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Is this normal??? (Rabbit bellies!)

Oompa-Loompa

Warren Veteran
Sorry if this seems like a daft question :oops::lol: But is it normal for a bunny tummy to be slightly rounded? Are they "supposed to" look a certain way or does it depend on the bunny (as obviously they're not all built the same way!)

It's Bella I'm talking about. She's looked like this for years so never really thought much of it, but having had several people recently point out to me that she "looks fat", I'm beginning to wonder. She's a dwarf lop is that helps, quite heavily built as well. I can feel her ribs and everything though? :? Could a somewhat round belly still indicate a weight problem? She does eat an awful lot! :shock:

She's unspayed so if this had appeared suddenly I'd be suspecting abdominal tumours, but like I said, this has been going on since she was maybe 6 months old or so. Also, I check her tummy daily for lumps; it's very soft and not firm at all.

Should I be worried? Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 
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I would say so with the exception of Belgian Hares and really agile, angular built rabbits like some cross breeds. But usually you can't really see it, just feel it. A bunny tummy should be a little bit convex but not overly so. I'd get her checked at the vet to be on the safe side. It could be a slightly bloated tummy or full of fluid but from your comment it does not sound like it.
 
If she's looking more rounder then normal, maybe getting her checked would be best, so many unsapyed rabbits are prone to tumours and cancer by the time they reach 5 years, it's safer to get her neutered before one develops and spread. Unless of course there's a medical reason for not getting her done.

It could be that she gained weight over winter, my boy is prone to gaining weight, now he can have the run of the garden for most of the day he should hopefully lose it. I think I notice round bellies on lops more then anything.
 
This is something Ive been pondering! My Daisy (large mini lop!) has always had a round tummy that you can feel when you pick her up where as Dudley, also mini lop, doesn't feel anything the same :? Daisy has maintained the same shape tummy even after many of hay only dieting! She will be going for a thorough check up in 2 weeks and I'm hoping for a referral to a specialist for another ongoing issue, so would also question them about her 'roundness'!
 
@Boudicca: Hmm, how odd! Could you keep me updated on what the vet says about her tummy? In case there's a problem and Bella might have something similar.

There isn't really a sudden increase in "roundness", she's always looked more or less the same ever since she was a youngster. I seem to remember her belly being a little flatter a few months ago but again, not quite sudden enough to indicate a serious problem perhaps? I don't know. It's possible that she's gained a bit of weight though because as I mentioned, she does love her food, and I don't tend to measure the exact amount of pellets she's getting :oops: It could just be that I've been overfeeding her slightly :oops:

I am planning to have her spayed in the very near future, the reason why I haven't done so before is because none of my local vets are competent enough to perform the op :cry: One of them said they'd do it but I didn't want to risk it because all the advice they gave me was :censored: and they kept insisting she wouldn't be needing pain relief afterwards :roll: So yeah. I have found a rabbit savvy vet a little further away now though, I assume she'd feel confident enough to do a spay so I'll be contacting her and asking her some questions about the procedure etc. :)
 
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