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Bones sticking out

S

sheridan

Warren Scout
Hi guys,

this is picking up from another thread on here. Gizmo is my 4 month old minilop.
When I got her I could feel every curve and bump of every bone in her body. She didnt look malnourished and was very happy.

Today I was stroking her and although her skull feels a bit more padded, her scapulas or shoulder bones are very prominent and I can get my finger between them. It feels like there is only a thin coevring over them.

I can just about feel the sides of her spine but this is an improvement as before I could feel everything.
She has no issues doing anything. In fact if I compare her to my 2 rexes, she is way more active than both put together.

She hasnt been seen by the vet yet. thats my plan for the next few weeks.

Any thoughts?
She is currently on unlimited hay and about 50g of excel baby pellets.
I would post a pic on here but it doesnt seem to let me.
 
Eek I feel stupid.
No I havent actually weighed her as she wont sit still like that.
I feel like she is gaining weight as I pick her up everyday to try and get her used to being handled.
 
Well weighing her would be your best course of action as that will give you an idea of if her weight is increasing, as should be the case :)
 
Depending on what you use to weigh her, you could put her in a carrier and then weigh the carrier on its own and find the difference. :)

ETA: I have a set of baby scales though and my two will sit still for just long enough for me to get a reading.
 
Will she sit still if you give her nose rubs? This tends to make my two go all soppy and they will lie still for a good few seconds after I've stopped - it may give you just enough time to get a reading on the scales before she moves.
 
what about standing on some human weighing scales whilst holding your bun. Then just subtract your own weight. :)

My Jasp has been poorly and is slightly underweight so I've been sprinkling Supreme Recovery onto his dried food. I'm hoping this may help with some weight gain.
 
Last edited:
if she is downstairs in the conservatory she will sit for a second before running very large circels round me.
If I try and hold her I might want to cry after weighing myself!!!:oops:

I will try and weigh her in the next few days otherwise i will go soft and start giving her extra food. She will love that!!!!:roll:
 
I rescued two very underweight buns a few weeks back (one, 600g underweight and one 300g underweight)
The advice from my vet was free feeding. If she is underweight, you need to her weight up as much as possible. If you can feel her ribs, it's a clear indication of her being far too thin.
I'd personally get her to the vets for a weigh in as that's what I did with my two and good thorough examination. She'll need her teeth checked etc.
Personally, I free feed my underweight buns as has been advised and have started them on greens. Carrots were recommended to help them put on some pounds. I also give them an unlimited amount of hay.
After two weeks, their weight is definetely increasing with these methods.
 
Zahirre said:
I rescued two very underweight buns a few weeks back (one, 600g underweight and one 300g underweight)
The advice from my vet was free feeding. If she is underweight, you need to her weight up as much as possible. If you can feel her ribs, it's a clear indication of her being far too thin.
I'd personally get her to the vets for a weigh in as that's what I did with my two and good thorough examination. She'll need her teeth checked etc.
Personally, I free feed my underweight buns as has been advised and have started them on greens. Carrots were recommended to help them put on some pounds. I also give them an unlimited amount of hay.
After two weeks, their weight is definetely increasing with these methods.
Click to expand...

Of course I am not an expert but I dont think her teeth are to blame. she eats everything in site. In fact she eats non stop. the only time she really stops is to be stroked.

I am planning on taking her to the vet. Most of you will probably think Im just delaying it but I work in hospital and work huge shifts so the earliest I can get her there is in a few weeks.

She is def putting on weight since I got her as she looked very healthy when I got her but I could def feel all of her bones.

Im away to try and weigh her.......this is going to be fun..
 
phew, finally managed to weigh her although I do owe my parents new kitchen scales now.

Gizmo weighs 1.64kg.
she is a 4 month old minilop
 
That's fine for a mini lop, but if you can feel her bones like that then I'd say she's a dwarf lop. Dwarf lops should weigh about 2.5kg. (but this varies bun to bun.)
 
Hello :) I would say this is a good weight. My vet wanted my mini lop to be around 1.8kg but I've heard 1.6kg is around average. From my personal experience, I would definitely keep an eye on her, and book a vet appointment just for peace of mind. My rabbit went from 1.7kg to 1.6kg... and then slowly kept losing weight. He's been treated for multiple things over the past few months and is currently on Intradine for coccidiosis which seems to be working!! It's been heartbreaking to see him so hungry all the time, and to feel how thin he became. So if she is poorly and you could catch it now, it would save you a lot of stress :)

Good luck :wave:
 
RubyTed said:
That's fine for a mini lop, but if you can feel her bones like that then I'd say she's a dwarf lop. Dwarf lops should weigh about 2.5kg. (but this varies bun to bun.)
Click to expand...

hmmm that's just made me think! Charlie was around 1.6kg and felt super boney, and April is around 1.65 kg and she isn't boney at all.... both are mini lops ... strange.

Maybe it's possible for a mini lop to be a good weight, but boney due to an illness?? Hmm...
 
Terri_louise177 said:
hmmm that's just made me think! Charlie was around 1.6kg and felt super boney, and April is around 1.65 kg and she isn't boney at all.... both are mini lops ... strange.

Maybe it's possible for a mini lop to be a good weight, but boney due to an illness?? Hmm...
Click to expand...

Do you know they're both mini lops? Most petshops have no idea and some breeders have no idea what they're breeding.

I'd go by the individual bun. You should be able to feel the spine/ ribcage, but they should be surrounded by muscle. They really shouldn't be prominent!
 
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