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Putting weight on a boney bun?

Ryo_the_rat

Warren Scout
I made a post about Stumpy a couple of months back ( http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=146474 ) as i was concerned that he had bladder problems. he had a sticky bum for as long as ive had him, but a few months ago started to mostly have wee staining on his feet and belly. i was also concerned as he felt thinner. well he went to the vets who had a good check of him and decided to put him on baytril and see how he went. turns out he didnt need baytril(but did complete his course!) as i discovered the problem a week or two after making my thread :rolleyes: i used to use megazorb in their litter tray but ran out so got some carefresh-his staining started to go. sure enough he has been fine since, all because i changed the litter. the megazorb obviously wasnt as absorbent as the carefresh is and he has a habbit of sitting in their tray which would explain why he had so much staining and Molly didnt. also figured out the water problem-seems Molly likes to have a tantrum in the cage which leads to her knocking the water from their bowl :shock: so all this time i thought they were drinking more when actually it was Molly being a little so and so!

Anyway, those mysteries were solved but Stumpy is still on the boney side. he will be 4 in december but i didnt think this would be counted as being too old, maybe middle aged? so wasnt sure if his age would facter into his weight. all my other bunnies are a good size(well a little more then good lol) and Timmy and Errol will be 4 next March too, but you can feel Stumpys bones when you pick him up. He doesnt get veg often due to his sticky bum and only gets a spoonful of science selective so his diet is mainly hay. however, so is Mollys because she lives with him and she certainly isnt skinny. i dont think there is any underlying problem as he seems fine in himself, no eating problems and definately has an appetite, and as i mentioned he had a full checkover a couple of months ago.

i just wondered if there was something i could be supplementing into his diet to help him gain a little weight? would appreciate some advice on this one :)
 
Hiya :wave: are you sure he's underweight, did the vet agree on this? Only because my buns feel a little boney when I pick them up even though they get the right amount (if not slightly more) of pellets and hay.

sorry if you already mentioned this x
 
One of my buns recently lost a lot of weight. He's had blood tests to check his kidneys were functioning ok & now he's being tested for EC - EC can cause incontinence too, so it might be worth getting your bun checked - or at least panacuring for 4 weeks.

For weight gain I've been giving him 5 small feeds a day - pellets, mix, veg, & porridge made with water. You might not want to feed too many pellets or veg if yours is prone to a sticky bun though. My Alfie got really thin though - & his 5-meals-a-day has ruined his hay consumption - I'll have to try & encourage that when he's back to himself:roll:
 
Thankyou both for the replies. the vet didnt really mention his weight, it was me that mentioned it to her but she didnt seem overly concerned. i dont know, maybe its because my other bunnies are chunky that im worrying so much.

Angie, sorry to hear your boy is having problems-how long until you know about the EC? I would be more concerned about things like that but as i explained in my first post his "urine problems" turned out to be litter problems and an over worrying mommy :oops: :lol: i have still been keeping an eye on him and checking his bum regularly though.

I got some porridge today so will try him on that and try him with tiny amounts of veg too. i think i will probably end up bringing him to the vets again soon if i dont start feeling happier about his weight. il moniter it and see how he goes. oh re the porridge-is it made with hot water like usual or just cold water? sorry, never given my bunnies porridge before!

Hes such a cheeky little thing, LOVES to have his head rubbed. hes definately not acting any differently and comes running when he thinks there could be food about :lol:but then, so do all my bunnies :shock: :lol: oh i need to correct myself, i keep saying his birthday is in december when it is actually the end of this month.
 
We have to feed ours seperately otherwise Charlie scoffs the lot.. he usually eats his and rushes over to steal whatever Mitsy has got!!!

So he is on diet pellets :oops: and she is on normal ones and loves a sprinkling of porridge oats.. we have fed them like this for the last month or so and she feels a little better.. his weight is still porky!! :lol:
 
re the porridge-is it made with hot water like usual or just cold water? sorry, never given my bunnies porridge before!

I use a teaspoon of oats daily and lukewarm water, I don't think it really matters as long as it's not too hot when you actually feed it! The oats do seem to soak better in warmer water so you may be able to experiment a bit and see whether he likes it firmer or sloppier :lol: If he is used to banana you could also mash a slice of banana into it as that's good for weight gain too, but it could do more harm than good if it's not something he's used to.

All my buns are around 5 and Santa loses weight whenever she is about to have a bout of snuffles or a dental problem, it seems to be partly due to fighting infection, and partly because she is eating more slowly (and hence the other bun gets a bigger share of the pellets!) Might be something to look out for :)
 
If Stumpy has been to your vets a few times recently it may be worth ringing them to see if they can look up his weight each time you've been. I assume they weigh him each time you go? My vets always weigh my 2 buns every time I take them. This way you will be able to tell if Stumpy has gained or lost weight recently. If they don't weigh him every time maybe you could pop him in and get him weighed and then compare it to whatever weight they have on their records?
 
Or use some kitchen scales at home too :) I have a digital pair which do up to 3kg, I set them to zero with a suitable container on top then put the bun in. My vet recommends weighing them yourself at least once a week (twice a week if they are actively poorly) as it can often be an 'early warning' of any problems. Although your scales may be calibrated slightly differently to the vets ones, once you start using them they can still be a useful gauge of what the bun's weight is doing.
 
Thankyou for your replies. i am going to weigh Stumpy today-i know i have his weight written down somewhere from a few months back when he and the others were being treated for fur mites, but if i cant find that then yes the vets weighed him in september so i shall ring and ask them.

I have been worrying myself sick over him now though wondering all sorts of things. like, what if the litter is just soaking the wee better but he actually still has that problem? i know im probably over reacting(im a self confessed worry wort) but i think im going to bring him to the vets next week anyway. only problem is that my bunny vet is bound to be on maternity leave by now and im not sure how the others are with bunnies :?

Angie65: i just wondered what symptoms your bunny has? and what sorts of tests he has had done to rule things out? i still havent been able to find much info about EC so if anyone knows of a website that explains about this properly id really appreciate a link. would panacuring for four weeks be the treatment for EC? and i also wondered about the other bunnies, am i right in thinking EC is some sort of parasite? could the other bunnies be effected? my four now all live together(got them together literally a couple of days ago) so its a bit worrying.

I tried him with some porridge yesterday but after a couple of bites he was more interested in the veg the others were having(we locked the others in to have the veg and he still managed to poke his head through and steal a bit of kale :roll::lol:) im trying him with some again now so fingers crossed. will also get some bananas to try too, my buns have these as an occasional treat anyway.(they love them!)

Thanks again everyone, i shall keep you all updated about my little man.
 
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