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How to gain weight in an underweight rescue

lucyb2797

New Kit
Hi everyone, I'm new around here, and have just adopted a gorgeous 4 year old mini-lop girl called Layla. She's lovely and friendly and is free roaming around our apartment, very well behaved and tame. The only issue is she was badly neglected by previous owners and severely underweight when her foster-mum got her, and a month later is still underweight and feels very bony, although we were told she has put on weight in the month that she was fostered.

I don't think it's anything underlying as she has a good appetite, is energetic and seems to be going to the toilet fine (however obviously if she doesn't gain weight over the next few weeks she will have a trip to the vet!). I'm just wondering if anyone on here can recommend what to feed her to help her gain weight in a healthy way? I know it's normally the other way around and the struggle with pet rabbits is them getting overweight so most of the guidance is to prevent them gaining weight, so I'm a bit unsure on what to do.

She's currently getting unlimited hay, I got nice good quality meadow hay direct from a farm in Wales which seems nice and fresh and green with lovely long stems and she seems to enjoy it. I'm also giving her about 1/3 of a cup pellets 2x a day, I'm not sure what ones they are (I was given them when I adopted her), but I have ordered Rosewood Meadow Menu and will transition her gradually to this when it arrives. The only thing is Meadow Menu seems to be tailored to rabbits not gaining weight, so I wonder if whilst she's still underweight there's one that might be better for her and I can transition her to this once she's a good weight?
Of course she's also getting veggies 2x a day too, it's quite hard to gauge amounts really but I give her about 2 cups full.

So... am I doing the right thing, or should I up the quanitity of the pellets/veggies, and is there a type of pellet that might suit her better right now?

I appreciate the help, I just really want the best for this lovely bunny after the difficult start to life she seems to have had.

Lucy
 
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It sounds like you are doing the right things. Weigh her weekly to see how she is doing. If you want to increase the calories, try supplementing with junior pellets (higher protein) and alfalfa hay.
 
Welcome to RU Lucy & Layla.

Great you've sourced her some nice hay which she's keen on. I'd be inclined to just keep up the changes she made with her foster carer, slow & steady wins the race. Weekly weigh-ins should help you monitor how its going. You seem very on the ball, I'm sure she'll thrive in your care:love:
 
It sounds like you are doing the right things. Weigh her weekly to see how she is doing. If you want to increase the calories, try supplementing with junior pellets (higher protein) and alfalfa hay.

I was going to suggest junior pellets for the same reason.
 
Thanks everybody for the welcoming words and advice :) I have ordered some junior pellets as suggested and will slowly introduce them to her, I'm assuming that I should treat them more as a supplement to adult pellets than being the main pellets she has? Also will look into the readigrass!
 
Hello, and welcome to the forum :wave: I have fed junior pellets as the only pellet food to outdoor bunnies with high energy requirements in the past.
 
Others have given you great advice. Allow me to add she may also need exercise to build her muscle mass which will take time.
 
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