chubby bunny?

[SnowyShiloh]

Skyler, my little Dutch bunny, is 8 and a half months old and gets fed Oxbow Bunny Basics timothy pellets, plus unlimited timothy hay and a few veggies every night. I noticed yesterday that he seems to be getting a little chubby! He weighs approximately 3 1/2 pounds (I tried weighing him on two scales) and is a pretty little guy. I feed him 1 1/2 tablespoons of pellets every morning, and 1 1/2 tablespoons every night. How do I go about safely decreasing his pellets? I know it needs to be done slowly, over a long time, but how much time? I was thinking of reducing him to 1 1/4 tablespoons each feeding for two or three weeks and seeing if that makes a difference, then decrease it to 1 tablespoon each feeding if he seems to need it.

Here are pictures of the chubbers himself from 5 minutes ago, what do you think?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Maureen Las]

OMG Skyler is really cute!!!!
I love the black circle by his nose,

I think your method of decreasing his pellets sounds good but you could probably decrease it a little faster than that ..maybe decreae it very 10 days or so.

Is there any way that you can get more activity in his life. My buns are also chubby because they just don't have enough run space .?

 

[mezeta]

OMG OMG. No real imput here but what a cutie!!!!

 

[tonyshuman]

I don't know if he's overweight, actually. 3.5 is normal for a dutch. and seeing as we know he's purebred, it makes sense to go by the breed standard. I just weighed my Tony last night and he was 4lbs. You also don't feed much pellets at all--3TBSP is only 3/16 of a cup, and he can probably have up to 1/4. Maybe just decrease to 1/8? I don't think you really need to decrease so slowly, unless he's sensitive in the guts. For instance, if my bunnies are beggars and they convince my bf that I haven't already fed them when he gets up in the morning, they get fed again. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Plus, when my bf used to feed them, he fed twice as much because he thought they got 1/4 cup each instead of 1/4 cup for both combined (1/8 c each). they've had no stomach troubles with this.

Am I wrong about him not being fat? I don't think he is...:dunno

 

[kherrmann3]

He doesn't look too chubby to me, either. Toby is a fatty (at least I call him that) but the vet says he's OK. She just wants him to lose a little weight (he weighs 4.1#, she wants him around 3.8-3.9#). He gets 2 oz of pellets and unlimited hay (2 oz. = 1/3 cup) and she said 2 oz. is perfect for him.

Your "little" dutch doesn't look heavy, though. He's absolutely ADORABLE though! :biggrin2:

 

[JadeIcing]

Thats the right size for a dutch. From the little I have found outy going to shows he looks like he is just right. I would post this in the rabbitry. Or PM Jesse or Starlight Rabbitry (she breeds dutch).

 

[ilovetoeatchocolate]

Um by looking at your pictures you little guy doesn't seem overweight at all. I believe that Dutchies have a more of a rounded body so that is what could be mistaken as overweight. Infact. When I first got my rabbits and took them to the vet I told my vet that Miley is a little fatty and she said she is not overweight at all. If you are really in doubt you could take the rabbit to the vet and ask them. Also, I agree that the amount of pellets that you feed your rabbit is not much at all. Mine get the 1/4 cup recommendation.

Cut pictures by the way!

Don't worry about the weight thing. As long as he is getting his exercise etc. eating lots of hay, everything should be fine.

Shannon

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Okay, thanks guys! He's definitely more solid than he was a couple weeks ago, maybe he's just filling out now since he isn't a baby anymore? I will e-mail JAK Rabbitry and ask her what she thinks. She did breed him after all, so she'll know exactly what his mother and father and grandparents and siblings are like! He is on the small side (for size, if not weight) and I think he may weigh a bit more than 3.5 pounds. I tried to weigh him on the kitchen scale (he wouldn't stay still) and with me holding him on the human bathroom scale (I don't think it's very sensitive), so it's hard to say exactly how much he weighs.

Oh and thanks for the comments on how cute he is, he's even cuter in person! He's also just about the cuddliest little bunny ever born- little dude will cuddle with me for hours if given the chance and won't leave me alone when he's out of his cage. I love my sweetie pie, chubby or not :inlove: When he's not cuddling, he's usually racing around doing giant binkies.