My bunny is skinny! Update!!!

One of my bunnies seems to be really thin. I'm not too sure if he's moulting, and I know the other one is a bit on the chubby side but Ted is just seeming really skinny at the moment and I'm a bit concerned about him.

He's really happy in himself, eating normally and is currently running round with a grape in his mouth binkying like mad (clever bunny) but i'm just a bit bothered about him being a bit on the skinny side!

Do you think I have cause to worry or am worrying about nothing?

Hiya. It really depends on if he has started to lose weight ( a cause for concern) of if he has always been a skinny bun. You could weigh him a couple of times a week and see if his weight is stable. You also need to note his water intake. Drinking a lot and weight loss MIGHT indicate a kidney problem. Has he had his teeth checked. A bun with molar spurs will not eat enough to maintain a healthy weight. It might put your mind at rest to have your Vet check him over. He may just be a lithe athletic Bunster :wink: Jane and Buns xx

AWW i hope hes ok did the vet weigh him last time he went? if so then if you take him back for a checkup they will be able to tell you if hes lost any

Altho mine have never been weighed at broad lane so not sure if yours will have been

When they went to be neutered they were weighed and ted was 0.25kg less than bertie. He seems to be moulting a bit and I'm 99% sure his teeth are ok as he is eating as normal. I have also not noticed an increase in his water intake.

Think i'll keep an eye on him and if he's looking any thinner then i'll take him, it may be that he's moulting and looks thinner because of the hair loss?

I'll just keep watching him for the next few days but he's eating fine!

Are they insured?

We took Albert to the vets to make sure he didn't have a urinart tract infection as he was having accidents and weeing all over the place. When we were there I mentioned to the vet that I thought that either he was skinny or our other bun was fat. She took one look at him and told us that he was half way between being emaciated and underweight :shock: Scary stuff.

He had an enormous number of tests for everything under the sun (costing us £1000 - thank god for insurance) and it turns out that his weight loss could be due to the fact that he has been in contact with E.Cuniculi which probably isn't the problem as it was so weak in his system.

The only other thing was that one of his back teeth was slightly overgrown (only slightly as it hadn't got to a stage where his tongue was ulcerated). As far as I am concerned I never noticed a problem or reduction in the amount he eats - he's a real 'foody' so I would have thought that I'd notice if he wasn't eating as much as normal. However, whilst he was having xrays etc they filed his back teeth down.

The vet seems to think that his teeth are probably the cause of his weight loss. I have my doubts as I mentioned before but she says that what can seem like a small problem to some can make a big difference to others and vice versa.

I recommend you take him for a check up with the vets as they looked at LOADS of different explanations for Alberts weight loss. Also I urge you to get insurance if you are going to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for that!

Think i'll get them insured now! Hopefully there won't be one of those 'you can't claim within the first 30 days' thing in it!!

lynda_m said:

Thanks for that!

Think i'll get them insured now! Hopefully there won't be one of those 'you can't claim within the first 30 days' thing in it!!

Click to expand...

Our insurance needed 2 weeks to clear. If I were you and if your rabbit seems healthy and happy I would get them insured then once the time is up then take him to the vets. We were extremely lucky, it happened by chance that we took our rabbit to the vets the day the insurance cleared!!!!! :shock: :shock:

.

Lynda if Teddy takes after his Mum then he will be a bit slimmer than Bertie who takes after his father! Faith is quite a slim active young lady and probably Teddy is like her. If there has been no change in his weight or behaviour I shouldn't worry ..just keep an eye on him to make sure

If it helps I've just weighed Dexter and he is 1.9kg. He still looks quite slender

I'm going to take him to the vets this morning just for my own piece of mind, been having nightmares about him!!

I personally think he's lost weight myself but I don;t have anything here that will give me an accurate reading.

Have taken out the insurance today and mel is right about the 14 day period but I just need to know that my little baby is ok

Will keep you guys posted!

Right... Teddy has been to the vets! Bertie came too for moral support

Apparently his back teeth are growing a bit wonky! We've been advised to feed them separately and Teddy's got to eat a lot more than Bertie.

We've also got some metacam for him to give him every day, got to feed him lots of roughage to try and get his teeth down naturally rather than the vets giving him a dental. We have to go back in a month and keep an eye on his weight and hopefully it will sort itself out

So glad I went now just for piece of mind and knowing that my baby Ted is ok

As well... my boys were SO well behaved at the vets, made me proud

Good to hear hes ok - now you get eating that hay to sort your teeth out young man!

I changed my two to Timothy hay and they eat it by the bucket load! mind you they eat their science selective the same way too lol

We've got some rough hay, and Teddy is sat in the chair with me now, sprawled out and fed up of eating

Our vet Alison said to give his as much food as he can eat in one hour... its been 45 mins now and he really doesn't want to eat any more! He looks really fed up too.

I really don't know how I can get him to eat any more.

Can anyone suggest any veg that is classed as roughage? He's got plenty of hay inside but the vet has said he needs to eat a portion of pellets the size of his head, and a pile of hay about the size of his body... he wouldn't eat that on a normal day :?

wow that sounds like a lot mind you im sure my pigs would have no problem with that.

Mine love their greens - well they love anything but greens arent high in sugar - what veg do they normally get?

aww gr8 news to hear hes ok!!

They get carrots and apples once or twice a week, then most days they get celery, a couple of grapes, parsley, sprouts, cabbage, just the usual really. I just don't know what I can give them other than hay and SS for roughage, had no luck finding willow balls in town either, will have to go to PaH in the week :?

Lynda shame you didnt go looking for the willow balls yesterday i have 2 boxes of them at work!

D'oh!

I'll get him one in the week, he loves eating them so i'm guessing its all good for his teeth