Rabbit flab - sign of obesity?

Hi All, could anyone help me with this welfare/diet query please? I've noticed our bunny girl (mini-rex) has developed some rather unsightly flabby bits just at the top of her front legs. They puff out & look similar to her dewlap - i.e. little bags of fat! Is this normal?

Bit of background info: I adopted her 9 months ago & she was quite small & skinny with a bad case of moult, in fact she looked a right state! Over the last 9 months she has thrived, her fur is thick & velvety and she is now a good size, well-rounded. She did develop a dewlap over winter but I didnt believe her to be over-weight. I'm just worried her newly-developed flabby bits are a sign that we may be over-feeding her? She is acting perfectly normally though, her usual alert & mischievous self.

Thanks for your advice xx

maybe you could take her to the vets and weigh her before making any changes to her diet ? I'm sure the vet would be able to tell you if she's within a normal range. (Any dietary changes should be very gradual over a few weeks)
sue:wave:

Rexes do sometimes look chubby compared to other rabbits becase their fur is sort of closer fitting, if you follow me.

My vets used to have a poster up of side views of two rabbits, one a normal weight and one overweight, so you could compare to your own bun. Maybe yours would have something similar?

Would be worth asking your vets' opinion anyway, you could do it when you take her for vaccinations to save a separate trip

Is your bunny spayed? If she isn't, I'd say that what you are seeing round the front is more likely to be hormonal/dewlap related rather than more general weight gain. Whether spayed or not, I think you're better off feeling around the spine/hips to determine whether a bun is over/underweight. You should be able to feel the top of the spine, a little of the hips and the ribs; if you can't feel them, then the bun is probably overweight, and if you can feel a lot of bone, then the bun is probably underweight.

I'd suggest popping her along to the vets for a check over and getting her weight taken - and also keeping track of her weight at home so that you can keep an eye on whether it's going up, down or staying the same

Rexes can look like they have rolls How does she feel, if you pinch them (gently of course) are they fat or just a fold of skin and fluff?

How does she feel over the rest of her body? You should be able to lightly feel her ribs/spine, if they are difficult to feel or you can pinch rolls of flab then yes she could be over weight.

If she's had a vet checkup recently then they may have a weight recorded in her notes if you give them a call, then you can compre - that's the easiest thing.

Hello all, many thanks for your replies. The first time we took her to the vet for a general check-up & injections, he did comment that they would keep an eye on her weight as she was skinny & smaller than a standard adult mini-rex (she may have been the runt of the litter); she looks very healthy now but I agree a check-up would probably be best

Santa, that is a good point; we have not had her spayed & she has filled out on her belly so, yes, it could be hormonal. I had spoken to the vet about arranging her spay but then found out that I myself was expecting so my plans for our bun have admittedly gone by the way-side for the moment...

And on that note, I have heard some conflicting things about changing bunny's litter tray whilst pregnant; I thought toxoplasmosis was only an issue with cat litter...any advice on that?

Toxoplasmosis relates only to cats.


There is a tiny risk to pregnant women (and anyone else with a compromised immune system) from rabbits with EC.

Plenty of members on here have continued caring for their rabbits whilst pregnant with no ill effects - although at least one of them had ambiguous advice on this from her midwife!

Here's the thread

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=273887

Thanks hon, I've just read the thread, very helpful.

I didn't have a very good first appointment with my mid-wife either, lord knows what she'll say when I tell her I've got a house rabbit!