Cheap rabbit food that doesn't cut corners on hay
The cheapest way to feed a rabbit properly is to spend most of the budget on hay, not on pellets. Hay should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet by weight, buying it in a larger bag brings the per-kilo price down a long way, and pellets and fresh veg only need to be a small daily top-up rather than the main event.
Hay is where the budget should actually go
A rabbit's digestive system is built around near-constant grazing on hay, and it should make up most of what a rabbit eats every single day — far more than the pellets or nuggets that get most of the attention on a shop shelf. Because of that, hay is genuinely the thing worth spending on, and it's also the easiest place to save money without cutting any corners: a bigger bag bought less often is reliably cheaper per kilo than small bags bought weekly.
Feeding hay generously isn't extravagant, it's the correct amount — a rabbit should have access to a pile roughly the size of their own body every day, refreshed as it gets soiled or picked over. Buying in bulk when you have the storage space for it, and keeping it somewhere dry, is the single biggest lever on the overall cost of feeding a rabbit well.
Pellets and fresh veg are the smaller, cheaper part
Pellets or nuggets should only be a modest daily measure per rabbit rather than a bowl kept topped up — a good-quality pellet feed is genuinely one of the cheaper parts of a rabbit's diet by weight once you look at how little of it is actually needed each day compared with hay. Overfeeding pellets is both an unnecessary cost and not good for a rabbit's digestion, so getting the daily amount right saves money and does the rabbit a favour at the same time.
Fresh leafy greens and vegetables, fed daily alongside hay and pellets, don't need to be anything exotic or expensive — everyday leafy veg from a normal shop works, introduced gradually and varied through the week. This is the one area where 'cheap' genuinely means cheap without any trade-off, since a rabbit's fresh veg needs are modest in volume.
Where not to cut corners
The place cost-cutting goes wrong is swapping hay for cheaper pellets or muesli-style mixes to save money, which does the opposite of what it looks like — a rabbit fed mostly on concentrated feed rather than hay is more likely to develop dental and digestive problems over time, which cost far more to treat than a decent bag of hay ever costs to buy. Hay is not the optional extra in a rabbit's diet; it is the diet, and pellets are the extra.
It's honest to say that no single product here is 'the cheapest on the market' — prices move and vary by size and by where you shop — but buying hay in the largest practical bag, measuring pellets rather than free-feeding them, and keeping fresh veg simple and seasonal is a genuinely lower-cost way to feed a rabbit properly, not a compromise on their welfare.
The cheaper end of the range
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Adjustable Tortoise Harness and Lead
An adjustable harness and lead set sized for tortoises and turtles, for safe garden adventures.
£7.99
Four Flags Quick Ferret Muzzle — Grooming & Handling Aid
A temporary, reliable muzzle designed specifically for ferrets — useful for grooming, medicating, and routine handling.
£14.99
Hamster Exercise Ball
A clear rolling exercise ball that lets your hamster roam and stay active safely around the home, with ventilation slots and a secure lid. Supplied in a random colour.
£7.99
Rabbit No-Rinse Dry-Cleaning Foam
A no-rinse foam that gently cleans and freshens your rabbit's coat between full washes, no water needed.
£7.99
PawHut 12-Panel Small Animal Playpen for Guinea Pigs, 105cm, White
Twelve 45 x 35cm panels and multi-angle connectors that build a 105 x 105cm open pen at 45cm high, for evening floor time with guinea pigs or hedgehogs.
£35.99
Poultry Nappy Harness for Chickens, Ducks & Geese
A washable fabric nappy harness for house poultry, catching droppings to keep your home clean.
From£7.99
Hanging Cage Hammock for Small Pets
A soft sherpa-lined cage hammock that gives small pets a warm, lofted spot to curl up.
From£8.99
Selective Timothy Hay
UK-grown Timothy hay for rabbits and other small animals, for unlimited daily feeding
£9.99
Small Pet Carrier Shoulder Bag with Bubble Window
A ventilated travel carrier bag for hamsters, guinea pigs and other small pets, with a clear bubble window and breathable mesh panels. The adjustable shoulder strap makes outings and vet trips easy.
£13.99
Selective Naturals Woodland Loops
Dandelion and rosehip flavoured loop treats for rabbits, guinea pigs, degus and chinchillas
£3.99
Selective Naturals Orchard Loops
Apple-flavoured loop treats for rabbits, guinea pigs, degus and chinchillas
£3.99
Selective Naturals Meadow Loops
Pea-flavoured loop treats for rabbits, guinea pigs, degus and chinchillas
£3.99
Common questions
- Is it cheaper to buy rabbit food in bulk?
- Generally yes, particularly for hay, where a larger bag almost always works out cheaper per kilo than repeatedly buying small bags. It only pays off if you can store it somewhere cool and dry so it doesn't spoil before it's used, so weigh up your storage space against the saving.
- Can I feed my rabbit less hay to save money?
- No — hay should make up most of a rabbit's daily diet regardless of budget, and cutting it back to save money tends to cause dental and digestive problems that cost far more to treat than the hay saved. If money is tight, buying hay in bulk is the better way to reduce cost without reducing the amount fed.
- Are muesli-style rabbit mixes a cheap way to feed rabbits?
- They can look cheaper per bag, but rabbits often pick out the tasty bits and leave the rest, which means poor nutrition for the price paid. A measured amount of a plain pellet or nugget feed alongside plenty of hay is generally the better-value and more nutritionally complete option.
- How much should I be spending on fresh vegetables for a rabbit?
- Not much — fresh veg is a daily top-up rather than a large part of the diet by weight, so ordinary seasonal leafy vegetables from a normal shop are perfectly adequate and inexpensive. There's no need to buy anything specialist or expensive to cover this part of the diet.
Related
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Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.