Fat rabbits. Anyone else got one who gets fatter for no obvious reason?

Sky-O · Jul 11, 2010

Floss is absolutely mahoosive at the moment. She gets about 5 pellets a day and loads and loads of hay, but she is STILL expanding. She also lives in an 8ft by 4ft enclosure (with boyfriend), so she is not lacking exercise. Shes actually a very active rabbit She is roughly the size of a small house.

Who else out there feels the pain of having a fat rabbit despite them having a fine diet and exercise? Who else has a bunny who gets fat with no obvious reason for it?

In Floss's case I suspect she may be genetically designed to be fat because she could easily be a lab rabbit descendent or a meat rabbit descendent.

abbymarysmokey · Jul 11, 2010

Yes, I have a pair of medium to large rabbits who eat less than some of my small rabbits, but are overweight, despite living in a 9 x 6 ft aviary

In fact I started a thread about it a while back:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=219520&highlight=ferris

VickiP · Jul 11, 2010

Have you spoken to the vet? All I could think to do is increase activity gradually maybe you have a sloth bunny :lol: No seriously providing there are no underlying health conditions I would try and increase activity if at all possible.

Sky-O · Jul 11, 2010

abbymarysmokey said:
Yes, I have a pair of medium to large rabbits who eat less than some of my small rabbits, but are overweight, despite living in a 9 x 6 ft aviary

In fact I started a thread about it a while back:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=219520&highlight=ferris

:wave: Thank you.

I'm glad I'm not alone with that.

She's a very active girl, and does bunny 500s, binkies, all sorts. I would love to give her free range time, but that's just not feasible or practical in our garden. She and her partner have the biggest space we have (because she is the biggest bunny- by nature). She has to forage for food when she gets it, has to work for her hay, her gut is in excellent form because her poos are perfect. She is, for all intents and purposes, healthy, just whopping!

I find it SO embarassing when we go to the vets and I get out 15 healthy weight rabbits, all looking great, and then this fat, massive rabbit who looks like she swallowed a beachball. Hence the thread. She's got her myxu vaccination on Wednesday. :lol:

Sky-O · Jul 11, 2010

VickiP said:
Have you spoken to the vet? All I could think to do is increase activity gradually maybe you have a sloth bunny :lol: No seriously providing there are no underlying health conditions I would try and increase activity if at all possible.

Sh's not a sloth at all. She's very active. She's seen the vet as much as she needs to. We've had her two years and obviously she's been for all her vaccinations, but also her partner is a dental bunny so she's been in to the hospital with him for those.

She gained weight, and then stopped at around 3kg (something like maybe 2.4 would be ideal for her), and lost a bit, but I have a feeling she has somehow managed to get even bigger now. I'm dreading the weigh in!

VickiP · Jul 11, 2010

Sky-O said:
Sh's not a sloth at all. She's very active. She's seen the vet as much as she needs to. We've had her two years and obviously she's been for all her vaccinations, but also her partner is a dental bunny so she's been in to the hospital with him for those.

She gained weight, and then stopped at around 3kg (something like maybe 2.4 would be ideal for her), and lost a bit, but I have a feeling she has somehow managed to get even bigger now. I'm dreading the weigh in![/QUOTE]

Aww I am sure they will understand, she is obviously big boned :lol: Sounds healthy which is the main thing.

parsnipbun · Jul 11, 2010

Yep! I have two (sisters). Willow and Robinia. They have loads of room to run, eat a diet of almost entirely greens (in fact one has only greens NO pellets), come out onto lawn when aviary runs are opened, .. .

and yet look like puddles of fur when they lay down!!

They even live with different husbuns and don't see each other so its not as though they copy each other . .

it IS genetic!!!

I mean Willow hardly eats anything . . and Robinia only has to Look at a piece of hay to put on weight!

Mackers · Jul 11, 2010

Pea and Pod are always on the heavy side of 'normal' :lol:. They have no more than about 6 SS mature pellets each per day and approximately two small mugs of veg each per day (mainly green veg). They also have unlimited hay plus 24/7 access to fresh grass. I mentioned cutting down the veg to my bunny-savvy vet but he was of the opinion that it was 90% water anyway and shouldn't cause weight gain (as long as you avoid sugary veg such as carrots, peas etc). Hay/Readigrass, on the other hand, is far more calorific than fresh grass and greens because it's concentrated ie. contains no water. So a bunny who eats just hay and pellets will gain more weight than one who eats fresh veg and grass.

The ideal weight loss solution would be to mimic the diet of a wildie ie. grass, grass and more grass. The grass is abrasive enough to wear the teeth, contains plenty of fibre but also contains vast amounts of water so is low in calories and has a low nutritional value. This is why wildies must eat plenty of it in order to maintain a healthy weight.

Sky-O · Jul 11, 2010

Mackers said:
Pea and Pod are always on the heavy side of 'normal' :lol:. They have no more than about 6 SS mature pellets each per day and approximately two small mugs of veg each per day (mainly green veg). They also have unlimited hay plus 24/7 access to fresh grass. I mentioned cutting down the veg to my bunny-savvy vet but he was of the opinion that it was 90% water anyway and shouldn't cause weight gain (as long as you avoid sugary veg such as carrots, peas etc). Hay/Readigrass, on the other hand, is far more calorific than fresh grass and greens because it's concentrated ie. contains no water. So a bunny who eats just hay and pellets will gain more weight than one who eats fresh veg and grass.

The ideal weight loss solution would be to mimic the diet of a wildie ie. grass, grass and more grass. The grass is abrasive enough to wear the teeth, contains plenty of fibre but also contains vast amounts of water so is low in calories and has a low nutritional value. This is why wildies must eat plenty of it in order to maintain a healthy weight.

This is very interesting, thanks. She loves grass and they get grass whenever I can give it to them, but she can't eat it unlimited, unfortunately.

Surely though, if that was key, would all my other rabbits not also be obese if it was down to diet purely?

TeflonsShadow · Jul 11, 2010

This is Tessy.

She will be 9 on Halloween. Although she is on a normal diet now (excel and hay etc) and has free range time in the garden as well as time in the run (so they are out all day and take it in turns, my sisters bun in the run and mine free range and then swap etc..).

I think her obesity is partly due to her age.....but also because of her lifestyle only a few years ago.

I admit, when I first got buns, 10 odd years ago, I didnt know about complete food

or neutering. So Tessy, and her hutch mates, were fed on muesli, which often changed (we would choose different ones every time we changes, from split pea to the fruity one

). Her diet only changed about 2 years ago now.

So I think its my fault she is a fatty.... she stored extra weight when fed on the sugary food, and now, due to her age, she isnt shifting it. Poor girl

Mackers · Jul 11, 2010

Sky-O said:
This is very interesting, thanks. She loves grass and they get grass whenever I can give it to them, but she can't eat it unlimited, unfortunately.

Surely though, if that was key, would all my other rabbits not also be obese if it was down to diet purely?

I agree. I believe genetics have a lot to answer for (glances down at own backside and thighs :roll.

parsnipbun · Jul 11, 2010

Willow (see thread above) is on weeds only (including grass). No carrots, no bought in greens, no pellets, and really not that much enthusiasm for hay - though she does eat it when out of grass and weeds - yet she weighs a lot more than she should do. he male partner is a slim trim little thing on the same diet . . .

Ditto her sister robinia - though she is allowed a few pellets . .

Rachel89 · Jul 11, 2010

Blue :lol:

Hes been on a diet for 7months and only just about slimmed down ideally to weight.

He use to get 5pellets a day, unlimited hay and a strand of mint every 3days. Yet he ballooned and ballooned. Took him to the vets and after not looseing any weight only gaining in 4months he had test done that revealed nothing was wrong.
He always binkys and running round hes the activist.
I guess some bunnehs are just round through and through. Hes still on his diet, I daren't increase anything too much incase he balloons. He sniffs food and expands like crazy :lol:

Its quite infuriating when you have two other bunnys who are the perfect weight and another whos so hard to keep weight on.

Everyday I worrry about his weight, when I wake up, when I go to bed and about 50times during the day. It takes all my might not to keep weighing him 200times a day

Sky-O · Jul 11, 2010

Ok, so what I seem to be getting is that if I increase their intake of grass, that may help? I can't do the wild diet stuff because of her bondmate (any stray from the diet they are currently on and his dental problems get so much worse).

That may help?

Anything is worth a try, to be honest.

Rachel89 said:
Everyday I worrry about his weight, when I wake up, when I go to bed and about 50times during the day. It takes all my might not to keep weighing him 200times a day

If he worried about his weight like that then he may burn it all off in nervous energy :lol:

Fat rabbits. Anyone else got one who gets fatter for no obvious reason?

Sky-O

Wise Old Thumper

abbymarysmokey

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VickiP

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Sky-O

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Sky-O

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VickiP

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parsnipbun

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Mackers

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Sky-O

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TeflonsShadow

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Mackers

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parsnipbun

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Rachel89

Mama Doe

Sky-O

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