Have I gone too far with candys diet

think I may have got it wrong yet again, so I'm checking.

Candys diet is going very well, she seems to be starving most of the time but in the last couple of days has conceded and is eating her hay as appose to the the straw (which I have left out of her cage altogether) just small amounts but its a start. Dried food has gone aswell and all treats so shes eating 2 bowls of curly kale, some cress and a few herbs each day along with whatever hay she wants and as much wallpaper as shes can rip off before I get to her, this has only started again since the cut down on food, she used to do it all the time when she was a baby but it stopped when I started to give her more food because the vet said I wasn't feeding her enough.

Now all that said, we've been at this for almost a week and I 'm starting to feel bone when I stroke her, I can feel all her spine and most of her ribs. Am I on the right track here with this or am I going or gone too far, should I carry on with the amounts I'm giving her cut it down any or has she lost too much weight and I need to give a bit more. I hesitate in taking her to the vet as she's not ill (yet ?) and I really want to get this weight off so she can have her op, it just seem to have gone very quickly, takes me weeks to shed a couple of pounds, candys seems to have gone in just a few days.

Did you know what she weighed when you took her to the vet, do you know what she weighs now? do you know her ideal weight?

If you don't know the answer to any of these, ring up you vet and see if you can find the answer to the what she weighed and the ideal weight.

Have you got scales at home you can weigh her on so you have a rough idea. I am sure you could just ask if you can pop her in to be weighed so that you know that she is the right weight for her op. You won't be seeing the vet for this so I doubt if they should charge you much if anything.

Janice

I know her weight was 3kg and I have to get her down to at least 2.6kg pref lower. I dont have scales that I can read when shes in her travel box, she has never let us pick her up so thats the only way but I never thought of asking the vet if I could just pop in to weigh her for a progress report Thanks for that, I'll give them a call in the morning.

Well alfie weighed 2.45kg before his op,he didnt eat for a few days and when weighed,he was 2.04 kg so thats how quickly they loose weight,you shouldnt be able to feel her spine though

Oh dear, I can feel her spine and the bones that I'm guessing would be the equivalent to out hip bones... as you run your hand down her back then just beyond the round bit, the two either side.

I wonder if I've got a chunky bunny thats s'posed to be a bit on the round side :lol: Now I'm really not sure what to do, pop back to the vet with her for a weight check has to be the first of course but what if she is a chunky bunny, how on earth am I going to get her down to a weight that they will do the op at if its not the right kind of weight for her.

No point speculating, has to be a visit to the vet then back on here for advice once I have some answers, seem to get much better advice on here than at the vets.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Have you tried different brands of hay or maybe some dry grass? If she's not keen on the flavour she won't eat as much

I've tried loads of diffferent hays and she just wont eat them, the only thing she chomps at constantly if its in her cage is that really chunky yellow straw, that I had bought for her for covering at the bottom of her cage. I have tried her with grass and she seemed to like that but I thought that was more along the treat lines so stopped once I cut back on her food.

I have spoken just spoken to the vets and although they are very busy today, they have told me I can pop down one evening next week around 6.30pm, just give them a ring first,

Have you tried mixing hay and straw? She might eat hay by accidental if the strands are amongst the straw, and you can gradually cut down the straw you're mixing in?
You can also get chopped timothy hay from Bunnybasic which is very like the bagged grasses, all of my buns love it! My toothless trio can get through at least 3 small dog bowls of it overnight! Not that I'm complaining as it's done wonders for the two with molar problems!

I can feel my rabbit's spine and hips too - but I have never given it a thought - they look slim and fit, but not thin - I think maybe when you've only got one bunny you have nothing to compare with, so it's easy to worry too much

What breed of rabbit is she?

runnybabbit said:

I've tried loads of diffferent hays and she just wont eat them, the only thing she chomps at constantly if its in her cage is that really chunky yellow straw, that I had bought for her for covering at the bottom of her cage. I have tried her with grass and she seemed to like that but I thought that was more along the treat lines so stopped once I cut back on her food.

I have spoken just spoken to the vets and although they are very busy today, they have told me I can pop down one evening next week around 6.30pm, just give them a ring first,

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Hiya everyone

It's taken so long for me to get back to you because Candy chewed right through my internet cable and its taken 6 days (and £50) for them to replace it.

Your suggestion about mixing the hay and the straw came to me at the begining of this week, I tried it and it's worked.

She weighed 2.7kg at the vets but I'm sure she's lost more that 3grms, I can't argue though and the vet said have her weighed in another couple of weeks to see about the op but if I'm worried about her in any way, ie shes looking too thin or seems poorly I'm to give her a call.

Her new house came on sunday and went on tuesday, she wont go near it, when I forced her to go in she created such a fuss that after half an hour I took her out, she bolted out of the room and would be coxed with anything (not even food, I know that was naught with the diet and everything but....) anyway the prospects of her bouncing round my bedroom for a 3rd night were too much for me to cope with, so back came the ferplast cage, mmade it up in the normal way and in she hopped, happy as anything and snuggled down in her fav corner and didnt seem to want to come out, so the ferplast is back for now, just need to think of the next solution to candys stubbon, cheeky and expensive behivour....... love her to bits, just running out of options, money and credit card balance......lol

What kind of house did you buy her?
It will take time for her to get used to it

I didn't buy it, one of my friends made it for her, he did a fantastic job. It fitted perfectly in the space I have, had 2 levels, a solid floor, back and right round the first level to half way up, so it was similar for her to look out of. I put all of her old toys, litter tray and bowls in there, I used the same bedding etc that she always has and even put some of the soiled stuff from her old cage in it but she just wont or should I say wouldn't have it. She stomped her feet, growled when no one was even near her cage, bashed her bowls around, if she could have shouted I Dont Like It, it wouldn't have been any clearer. As soon as I opened the cage door she was out like a shot, stright out of the room and couldn't be coaxed back even into the room for anything.

So as I say Ferplas is back and I'm going have to rethink this but my bedroom isn't an option, apart from the lack of sleep from being bounced on, the weeing on my pillow while I was asleep on it finished it for me :lol: :lol: :shock: :shock:

my little jack is apparently idea weight but i think he is all skinny his weight fluxutates and some days he eats lots and others nothing but he doesnt ever seem to have a problem and then rupert is a huge chunky bunny although ru has lost a tiny bit of weight since being here as he never stops running and binkying! i think as long as ur bunny is cuddly and not dangerously overweight u shud be ok xxxx