bunny going on a diet...

Hi guys,

My eldest bun is one and a half, and while she isn't horrifically over weight, her dewlap is not getting any smaller and so i want to cut down on the amount of food she has and have started getting her to run around more.

I have been giving her smallish handfuls of pellets morning and eve, but think i prob need to just be giving her one lot a day. My question is, what time of day is best for a bun? And how much? I don't want her to go hungry, she always has LOADS of fresh hay and some greens, will this be enough???!

I think morning is best for the meal. Some people on here give their bunnies one eggcupful, but I give mine get 20g each of pellets. If you want her to lose weight, I'd recommend one eggcupful a day. Unlimited fresh hay and greens will be plenty. Some people don't even give their bunnies pellets, it's just additional, it is not essential.

I think pellets in the morning and greens in the evening is the advice I was given. Not really sure why however :?

Hello! Is your bun spayed? Because dewlaps are at least in part hormone related, it may well get very large due to hormones even if the bun is not overweight, so it is important to distinguish the difference before dieting your bun. If it's just the dewlap then spaying will help it to not get any larger.

If she really does need to diet, then it is really important to make any changes slowly, as losing weight too quickly can also be dangerous to a bun and can damage its liver. Cut out any sugary snacks like carrot and apple, and keep veg limited to green leafy type stuff. Personally I feed veg in the evening, but that's only because it gives them something to munch on and 'do' overnight when they can't see anything else going on!

Exercise is also important for an overweight bun, so it's great that you're increasing the amount of exercise she gets - you could also give her things to keep her active - like using a treat ball for food, and putting different types of hay in different containers to keep her interested and grazing away. Giving her exercise time morning/evening will also fit more with her natural body rhythm so try and do it at those times of day as much as possible. Good luck!