weight loss without stress

The usual suggestions for weight loss do not take into account the rabbit's feelings about it. In my experience the rabbit is unhappy, spends a lot of time hunting for food, chewing on non food, asking for food and not being affectionate. The question becomes how to make the rabbit happy without overeating? Certainly high fiber helps but what about fat and sugar? Sugar may increase hunger and someone at the local pet shop suggested replacing manufactured food containing alfalfa with one containing timothy. Unfortunately, Oxbow Essentials Adult Rabbit food sweetens the timothy with molasses so the rabbit will like it The only result I see is that my rabbit greatly increased the amount of mulberry leaf (which I was feeding along with fresh grass free choice) that it wants. Perhaps adding medium chain triglycerides (easily digested for energy) and finding a less sweet formula would help. I have tried to limit my 5 lb rabbit to 20 grams of the extruded food along with unlimited orchard grass hay, various local grasses, mulberry leaves and limited dandelion leaves, cabbage, carrot root, and miscellaneous leaves but the rabbit usually wants more of the extruded food and is satisfied on receiving it. She has plenty of room to roam so can get whatever exercise she wants but slowly gains weight.

Does she have a companion ? Rabbits are social animals and need a companion of their own kind. For a lone Rabbit there is not much else to do but eat and sleep making weight gain very likely.

All healthy Rabbits will act as if they are starving and eat as many pellets as they are given, usually asking for more.

Rabbit dietary advice here

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-diet/

She only has me as companion. From rabbitwelfare, she has never eaten anywhere near enough hay & grass but half the pellet allotment yet she gains weight. I think there is a problem with their numbers and will do a energy calculation when I get a chance. From what you say, the only solution is to get her a rabbit friend, but will she still demand more pellet?

What breed is she as some breeds such as New Zealand Whites do easily put on weight. I always felt very mean when feeding my New Zealand. They always prefer pellets to hay or grass but they need to be grazing on these foods (hay/grass) for a good few hours a day.

She is Dutch. The feed numbers from rabbitwelfare are entirely out of reason. This spring when fresh grass was first available, my rabbit was so excited that she did not eat any substantial hay and I weighed the grass and measured the moisture content to figure out the vitamin D supplement. She weighed 2.18 kg and ate 18 g "pellets", 50g DM grass, and about another 30g assorted fresh material. rabbitwelfare says I should feed 44g pellet, 742g hay plus 87 g leafy greens. Obviously absurd.

robeyw said:

She is Dutch. The feed numbers from rabbitwelfare are entirely out of reason. This spring when fresh grass was first available, my rabbit was so excited that she did not eat any substantial hay and I weighed the grass and measured the moisture content to figure out the vitamin D supplement. She weighed 2.18 kg and ate 18 g "pellets", 50g DM grass, and about another 30g assorted fresh material. rabbitwelfare says I should feed 44g pellet, 742g hay plus 87 g leafy greens. Obviously absurd.

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You clearly know better than the experts then