05/16/2026
These are really good tips. This is basically how I feed. Mine get greens a couple of times a week-mostly greens and herbs from the garden, no vegetables and no fruit or at least very, very rarely.
I do give mine hay based treats for training (bribery) purposes but other than that just pellets and hay.
Why Breeders See Less Stasis Than Pet Homes
(And what pet owners can learn from it without judgment)
I’ve had one foot in the breeding world and one in the pet world for years now. I’m a very observant person, and it is undeniably true that breeders see far less stasis than the average pet home.
I know that statement won’t sit well with some pet owners but sometimes being uncomfortable is a necessary part of learning. Nobody does everything perfectly, not breeders and not pet owners. But when we see recognizable patterns, we should be able to examine them rationally instead of emotionally.
And the pattern is very clear, breeders without a doubt have fewer GI issues than many well intentioned pet homes.
Here’s why.
Rabbits thrive on monotony, not variety.
The rabbit cecum is designed for a stable, predictable diet. Breeder diets are usually:
• hay
• pellets
• water
• same thing every day at the same time.
Pet homes often introduce:
• rotating greens
• large salads
• treats
• fruit
• novelty foods
And it really is just that simple.
Hay + Pellets is simple, but it’s stable.
• consistent
• fiber forward
• predictable
• not constantly changing
And here’s the part most pet owners don’t realize:
When a rabbit fills up on greens, they don’t eat as much hay.
Greens are:
• high in water
• low in indigestible fiber
• exciting and flavorful
So when rabbits get large salads, they naturally choose the “fun” food first. That means hay intake drops. The cecum gets less of the long stem fiber it depends on. The rabbit often becomes picky and eventually refuse hay altogether.
This is one of the biggest differences between pet homes and breeders. Breeders simply don’t create hay refusers. So hay remains the primary food and the rabbits eat it enthusiastically.
At the end of the day, perfection isn’t what keeps rabbits healthy. Consistency is.
A rabbit’s gut doesn’t care how “perfect” a salad looks, how many varieties you can list, or how impressive it seems on Instagram. What their biology needs, what their cecum depends on is predictable, stable input. The same fibers. The same structure. The same rhythm.
That’s why breeders don’t see the same stasis rates pet homes do. Not because they’re doing something magical or even “better” but because they’re doing the same thing, every day.
And rabbits thrive on that.
That’s what keeps rabbits alive.
That’s what prevents stasis.
That’s what aligns with their biology.
