🍖Feeding a Polish: hay, greens and measured pellets
Polish : With its very small build, the Polish is quickly overfed: weigh the pellets, as around twenty grams a day is often enough, and rely on unlimited hay. Introduce each new vegetable over several days, as its miniature digestive system copes poorly with sudden changes.
In short: Around 1 to 1.5 kg as an adult, glossy short coat, lively and sometimes reserved temperament. A tiny, lively and alert rabbit, sometimes reserved, that gains confidence with gentle socialisation. Its miniature format demands genuinely scaled-down accessories — a low-rim litter tray, shallow bowls — and a pen with bar spacing it cannot slip through.
Hay first, pellets second
A 1 to 1.5 kg Polish’s plate is built in this order: quality hay on free access (80% of the diet), fresh greens every day, and a measured 20 to 40 g of fibre-rich pellets. Pellets are measured; hay never is.
What is specific to the Polish at mealtimes
In a 1 to 1.5 kg dwarf, every extra counts double: two grams of sugary treat for it equals a slice of cake for you. Fruit in micro-amounts, never colourful seed mixes. A rabbit that snubs its hay is a rabbit to watch: it is the first signal of a dental or digestive problem.
Gut health: watch-point number one
GI stasis is the classic rabbit emergency: a Polish that stops eating and producing droppings for 12 hours needs an exotics vet, not waiting. Prevention comes down to three words: fibre, water, movement. The rest of the profile is on the full Polish profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many pellets for a Polish?
20 to 40 g a day for an adult of 1 to 1.5 kg — alongside unlimited hay, which remains the bulk of the diet.
Which greens can a Polish eat?
The safe bets: endive, carrot tops, coriander, basil, celery leaves — always one novelty at a time. Iceberg lettuce, potato and fermenting vegetables stay in the fridge, and doubt means abstention.
The guides that apply to you
- Can rabbits eat carrots? The myth under scrutiny
Contrary to the cliché, the carrot is a sugary vegetable to ration for rabbits. Root, tops, amounts: what science says about real needs.
- Budget or premium hay for your rabbit: which should you buy?
Budget or premium hay for your rabbit? Real quality differences, the traps of cheap hay, price per kilo: the comparison for smart buying.
- Bottle or bowl: which container for rabbit hydration, according to the study?
Does a bottle really limit how much water a rabbit drinks? What a study comparing open dishes and nipple drinkers shows.
- Changing a rabbit's diet: why the transition needs to take 7 to 10 days
Pellets, hay or vegetables: any abrupt dietary change disrupts a rabbit's caecal flora. A French study explains why a gradual transition isn't optional.