Can buns have eating disorders?

[parsnipbun]

Robinia is one of a pair of sisters that I got about 2 years ago from Pets at Home adoption (don't ask . . . ). They had had a rough start (3 homes so far before I took them in) and weren't neutered.

At the time they were a bit plump but I thought after neutering and pairing with new husbuns and a good diet this would settle.

Well Willow - although plump in the face has maintained an ok weight - but Robinia just eats and eats and eats and eats and gets bigger and bigger.

her husbun is slim and fit as ever.

They are both on a pellet free diet (he has always had calcium issues) and they have just weeds and hay and he has the odd carrts and apple when she is not there.

The trouble is that Robinia will eat all her weeds and then spend the WHOLE day and evening (i am not exagerating here) eating hay from her poo tray whilst Teasal her husbun goes and lays down and digests. If we take away the hay filled poo tray she starts gnawing furniture and doors for hours on end (and poos everywhere of course).

My vet says her teeth are the best she has ever seen in a rabbit!

Her poos are HUGE (bigger that my Vienna Blue giant!!) and golden brown and she poos every other hop in areas where she is 'allowed' to poo.

BUT she looks like a furry football.

She is eating hay as I write - and has been for the last . . . mmmmm . . . 2 hours solid I guess - probably more like 3 hours. Certainly since finishing her weeds for dinner this evening.

I just begin to wonder if something in her past has made her obsessive about eating?? was she left with no food or something???? Could that affect her??? I am desperate as there is no way of getting weight off her without taking away the hay and I would never leave a bun with no hay (besides which I need my furniture).

 

[parsnipbun]

PS Robinia is a house and patio free range bun - so boredom is not an issue. She is also quite lively - especially if she sees a leaf or some such at the other end of the patio - she can sprint!!!
But I am so worried about her weight.

 

[halfpenny]

Treacle is a bit like this, we got her and her son in a terrible state. They were in a small, filthy cage with no food or water. Fudge, her son died suddenly aged about 18 months, and I wonder if it had something to do with his birth condition. At one point Treacle was 4 kgs, she's a dwarf lop. I had to cut out nearly all concentrate and feed just hay. She has slimmed down to 3 .3 kgs, but, I suspect, will alway be plump and an 'enthusiastic' eater.

 

[parsnipbun]

Treacle is a bit like this, we got her and her son in a terrible state. They were in a small, filthy cage with no food or water. Fudge, her son died suddenly aged about 18 months, and I wonder if it had something to do with his birth condition. At one point Treacle was 4 kgs, she's a dwarf lop. I had to cut out nearly all concentrate and feed just hay. She has slimmed down to 3 .3 kgs, but, I suspect, will alway be plump and an 'enthusiastic' eater.

Interesting - perhaps there is a link to early conditions? Robinia doesn't get any concentrate at all and is still managing to put on weight.

 

[Sky-O]

I wonder if it could be linked to lack of food previously and a need to ensure she always has food available. So almost like anxiety eating.

My girlie Candyfloss was found as a stray. At the RSPCA she could not use a waterbottle and they didn't realise and she came to me with cystitis and very thirsty (thankfully she was only there a week and a half). Since she had arrived here she drinks excessively, but only when she is anxious (like when I bonded her and Dusk she must have drank so much more than normal-maybe about twice and much and she probably drinks near on a pint most days-she is anxious about other bunnies and when she was not bonded she drank considerably less). I would put this down to her having had times previously where she couldn't drink and an anxiety response is to drink, to make sure she does have fluids.

Likewise with food. She came to me very, very slender and rangey and she now looks like a furry beachball. She gets 6 pellets a day and unlimited hay, but if I let her eat what she wanted she would just inhale pellets all day, and I would imagine this too is behavioural due to lack of food when she was a stray.

So I would wonder if anxiety is her issue.

In terms of feeding, can you stimulate it more like with hiding the food in things like toilet rolls and then stuff hay in each end (so like the food in the middle and hay at each end to make it more of a challenge), things like that?

 

[BobbleG]

I think Robinia sounds an absolute delight! Bless her.

I don't know the reasons for it (though I guess her background could well be a factor) but has her vet ever said it's a problem? How much does she weigh?
It sounds like she has a very healthy diet and perhaps she just has a tummy that craves a lot of fibre (Bob will chew on wood and cardboard when he isn't getting enough fibre).

Big, golden poops are ideal so unless she's putting on more weight and the vet is concerned (Bob is a French lop and weighs 3.7kg which the vet said is right for his size) I would say she's just a lovely hungry bun. I'm not trivialising your concern, I know how dangerous it can be for overweight/obese buns, but I've always thought buns can eat as much hay as they want?

No wonder she has such perfect teeth.

I'd like to see pictures of this furry little football!

 

[poppymoon]

does make you wonder if she's so scared of being without food that she eats constantly :? maybe if you'd only recently rehomed her she'd take a while to settle but after 2 years i'd say she's used to her 'routine' if the vet isn't concerned about her health or weight, maybe thats 'normal' for her.

i noticed that esme ate constantly for the first few weeks after she came to live here and still gets territorial about food but she does have a break from eating and a snooze now - hopefully she's settled enough to understand there's no shortage of food here (shame eric feels he should copy and has turned into a little piggy-as confirmed by the vet this morning when she weighed him:roll.

seems like you have a bun with a hearty appetite and a good diet