Over weight bunny!!

twilightpagan · Jan 25, 2006

The vet says my bunny is over weight,but hes always been a big fellow since i got him,how do you put a bunny on a diet??They have the best food and fresh vegs everyday,the problem is hes in with my female bunny and how can i ration the food with two in the hutch?
I cant seperate them as it took ages to bond them and I fear seperating them will make then not conpatable again,????Any advice welcome??

AlisonA · Jan 25, 2006

Is he bigger than your female bunny? You could separate their food into 2 portions and feed her portion inside a box or the other side of a temporary partition wall with a hole only small enough for her to get through to eat. They should be getting only around 50g of food each, each day, any more than that and they are likely to put on weight (as well as it being bad for their teeth because it discourages them from eating hay/grass). As long as they have unlimited hay/grass they should be fine with that. Or you could try putting their food into treat balls so they have to work harder for it (giving them both exercise and not allowing them to stuff it all down quickly).

I'd also have a think about the type of veggies you are feeding, and work out which ones are lower in calories - carrots for example are full of sugar and can be quite fattening.

Thirdly, more exercise! Give them as much time out exploring as possible, make the environment interesting and change it a bit each time (only takes a couple of cardboard boxes/things leant against walls etc) to encourage them to move around instead of sitting and lazing.

Good luck!

janice · Jan 25, 2006

One fat and one normal sized or skinny bunny is always a difficult one to manage. My suggestions would be to give him pellets separately from her. Weigh out all other food and use treat balls to feed other pellets so they have to work for it. If she is hungry she will eat the hay and grass. Give them lots of time out in the run (or indoors) to burn off the excess weight which will be a lot easier to do in the summer.

Janice

elve · Jan 25, 2006

My rabbits take about 10 minutes to eat all their pellets for the day, just a handful - I don't see why you can't take your girl out for 10 mins, give her her pellets, then put her back - But only deprive your boy of pellets if he eats hay, or he may starve. Conversely the less pellets you give him, the more hay he will eat - You could just give him a couple for a treat instead of more fattening treats.

twilightpagan · Jan 25, 2006

Heres a piccy of Floppy i to be honest thought it was his breed!(dont no what that is)because hes always looked like this anyway.
They go in there run everyday for quite a few hours.

elve · Jan 25, 2006

He looks fine to me - they always look porkier sat like that - It's when there's a tiny head on a big body that they are too fat, or if they have a belly when stretched out - Can he eat his poops OK?

Truffybuns · Jan 25, 2006

The Vet's told me that truffy was over weight and that I should cut out the commercial rabbit food she was getting. She now has only veggies every morning and a small bit when I get back from work (otherwise you are not allowed back in the door!) and of course oodles of hay all day (I mix timothy hay and orchard grass in her wicker dustbin and she has normal hay in her litter tray) I also cut out all commercial rabbit teats (ie the chewy sticks you can get from the pet shops) and if I do treat her I just put a couple of raisins in her treatball. Truffy was never a big fan of hay (hence the fortune I have spent on bags of different hays to find one she likes!) but she merrily tucks in now and I think she is a much happier bunny for the changes I have made to her diet.

Over weight bunny!!

twilightpagan

Mama Doe

AlisonA

Warren Veteran

janice

Wise Old Thumper

elve

Banned

twilightpagan

Mama Doe

elve

Banned

Truffybuns

Warren Scout

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