Lazy overweight 6 yr old bun

Wasn't sure where this should go so sorry if it's in the wrong place!
I'm struggling to get rid of Tango's podge and don't know if it's an issue. He eats 1 egg cup of SS a day, unlimited hay and occasional herbs/greens. No sugary snacks, fruit, carrot etc.
Treats are dried dandelions or freshly picked ones, his favourite [emoji4]
He keeps himself spotlessly clean and I can just feel his spine through his coat but he is very round and I've been told he's overweight by the vet.
Am I over worrying? He's just so lazy! He has a digging box and a large run but prefers to sit and chomp hay all day. He only runs about when Finx steals something he had his eye on lol.
He's my oldest bun so I'm not sure if he's just finished with his spritely teenage years or if I should be actively trying to get him to exercise more to stay fit and healthy.

Apologies for the essay - any thoughts?

I had a female rabbit who became obese for the same reason, she just did not like to jump around. We cut out most of her pellets, altough she would get very few (I could easily count the number she was given) which I gave her as a treat. To get her to move, I had to chase her from one end of the run to another. By the time I was done exercising her, I was exhausted!! When I took her back to the vets, she lost a pound and she continued to lose weight as long as my husband did not give in to her begging for rabbit pellets.

As we progress into Spring, try swapping her hay for fresh grass. The water content of grass bulks it out so they tend to eat less of it than hay. But it's equally as good for their teeth and digestion as hay.

Has he always been 'lazy' or is this a relatively new development ? Rabbits who start to develop age related arthritis can become less active and hence they start to pile on the pounds. Other health issues can also cause a Rabbit to become less active, even if they seem fine in every other way. So I would get the Vet to give Tango and MOT to start with.

Grass at this time of year is starting to become very rich. So do be careful if you start to feed more of it as it can cause some Rabbits quite severe gut problems including bloat. Especially if they are not out on grass all year round.

Thanks all [emoji4] he has always been the last to get up and run to greet me, lots of stretching and yawning and looking annoyed that I interrupted lol.
I know that he can move when he wants to, he did some hilarious binkies and bunny500s the other day, but more often than not he spends his garden time munching grass.
It's quite frustrating!

Jane, what sort of age would you expect to see arthritis?

sierra*323 said:

Jane, what sort of age would you expect to see arthritis?

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It really can vary. I have seen early onset arthritis in Rabbits less than 3. I have seen 13 year old Rabbits with no more than 'normal' age related degenerative changes. There is no specific age at which arthritis can occur. But as Rabbits now have much longer life expectancy we are bound to see more age related health issues. I would not call 6 old though. But neither is 6 'too young' for arthritis.

If he eats loads of hay and grass you could omit pellets all together. Or just hand feed one or two pellets as a treat. I can honestly say that since cutting out/ cutting right back on hard feed all my Rabbits have benefited hugely. Some of my oldies do need a portion daily to keep their weight on. But my two youngsters have no hard feed at all and they are both doing really well.

sierra*323 said:

Jane, what sort of age would you expect to see arthritis?

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There is no set age that rabbits are likely to get arthritis ... My 12 (going on 13) year old - almost blind - still runs around the garden, jumps on the furniture, just like she always did

Jack's-Jane said:

It really can vary. I have seen early onset arthritis in Rabbits less than 3. I have seen 13 year old Rabbits with no more than 'normal' age related degenerative changes. There is no specific age at which arthritis can occur. But as Rabbits now have much longer life expectancy we are bound to see more age related health issues. I would not call 6 old though. But neither is 6 'too young' for arthritis.

If he eats loads of hay and grass you could omit pellets all together. Or just hand feed one or two pellets as a treat. I can honestly say that since cutting out/ cutting right back on hard feed all my Rabbits have benefited hugely. Some of my oldies do need a portion daily to keep their weight on. But my two youngsters have no hard feed at all and they are both doing really well.

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Thats intersting. I am in the process of cutting down the hard feed for my (nicely rounded) crowd.

How about putting his pellets in a treat ball? Providing you rule out arthritis this would be one way to get him moving.

Vegan_Bunny said:

How about putting his pellets in a treat ball? Providing you rule out arthritis this would be one way to get him moving.

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I do have a treat ball, but am a bit worried that it will have the opposite effect... Tango is very much the keeper of the small plastic toys lol, he's likely to end up getting Finx's portion too!!

Haha. I have 3 buns and give their pellets in 3 separate balls. It works quite well actually. Perhaps separate them at feeding time if possible. My eldest bun, Fiver, is 7 now and he has put on a bit of a weight. He has spondylitis (sp?) In his spine and he isn't as active as he used to be but still loves rolling his treat ball around. I'd rule out arthritis first and then go from there. Getting them to exercise can be difficult when they are lazy but I'm sure you will think of something that will get him moving.

My bunny was diagnosed with arthritis at 10 years of age. It was at least two more years before he showed any outward sign of having the condition.

Hmm. Those of you who feed little or no pellets, do you feed a wide selection of greens? I wouldn't want them to miss out on anything they need.