Gut stasis is a life-threatening welfare emergency in rabbits caused by inadequate diet; hay-based diets prevent the most common and serious rabbit health problems.
Rabbit nutritional welfare is systematically undermined by the pet industry's promotion of inappropriate concentrated feeds. Grass hay is not supplemental for rabbits - it is the biological foundation of their diet, required both for correct dental wear and for the gut motility that prevents life-threatening stasis. Muesli mix feeds allow rabbits to selectively eat calorically dense ingredients and leave fiber, resulting in exactly the dietary imbalance that causes GI and dental disease. The gap between commercially promoted rabbit nutrition and veterinary-recommended nutrition represents a systemic welfare failure affecting millions of pet rabbits.