Eating non-stop but no weight gain

[TheRedShrew]

Hi fellow bunny lovers,

I am the proud keeper of two bunnies, Hercules and Radagast.

Hercules was my first bun and he was perfectly healthy with no hiccups since I've had him, I got Radagast shortly after and noticed he was significantly underweight, I had taken him to the vet once, but they couldn't really tell me why he wouldn't gain weight since he eats about twice as much as Hecrules does and basically non-stop, he gets plenty of hay and a mixture of leaves, pellets and occasional fruits.
He is very playful and energetic, I just can't get him to fatten up.

Any suggestion on why this could be?

 

[Zoobec]

Hello, and welcome to the forum :wave: Is Radagast still underweight? What are his poops like? Was the vet you took him to a rabbit savvy exotics vet?

 

[Shimmer]

You don't say how old they are. Older rabbits can struggle to keep weight on. Is his weight stable?
Is he drinking excessively?
Has he had a full blood screen to check for organ function, etc?
Have you treated them for EC?

If a blood sreen comes back as normal and his weight is stable, I woudn't be too worried. You could try feeding him junior pellets (on his own / maybe as treats) as they are higher in protein and calories.

 

[InspectorMorse]

Did the Vet run a full blood profile and EC titre testing ? If there is an underlying health problem then no amount of additional food will enable the Rabbit to gain weight.

 

[bunny momma]

Medical issues can cause bunnies to have difficulty gaining weight and a good vet may be able to diagnose and treat him. Has he been tested for parasites? How are his poos?
Some bunnies require more food than others of similar size, though losing weight is always a signal a vet trip is needed. I hope you can get answers.

 

[Livvie]

Be careful as bunnies eating more fruit, veg and pellets etc can actually eventually lose weight because they are eating less hay and so their teeth overgrow.
Agree with above ask vet about EC treatment. I’ve had bunnies really do well on just a short course of panacur. Vet might also prescribe baytril and supplements. Good luck


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[Livvie]

You could try feeding him junior pellets (on his own / maybe as treats) as they are higher in protein and calories.

+1 When my Belgian Hare was young I had to feed him on junior nuggets for ages as they are a slow growing large breed and he was getting skinny. Meant I could keep the weight on him without unbalancing his diet with too many nuggets to hay.

But honestly get a good bunny vet to check the back teeth. Although it’s hard without anaesthetic they can at least tell if they are very bad or not.


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