Fat rabbits

My Ferris and Radar are officially fat (they've just been for their myxi vaccs and the vet even commented on it ).

The thing is, I don't feed them any more than my other rabbits! They get a handfull of A&P Natural pellets between them with a few SS sprinkled on top for variety, unlimited hay, and a couple of handfulls of veg per day between them.

They are fairly large rabbits (Ferris is a French lop crossed with something smaller, and Radar is a Giant crossed with something smaller).

Ferris isn't really very active (the Frenchy genes I presume?) despite having a 9ft x 6ft aviary to run around in, but Radar is reasonably active.

I can't understand how large rabbits can get so fat on this diet, whereas my small rabbits (nethies, dutches, etc) eat the same (or more!) and stay a nice weight.

Anyone else have the same problem? :wave:

I have this too. :?

Bob is a French Lop and he's always been "overweight" according to the vet. Due to various health problems he's now on a hay and Protexin Pro-Fibre pellet only diet. He has an egg cup in the morning and and egg cup in the evening and Timothy & Oat hay all day. That's it! He can't have veg as his tummy can't take it. And he's still deemed to be a bit porky.

He's a free range bun (though in fairness our flat isn't exactly big) and I hide his pellets around the flat in different places to get him running around more.

It doesn't matter what I do, he just doesn't really lose any weight.

I think he's just big boned. Like his Mummy.

not exactly but when eric and esme had their jabs on saturday, the vet did comment that eric was a 'rather large' dwarf but she didn't say he was fat:?

I have a 21 year old horse that eats a tenth of what my other does, but is a tad tubby I think some just do better than others.

In my group Alfie is first to the food, but thinner than Flint who only eats a bit, then has a snooze:lol: And with Suki (lionhead) & Alistair - he was a NZ white & she ate way more than him & he was always a bit on the large side:?

They are fairly large rabbits (Ferris is a French lop crossed with something smaller, and Radar is a Giant crossed with something smaller).

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Is it possible the cross breeding between large and small breeds just makes them look out of proportion or did the vet weigh them?

Amy104 said:

Is it possible the cross breeding between large and small breeds just makes them look out of proportion or did the vet weigh them?

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I was going to something similar. My new vets (VERY good bunny vet) said she thought Pie was underweight, poped her on the scales and she is slap-bang where she neds to be weight wise.
And like horses maybe rabbits are the same. Mix their breeding up abit and they can live off of nothing! :wave:

Amy104 said:

Is it possible the cross breeding between large and small breeds just makes them look out of proportion or did the vet weigh them?

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They've both got really tubby tummies

Ferris carries it better because she's got huge feet, but she's still definitely too fat

interesting. esme eats way more - and faster - than eric but she is lighter on the scales and looks much leaner.

mind you, i have an older sister who never gains weight no matter what she eats and we're from the same stock:lol:

Same with Pea and Pod - I'm pretty sure they're frenchie-crosses (or there's some frenchie in there somewhere) but essentially they're VERY LAZY girlies :lol::lol:. They now get FOUR (yes, four) individual SS Mature pellets each per day, a bowl of fresh veg in the morning, a bowl of fresh veg in the evening (all leafy green stuff and virtually no root veg), plus hay. They also have unlimited access to fresh grass.

I let them out into the garden this morning and they literally spent 10 minutes exploring and then went back to bed :shock:. They're just destined to be fat .

BobbleG said:

I have this too. :?

Bob is a French Lop and he's always been "overweight" according to the vet. Due to various health problems he's now on a hay and Protexin Pro-Fibre pellet only diet. He has an egg cup in the morning and and egg cup in the evening and Timothy & Oat hay all day. That's it! He can't have veg as his tummy can't take it. And he's still deemed to be a bit porky.

He's a free range bun (though in fairness our flat isn't exactly big) and I hide his pellets around the flat in different places to get him running around more.

It doesn't matter what I do, he just doesn't really lose any weight.

I think he's just big boned. Like his Mummy.

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Bob isn't overweight...he just has thick fur