Monty is a three-year-old Rex rabbit — black and white, approximately the size and attitude of a small, opinionated cat. Rex rabbits are known for their exceptionally soft, plush coats. It's one of the things that makes the breed distinctive. For the first year I had him, Monty's coat was exactly that: dense, velvety, noticeably soft.
Then, gradually, it wasn't. By the time he was two, his coat had become dull and slightly coarse in patches. He was also less active than he'd been — still eating, still moving around, but with less of the curiosity and energy I'd come to expect from him. I took him to the vet twice. Both times I was told he was healthy. No parasites, no illness, nothing obviously wrong. "Could be diet," the second vet said, almost as an afterthought.
The Diet Problem I Hadn't Considered
I'm a software developer based in Bristol, and I approach problems the way I approach code: methodically, with too many browser tabs open. I started researching rabbit nutrition properly for the first time, which I should have done before I got Monty but hadn't. What I found was that grain — specifically corn and wheat, which appear in a surprising number of mainstream rabbit foods — is not well-suited to a rabbit's digestive system. Rabbits evolved eating grass, hay, and forage. Grains are a relatively modern addition to commercial pet food, included largely as a cheap filler, and some rabbits are more sensitive to them than others.
Rex rabbits, I discovered, are among the breeds more likely to show coat and energy changes in response to dietary issues. I looked at the bag of food I'd been giving Monty for eighteen months. Corn was the third ingredient.
Why I Chose Supreme Selective Naturals Grain Free
I needed a food that was genuinely grain-free — not "low grain" or "natural" in the marketing sense, but actually free from corn and wheat. I also wanted a clean ingredient profile I could read and understand, without a list of additives and artificial colours that I'd need a chemistry degree to interpret.
The Supreme Selective Naturals Grain Free Rabbit Food met both criteria clearly. Completely free from corn and wheat. Enriched with linseed specifically for skin and coat support — which, given Monty's coat condition, felt directly relevant. No added sugars. No artificial colours. A species-appropriate formula designed to work across all life stages. The ingredient list was short, readable, and made sense. I ordered a bag the same evening.
The Transition and Early Signs
I switched Monty over gradually over two weeks, mixing the new food with the old in increasing proportions. He took to it immediately — no hesitation, no selective eating, no leaving bits he didn't want. He ate all of it, every time, which was already an improvement on the old food where he'd occasionally leave the less appealing pieces.
By the end of the first month I noticed he was moving around more. Not dramatically — Monty is not a dramatic rabbit — but with more of the purposeful curiosity he'd had when he was younger. He was exploring his space more, coming to investigate things rather than watching from a distance. Small changes, but consistent ones.
The Coat Change
The coat took longer. I'd read that dietary changes affecting coat condition can take eight to twelve weeks to become visible, because coat health reflects what the animal was eating weeks ago rather than what it's eating now. I was patient, which is not my natural state.
At around ten weeks, I noticed it. The dullness in Monty's coat had started to lift. The patches that had felt slightly coarse were softer. By week fourteen, his coat was closer to what it had been in his first year — dense, plush, with the velvety quality that Rex rabbits are supposed to have. I ran my hand along his back and felt the difference clearly. The linseed enrichment had done exactly what it claimed.
I took him back to the vet for a routine check at around the four-month mark. She commented on his coat unprompted. "He looks well," she said. "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."
Eight Months On
Monty's coat has stayed in good condition. His energy levels have remained higher than they were in that difficult second year. He eats every meal completely, which tells me he's getting something from the food that the old formula wasn't providing. The 1.5kg bag lasts him about three weeks and stores well between uses.
The thing I keep coming back to is how long I let the problem go on before I looked at the food. A year of a dull coat and reduced energy, two vet visits, and the answer was in the ingredient list of what I was feeding him every day. I'm not sure whether to feel foolish about that or just relieved that the fix was relatively straightforward once I found it.
If your rabbit's coat or energy isn't what it should be and you've ruled out illness, I'd look at the food before anything else. You'll find the Supreme Selective Naturals Grain Free in the Small Animal Food, Small Animal Supplies, and Pet Supplies collections.
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