
Should pellets be weighed or measured with a scoop?
Weighing to the gram with a kitchen scale is far more reliable than a measuring scoop, whose volume varies with pellet shape and easily distorts the actual amount served.
How do you know if the current ration is too generous?
Gradual weight gain across several monthly weigh-ins, combined with pellets finished too quickly, is the most reliable signal to scale the ration back with a vet's guidance.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rabbits universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.