Bunny weight- Is this normal?

[yramnot]

I recently got my two Holland lops neutered, and their litter habits have sufficiently improved to allow free run of the house during the day They're both male and approximately seven months old. While I was petting them yesterday, I noticed how incredibly skinny they were, and I was wondering of anyone could tell me if this is normal. When I pet them them, I can feel the vertebrae and the crests of their pelvises. Their diet consists of unlimited grass hay, 1/4 cup pellets each (I upped it out of concern for their weight), and a generous quart of fresh vegetables daily. Should they have more meat on their bones?

 

[Pipp]

Your diet sounds great.

Hollands I think seem to be pretty 'spiny' from what I recall and what I saw on IHop, my Holland foster.

You can't go by feeling the vertebrae with rabbit weight, anyway, and younger rabbits won't be too chunky.

That said, rabbits SHOULD feel thin. Weight isn't healthy. The excess fat on a rabbit goes to the organs and under the skin.

I'll grab a couple of Library articles on rabbit weights, hang tough...


sas :bunnydance:

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

That's not normal Hollands are not supposed to be spiny. they are not a spiny breed. They are a well rounded rabbit. It could be something genetic. More then likely its feed related. One way to tell that if a rabbit is skinny is to run your hand down its back, starting at the shoulders, and working your way back over the rump and hing quarters. You should feel a lot of muscle and no bones at all. The loin on a rabbit like that should be about the length of the palm of your hand. 1/4rth of a cup isn't enough for a rabbit. Most small breeds will eat around a half a cup of pellets per day. You should see some pretty good results by increasing his pellet intake per day.

 

[Pipp]

Yup, must agree with Dixons upon review, I should look before I type. The spine shouldn't be readily felt and the hindquarters shouldn't be narrow.

And they're young bunnies so as long as it doesn't stop them from eating hay or veggies, they probably need more pellets.

What brand of pellets are you feeding them?

Oddly enough, small breeds eat more than the large ones.

Here's the Library link...

Weight Management
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12058&forum_id=17

And here's an old post of Pam's I'll include although the thread is also in the Library...

pamnock wrote:
Generally, no -- you shouldn't be able to feel the spine. In a thin rabbit, the spine will be the most visible indicator of being underfed or a rabbit looking very "hollow" in the flank area.

The rib cage can be difficult to discern, even in an underfed rabbit.

Flabby skin can indicate obesity as can a very rounded "rolly polly" look.

A rabbit can be under fed and still have a distended stomach. Protein deficiency is one cause of a bloated belly as well as parasites or other health problems.

The rabbit being wider than it is deep (high) may also be another sign of being overweight.

The following is an excerpt from: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/bunny.asp

"To tell if your rabbit is obese is sometimes not easy. Look at the rabbit from the top. It should be pear shaped, not shaped like an apple with a head. If the dewlap is large enough that it touches the rabbit's elbows when it is sitting up, it is obese. If you see extra skin that touches the ground around the back end of the rabbit, it is obese. You should be able to feel the rabbit's ribs without seeing them. Rex rabbits are particularly prone to becoming fat. A rabbit that is too fat also has difficulty grooming itself and you may have the joy of cleaning your rabbit's rear end frequently to prevent conditions called urine scald (where the urine that the animal can not clean off his fur, burns the skin underneath) and fly strike (where the feces that can become matted in the fur attracts flies which lay their eggs). You then get maggots eating the unhealthy flesh of your rabbit's behind. "

(Actually it's easier to tell when a rex rabbit is fat due to the fact that its fur is so short)

I'm going to have to check on IHop in his new foster home. He was just neutered when he got here and the vet said his weight was fine, but he sure felt bony to me! He came from a place where he only was fed pellets and may have had a cheap brand and/or not very consistent feedings. Or it may be genetic or his metabolism I guess. He's almost two and as active as all get out!

If you were feeding even less than a quarter cup before, I really think that may account for the low weight, but only time will tell.

I'll watch for the brand and contents info.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[yramnot]

I've been feeding them the Small World pellets available at Walmart. I'm unsure of exactly how high it ranks in terms of quality, but I was drawn to it because it lacks any unnecessary additives like fruits. I will definitely up their pellets, though, if that's what they require. I read in several places that rabbits their size require as little as 1/8 of a cup each. Clearly that's not the case, unless this pellet is just that bad.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

yramnot wrote:

I recently got my two Holland lops neutered, and their litter habits have sufficiently improved to allow free run of the house during the day They're both male and approximately seven months old. While I was petting them yesterday, I noticed how incredibly skinny they were, and I was wondering of anyone could tell me if this is normal. When I pet them them, I can feel the vertebrae and the crests of their pelvises. Their diet consists of unlimited grass hay, 1/4 cup pellets each (I upped it out of concern for their weight), and a generous quart of fresh vegetables daily. Should they have more meat on their bones?

the diet sounds good,,but take a look at the day poops,,are they large and juicy-or-small and srivelled,.??--here is a link for positive id http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html --let me know,-sincerely james waller:big wink:

 

[tonyshuman]

That pellet isn't very good. A better option can be found at PetSmart and other big box stores--Oxbow 15/23 until they're full grown, then Bunny Basics T, some Kaytee pellets are also ok, like any that don't have any funny bits in there and are just plain pellets, and their Timothy complete.

Since you have two and they're young, it may even be better to go to a feed store to get a large bag of pellets. They're cheaper that way and many feed store pellets are quite good. I personally like Purina Green Bag Rabbit Chow, Purina Hi Fiber Lab Diet, and their Fibre3 pellet. However, I don't know a ton about the feed store brands.

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

I agree that small world is not very good, even though it is made by manna pro feeds. that stuff sits on the shelves for months at a time. You are better off getting your feed from places like tsc tractor supply or a feed mill.

Th egreen bag of rabbit chow has high corn content. You have to watch feedingt hat one. Don't feed pro either. If you go with purina, use the fiber 3 or the show.

 

[Sweetie]

I feed the Small World pellets. That is because of financial reasons. There is one brand that I have fed my rabbits and my rabbits haven't had issues other than ear mites, teeth issues, and constipation. Those issues weren't from the pellets. The pellets they were on before I had to switch them were SunNaturals Rabbit food.

I would increase the amount of pellets you are feeding your bunnies, feed them veggies, and a lot of hay.

 

[yramnot]

I'll check out the brands you guys recommended, see if my local feed store has any of them. I chose the walmart brand because it was the best thing I could find at the time, and it came in bulk. I got a giant bag of it that's kept for a very long time. Plus the rabbits seem to enjoy it much more than the stuff they were fed at the pet store. In the meantime, I'll up it until I can find something else.

 

[tonyshuman]

If you want to buy in bulk, definitely check a feed store when you get close to the bottom of your current bag. You should gradually switch pellets by mixing them together for about 2 weeks, with increasing amounts of the new pellet, so don't just switch when you run totally out of the old pellet.