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Has anyone used this before.... Vetcareplus Weight Management Formula

FredW

FredW

Alpha Buck
I am still struggling getting Bunbuns' weight down. I reduced her nuggets to 5gms per day, well it's 10grs between her and Fluffy, she is getting a lot less veg, and she's playing in her digging box a lot. I also don't give her her nuggets in a bowl or so, but instead in one of those feeding pyramids. She's eating a lot more hay than before, yet her weight is not coming down. She is also playing and running around with Fluffy a lot. There is no alfalfa hay around and she gets very few "treats" usually just some nice forage as a treat. So I don't know what else I can do.

I spotted this today:
https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/vetcareplus-weight-management-formula.html

I wonder if anyone used it before, and does it help. And is it like in pellet form or how? I cant seem to find out about that part at all... probably just too blind somehow.
 
I've not tried it . I honestly think bunbuns's would be absolutely fine on the lovely hay, forage treats & a few green & leafy bits you already give her- no nuggets & no fruit or veg you can mash :) I reckon that would be enough nutrition easily. Don't tell her I told you that though :lol:
 
Yeah I think I am just worried I am not doing all I can... which I know I am, but she just isn't the weight she "should" be, though she doesn't look as much overweight as she apparently is. Sure she is bigger than she should be, but I don't know if her so called ideal weight is right for her, since she already lost quite a bit, but just not getting near the weight recommended for a dutch, yet, she is really happy, binkies, runs around, and plays all day long. so she seems a happy chubby bunny, but still I want to do all I can to give her the best life. Will see what happens when I take the nuggets away completely. also means Fluffy wont get any anymore, as he wont eat anything unless she eats it too. lol Though they are getting so little pellet wise, I don't think they would even miss it.
by the way, they don't get any fruit, and veg they get usually some spring greens, a couple of green beens, then they can either get a little bit of fennel, or celery, and usually two herbs, like right now they get a strand of rosemary and a strand of mint. that's it greens wise. the rest is really just hay. Some willow tree and a bit of apple tree to eat the leaves and bark. and a small handful of dried foraging stuff between them, half hung up, half in their foraging box.
if any of this still sounds too much, I am happy to reduce it more
 
I wouldn't advise cutting out pellets completely. I'm not sure about weight of pellets - but do they have more than an eggcupful each?
 
FredW said:
Yeah I think I am just worried I am not doing all I can... which I know I am, but she just isn't the weight she "should" be, though she doesn't look as much overweight as she apparently is. Sure she is bigger than she should be, but I don't know if her so called ideal weight is right for her, since she already lost quite a bit, but just not getting near the weight recommended for a dutch, yet, she is really happy, binkies, runs around, and plays all day long. so she seems a happy chubby bunny, but still I want to do all I can to give her the best life. Will see what happens when I take the nuggets away completely. also means Fluffy wont get any anymore, as he wont eat anything unless she eats it too. lol Though they are getting so little pellet wise, I don't think they would even miss it.
by the way, they don't get any fruit, and veg they get usually some spring greens, a couple of green beens, then they can either get a little bit of fennel, or celery, and usually two herbs, like right now they get a strand of rosemary and a strand of mint. that's it greens wise. the rest is really just hay. Some willow tree and a bit of apple tree to eat the leaves and bark. and a small handful of dried foraging stuff between them, half hung up, half in their foraging box.
if any of this still sounds too much, I am happy to reduce it more
Click to expand...

I would take the pellets away completely. Rabbits don't need them if you give them a varied hay/readigrass/forage/veggie diet.

I've had buns on pellet less diets for many years. I add the pellets in when I need to keep weight up, or for specific rabbits ... I don't usually find that forage and the stuff you've described puts on weight.

Good luck!
 
I think their diet sounds really good (I would do as its similar to what mine get :lol:) but as she is tubby (vets do know best on this IMO) something needs to go 7 the pellets seem the way forward (ie losing them). i remember my chubby bunny being seen by Frances Harcourt brown & being horrified to hear he had to go on a "hay only diet". she said there was no need for gradual reduction in pellets. It seems so mean but really is the kindest thing. I'd bring out forage treats when they usually have pellets.
 
I have had boarding rabbits who come to me who are a little on the tubby side. It seems to be the same rabbits come back and they are a little tubbier each time :lol:

With the owner's consent, I cut their pellets down, and so they don't think I'm being very mean (the rabbits that is), I fill their food bowl with readigrass and forage and sprinkle their pellet ration on the top. They love it and generally eat veg and forage before the pellets anyway, when there's a choice.
 
Guess I'm outvoted on the pellets issue then.:lol:
Don't misunderstand me - if my rabbit vet suggested it because of weight/health issues, then obviously I would but I would be uneasy about doing it unless I could provide all the forage etc.
 
yeah i'll try cutting out the pellets completely. There are so few anyway... and Babsie, no they only have 10g between the two of them, which wouldn't even fill one egg cup.
If I cut that out and give them more dried forage to make up for it, any suggestions as to how much they could have? right now it's a small handful between the two of them they are getting. Should I up that? They get a mixture of Dried Delights (http://drieddelights.bigcartel.com/product/dried-hay), which I recently found, and then some stuff from The Hay Expert, such as dried dandelion, nettle, bark, roots etc.
I don't think I am overfeeding on that, but anyone got a good measurement as to how much to give? They have access to fresh redigrass and hay all day long, and the redigrass is separate from the hay, so they can decide which they prefer at the time, which seems to keep them busy.


I may also add, they are getting the same amount.... but Fluffy is perfect weight.
 
As they are having such a small amount of pellets, no sugary treats and are active, the being overweight is strange. (Incidentally, my two get lots of greens, fresh forage when I can get it, and plenty of dry forage, apple sticks etc.)
 
FredW said:
yeah i'll try cutting out the pellets completely. There are so few anyway... and Babsie, no they only have 10g between the two of them, which wouldn't even fill one egg cup.
If I cut that out and give them more dried forage to make up for it, any suggestions as to how much they could have? right now it's a small handful between the two of them they are getting. Should I up that? They get a mixture of Dried Delights (http://drieddelights.bigcartel.com/product/dried-hay), which I recently found, and then some stuff from The Hay Expert, such as dried dandelion, nettle, bark, roots etc.
I don't think I am overfeeding on that, but anyone got a good measurement as to how much to give? They have access to fresh redigrass and hay all day long, and the redigrass is separate from the hay, so they can decide which they prefer at the time, which seems to keep them busy.


I may also add, they are getting the same amount.... but Fluffy is perfect weight.
Click to expand...

Some people will say that readigrass is more fattening than hay, but I have never found that to be so. I have free fed it to my rabbits since I can remember (= many years :lol:) and never had overweight rabbits.

I think variety is the key, both for nutrients and for interest. Difficult to say how much forage would equate to pellets though. You should be able to see how hungry they get and how to manage it in a few days. I find that weight loss and gain can occur within a week .. Do you weigh them yourself? (Apols if you've already covered this)
 
Yeah I found actually she started loosing some weight with redigrass. not because of that, but because she was more interested in hay again. so who knows really.

I weigh them myself, usually once a months, and of course the vet every year during vaccination and check up. I am hoping now she has her digging box it will help her a bit. She's in there right now again. :)

by the way, I used to sprinkle Natures Touch http://www.natures-touch.org/natures-touch-adult-rabbit.html over their hay in the morning and a bit in the evening, like not even a hand full in total, though stopped as I wasn't too sure if it's too fattening maybe. same with Fibre First http://www.supremepetfoods.com/fiba-first-2/ I stopped that for the same reason. but if I stop the pellets, should I give one of them back?

also... any hay I should avoid, I don't give them alfalfa hay at all, but what about oat or barley, any of those no-no's?
 
FredW said:
Yeah I found actually she started loosing some weight with redigrass. not because of that, but because she was more interested in hay again. so who knows really.

I weigh them myself, usually once a months, and of course the vet every year during vaccination and check up. I am hoping now she has her digging box it will help her a bit. She's in there right now again. :)

by the way, I used to sprinkle Natures Touch http://www.natures-touch.org/natures-touch-adult-rabbit.html over their hay in the morning and a bit in the evening, like not even a hand full in total, though stopped as I wasn't too sure if it's too fattening maybe. same with Fibre First http://www.supremepetfoods.com/fiba-first-2/ I stopped that for the same reason. but if I stop the pellets, should I give one of them back?

also... any hay I should avoid, I don't give them alfalfa hay at all, but what about oat or barley, any of those no-no's?
Click to expand...

No, apart from alfalfa, they are all good, including green oat hay :thumb: Fresh grass (if you've any left) is nice with rose leaves ..
 
Ok cool. Will get some oat one just cor variety. And you think still best to keep the natures touch snd fibre first away from her too
Thanks for all your help :)
 
Well one is a mixture of hay and foraging stuff. The other is seems more like compressed hay or so. The second being fibre first, which I took away a while ago as I felt it may be too fattening for her. I posted links a couple of posts up.on my tablet right now and cany figure cutting links easily. Sorry :?
 
Fibre First I treat as nuggets ..albeit healthier ones with more hay & in stick form:lol: Mine are banned from them cos they get too aggressive
 
It sounds as though they are a type of pellet - which means you were feeding more pellets than you thought.
 
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