Bunny Weight Loss Diet Advice Needed

[Binky&Bellamy]

Hi all, I got back my bunny from foster, I didn't have a safe area to house her and she's been a free roam bun since I adopted her. Her diet at foster was more fruit than anything else I think and she has gained at least 1kg. She is a Mini Rex and has butt fat!!!! She is also not that active because she got EC and although she recovered it did affect the use of her hind legs. She gets around just fine, but when she picks up speed, she has to fall over to stop. She is back on a good diet now and NO FRUIT! Will this be enough to get her to drop the weight? She eats greens and weeds in her outdoor enclosure 5x3m. I do give about a quarter cup pellets daily, but I've never really fed her hay because she's an outdoor bun and grazes on wild food.

 

[InspectorMorse]

What is her exact weight at the moment ? An adult mini Rex should weigh 1.36kg-2kg (3lbs-4.5lbs)

Are you sure she’s a mini Rex and not a standard Rex ? I can’t tell from the photo. Any weight loss needs to be gradual. Losing it too quickly can result in liver damage.

Even though she grazes on grass etc she should still have access to a good quality hay 24/7. Pellets should be kept to a bear minimum.

Rabbit Diets & Feeding - Learn what to feed our bunny

Is your rabbit too fat?

Creating better tomorrows for all pet rabbits Is Your Rabbit Too Fat? Wild rabbits have to forage for food, breed, flee to their burrow whenever danger looms and keep warm in inclement weather. This uses up every scrap of energy from their food, especially in winter. On the other hand the...

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Does she have a companion ? Rabbits are social animals and they need a companion of their own kind. Rabbits kept alone are often more sedentary than Rabbits who have a friend or friends. Exercise is important for their physical and mental health.

Companionship

Rabbits should never be alone. Click here to find out all about the importance of Rabbit Companionship today.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

 

[Binky&Bellamy]

What is her exact weight at the moment ? An adult mini Rex should weigh 1.36kg-2kg (3lbs-4.5lbs)

Are you sure she’s a mini Rex and not a standard Rex ? I can’t tell from the photo. Any weight loss needs to be gradual. Losing it too quickly can result in liver damage.

Even though she grazes on grass etc she should still have access to a good quality hay 24/7. Pellets should be kept to a bear minimum.

Rabbit Diets & Feeding - Learn what to feed our bunny

Is your rabbit too fat?

Creating better tomorrows for all pet rabbits Is Your Rabbit Too Fat? Wild rabbits have to forage for food, breed, flee to their burrow whenever danger looms and keep warm in inclement weather. This uses up every scrap of energy from their food, especially in winter. On the other hand the...

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Obesity, Commercial Food and Treats

Click here to find out all about the ideal Rabbit Diet - Explore our expert advice on obesity, commercial food. treats, and more...

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

Does she have a companion ? Rabbits are social animals and they need a companion of their own kind. Rabbits kept alone are often more sedentary than Rabbits who have a friend or friends. Exercise is important for their physical and mental health.

Companionship

Rabbits should never be alone. Click here to find out all about the importance of Rabbit Companionship today.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

I haven't weighed her since I got her back. Photo of her thinner days, she's a little thing, but her dewlap is about 3 times the size now! She looks like a little black blob. Children walking home from school found her wondering down the road and brought her to me to try find her people. No one claimed her and she never tried to leave my garden, so she became mine. She was paralysed from the neck down with EC, for almost a month, but recovered. That was two years ago. Her hind legs were affected which slows her down a lot. She can't sit up anymore and falls over when she tries to groom her back, so most of her grooming is done lying down. She's been a single bun since I've had her, 4 years and is estimated to be about 7 or 8. At her foster home there was another HUGE bun that attacked her and she nearly lost her left ear, then she was put in a cage to keep her safe :-( She's, understandbly, a lot more skittish now, but used to adore my two old cats. Yesterday my old Tom tried to greet her and she boxed him, I only got her into her new environment yesterday, so she was probably still unsettled. There is a bun I was thinking of introducing her to, also not yet spayed because she is still young, but bonding is the last thing I have in mind at the moment, I just want to get Binky healthy again. I will check her teeth and weigh her tonight.

 

[Omi]

I don't think that Binky is a Mini Rex or a Standard Rex I would say more likely a cross breed, possibly containing part Dutch.

Being overweight won't help with her mobility issues and so it's a good plan to try to get her slimmer. Bunnies' main food should be hay and/or grass. Both are beneficial for her digestion and also her teeth. She has access to grass outside, which is great, but I would also obtain some hay for her to munch on. Actually is there some hay in her house already? If not, I would put some in there for her. I would also, very gradually, reduce the amount of pellets, so that she is having only an eggcupful each day. It would also be lovely for her to have some sticks to nibble, as long as they've come from a rabbit-safe tree. The plants in your photo appear to be mostly Pansies and Grass, but it would be sensible to check that's there's nothing toxic there.

 

[Binky&Bellamy]

I don't think that Binky is a Mini Rex or a Standard Rex I would say more likely a cross breed, possibly containing part Dutch.

Being overweight won't help with her mobility issues and so it's a good plan to try to get her slimmer. Bunnies' main food should be hay and/or grass. Both are beneficial for her digestion and also her teeth. She has access to grass outside, which is great, but I would also obtain some hay for her to munch on. Actually is there some hay in her house already? If not, I would put some in there for her. I would also, very gradually, reduce the amount of pellets, so that she is having only an eggcupful each day. It would also be lovely for her to have some sticks to nibble, as long as they've come from a rabbit-safe tree. The plants in your photo appear to be mostly Pansies and Grass, but it would be sensible to check that's there's nothing toxic there.

Thank you, oh that is interesting. I thought she is a Rex because she has an amazing, thick, glossy coat and she is so friendly. It'll start looking better now that her diet is being sorted out. She has hay in her hutch and mulberry branches. Violas, alyssum, sunflowers, calendula, grass and plenty of weeds, milk thistle, purslain, plantain, growing in her enclosure. I have tortoises so encourage weeds for them to enjoy too

 

[Omi]

That's a super variety of wild plants for her to eat. Interesting too that they are the same as ones that I have here in my garden in Southern England I would have imagined yours to be far more exotic in South Africa. If I were you then I would leave her diet as it is, with no fruit, keeping up with the hay and just gradually reduce the amount of pellets each day. I would weigh her regualrly as well so you can see how it's being managed.

Tortoises

 

[Binky&Bellamy]

That's a super variety of wild plants for her to eat. Interesting too that they are the same as ones that I have here in my garden in Southern England I would have imagined yours to be far more exotic in South Africa. If I were you then I would leave her diet as it is, with no fruit, keeping up with the hay and just gradually reduce the amount of pellets each day. I would weigh her regualrly as well so you can see how it's being managed.

Tortoises

 

[Binky&Bellamy]

That's a super variety of wild plants for her to eat. Interesting too that they are the same as ones that I have here in my garden in Southern England I would have imagined yours to be far more exotic in South Africa. If I were you then I would leave her diet as it is, with no fruit, keeping up with the hay and just gradually reduce the amount of pellets each day. I would weigh her regualrly as well so you can see how it's being managed.

Tortoises

 

[Omi]

Super photo! Is that your Rock Hyrax on the Tortoise's back? Which species of Tortoise is it? Do you know its age?

 

[Binky&Bellamy]

Super photo! Is that your Rock Hyrax on the Tortoise's back? Which species of Tortoise is it? Do you know its age?

Yes! Her name is Daphne, she is riding on Mojo, my Leopard Tortoise. Estimated age of Mojo, sixty odd.

 

[Omi]

Thank you for sharing Wow Mojo