In need of a diet plan and some advice if possible (:

[LauryStevens]

Hey guys!

I was doing a general health check of the rabbits this morning and I noticed that one of my rabbits appears to be underweight. Although I haven't actually weighed him, his spine and ribs are quite pronounced. I must admit that I have been slacking on the health checks lately, they're a group of 9 rabbits so I try not to upset them where possible by handelling them, though I suppose they might actually get used to it.

Generally he seems healthy, he groomss the group, gets groomed, eats well and drinks well. I am yet to determine his exact breed, he's similar to that of a dwarf fox or jersey wolley, so he looks like a netherland dwarf, but has a very thick fluffy body of fur, but short fur around his head. he's actually my smallest rabbit, making my netherlands look quite big in comparison.

As he is in a group, I'm aware that target feeding him may be a bit of a pain, but in my head I aim to increase his feeds from just the morning to 3 times a day by temporarily seperating him from his group to monitor feeds. I'm also thinking of introducing small amounts of apple and carrot to his diet to try fatten him up abit from the sugar.

It goes without saying that I am also considering a trip to the vets to be on the safe side, but adivce from all angles such as your lovely selves would be amazing. I've also not ruled out the possibility of internal parasites ... do you think it's worth getting him some panacure or similar?

 

[LauryStevens]

I have decided to weigh them all and do so regularly to keep an eye on them (I honestly don't know why I didn't do this before, and I am quite angry with myself because of it ).

Ronnie, my "miniture long haired nethi" who I was on about, and he weighs only 750g, which was scarey in comparison to my second lightest nethi at 1200g. Like stated above, he is SMALLER than any of my nethi's. When sat next to my nethis he's approx an inch or two smaller visually, and another inch or two smaller due to his dense fur. I should probably get him ID'd to find out his true breed.

I'm currently monotoring his feeding (so the bunnies ended up with two breakfasts this morning)! He has a good appetite and like the other rabbits, only takes a break to have a drink, then he returns to the food. He's now tootled off to the hay run which is a dense bedding of lovely fresh green hay and he's munching away happily.

Over all he is acting happy and healthy, and the other rabbits aren't treating him any differently, nor are they bullying him (he's the only male in the group so he's pretty darn happy in that respect, though he is neutured)!He's just run back into the main run and is finishing off some more pellets from their big bowl. So i'm happy with how he is acting, I just feel he should weigh more, despite being an incredibly diddy bunny.

Again, any advise would be grately appreciated

 

[SarahP]

I definitely wouldn't feed sugary fruit and veg. I think the extra feeds and a visit to the vets is a good idea.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

I definitely wouldn't feed sugary fruit and veg. I think the extra feeds and a visit to the vets is a good idea.

I agree, I would start with a trip to the Vets for a full health check. What is his fecal output like ?

If the Vet can find no physical reason for his low weight then you do need to continue to separate him for feeds and also you need to continue to weigh him ever 2-3 days. You dont say what his exact diet is at the moment ?

 

[nessar]

I agree that the vet should be the first port of call, to rule out any underlying infections or dental problems that could be causing him to lose weight. Netherland dwarves and other dwarf breeds are prone to dental problems.

Do you supervise feeding time? If so, does he get his fair share or does he get pushed out of the way?

I wouldn't start feeding him sugary foods to compensate, that could make things worse in the long run as sugar is not good for their digestive system. I think it would be best to look at his diet as a whole and write down exactly what he eats (including amounts and brands) and then we can help you see if it is lacking in any area.

 

[LauryStevens]

I supervise feeds and he certainly isn't outcompeted for food. He usually jumps ontop of the girls to get his face into the food bowl It's quite funny to watch, some of the small bunnies do this even though there is room, they soon spread out. His droppings are perfectly healthy, nice golden/dark poos, depending on if he's been out on the grass or not. It's hard to weigh the food as I have 9 rabbits all feeding from the same area but they seem to all get a good fair share with no one seemily missing out or being pushed aside.

 

[nessar]

Can you please give an exact breakdown of his daily diet?

 

[LauryStevens]

Burgess Excell daily in the morning, less than a handful each, and green hay all day, unlimited supply. Aswell as grass once or twice a week when we put the pens out for them

 

[nessar]

Do you feed anything else, any veggies or fruit or treats?
Can you please weigh their daily ration of pellets and divide by the amount of bunnies to give the amount each gets each day? Are the pellets the adult excel ones?
What brand of hay do you feed? Would you say they each eat at least a pile of hay the size of themselves everyday day, or less?
The problem with such a large group is that it's very hard to monitor the intake and output of each bunny.

 

[mini lop1]

I would look at how old is he?
how is his faecal output? any changes?
is he moulting?
keep weighing him and get vets to health check him

some nethies are smaller then the standard others larger, I had a very small nethie girl once called rosie

 

[LauryStevens]

I only ever feed them their breakfast in the AM and fresh hay to last more than 24 hours. They have access to grass every week and on occassion they get a small handful of Kale each but not much else. I only ever feed by eye now, weighing it isn't straight forward with rabbits of different sizes in such a large group, as someone will always be likely to miss out that way. So generally I would put a set amount down and removed the left overs after a few minutes, over time I judged by eye. Generally I know I can't be far off as my Nethi's are around 1-1.2kg each my mini lop and lionhead nethis are 1.5kg each, my dwarf lop is 2kg and my larger rabbit is 2.4kg. - From looking at breed to weight charts they all seem pretty much spot on.

I feed a mixture of Burgess Excel adult and dwarf, and they eat their body size in hay, and possibly more each day. They have a hay room which gets filled daily and lasts them until feeding the next morning. They're still eating it after 24 hours but I remove and bin what is left, hose down, dry and refresh with clean fresh hay. Spoilt bunnies really


It is hard to monitor a larger group of rabbits, but it is so rewarding knowing they're all bonded from different backgrounds and have such strong bonds with each other. I've put pictures up of Ronnie on another thread to try determine his breed, Tamsin had a go but isn't sure so I'll have to take more images tomorrow to see if we can identify any key body characteristics which may tell us more about his breed and therefore, his ideal weight.

 

[LauryStevens]

I would look at how old is he?
how is his faecal output? any changes?
is he moulting?
keep weighing him and get vets to health check him

some nethies are smaller then the standard others larger, I had a very small nethie girl once called rosie

He's 6-9 months old. Pooing like a trooper and moulting, well, he's just fur, it's hard to notice a major change in coats with him. I'll keep a weight diary for him I think

 

[nessar]

It's hard to say whether he is getting enough pellets if you can't weigh them, handfuls vary widely between people. I'd recommend starting to feed him pellets separately so you can monitor the amount, and use a tablespoon measure or scales to measure what he is fed.

It's all good that they have access to the hay, but it may be that he isn't eating enough of it, and this would cause weightloss, so that's another aspect to keep an eye on. You haven't mentioned a brand so I assume it's baled hay. Oat hay, readigrass and alfalfa (alfalfa only in moderation) can be used to supplement this as they are higher in protein.

What is his normal healthy weight? If you can't remember, your vet will have a record from his last appointment.

 

[LauryStevens]

We don't know his ideal weight because no one seems to know what breed he is :/ Though, checking with the vets is a good idea I just called them (this isn't my usual vets) and they didn't record it down ... this isn't exactly helpful :/

Sorry I did write it down but when I left the internet page a returned it had refreshed *palmface* it is baled hay from the farm, they used to be on INGs hay, but they all seem to prefer this option as it is slightly greener, and also cheaper for me

Since starting this thread he's been getting 3 meals a day, so I'll keep weighing him every few days and hopefully we'll start to get a slow and steady increase.

I've also ordered him some panacur to be on the safe side