Exersise

[EPICBUNNY99x]

i have a french lop doe, through experience and the internet i have found out that french lops are very docile and don't move about much, although this can be a good thing, she has become quite over weight. i was wondering if anyone has any ideas of how to exercise her,she doesn't like to eat out side of her cage so i can't encourage her with food, please help!!!!!

 

[LakeCondo]

Welcome to RO.

Have you changed her diet? so she'll lose weight? How long is she out of the cage daily?

She may not like to eat outside the cage, but I'm sure she will if she has to. I'd place her dishes just outside the cage & see how that goes, then move them further away & spread out. You can get a thing made for cats that has to be rolled around to get her pellets. That is good motivation for a little exercise.

 

[fuzz16]

My french was a fuzzy door stop i couldnt get her to get going until bed time shed hop on the bed, even as a baby she was super calm

 

[mdith4him]

I've heard that rabbits like having their pellets spread out so they have to sniff around and find them like they would find food in the wild. That would get her up and moving and she could still be in her cage/pen. My rabbits have really enjoyed playing in large paper bags, boxes, tunnels, etc., so maybe providing a variety of toys and things to explore would help her get out and moving around. We let our bunnies out into the hallway sometimes (it's an L shaped hall) and they LOVE running and jumping around the corner!

 

[woahlookitsme]

My french lop is anything but a door stop lol. He loves running everywhere and binkys all the time. I never knew such a big bunny could. How much are you feeding her? My french is about 11 lbs and gets 8oz of pellets per day with hay about twice a week. He used to be on veggies but since I came to my parents house I haven't started him back on them. He loves cardboard and paper towel rolls. Throwing them around and chewing on them. I like the idea of spreading out the pellets that will help alot if she can move around and eat. I agree let her out of the cage more. I do in the early morning or late night which is when mine is most active

 

[wendymac]

My French Lops play, but they definitely sleep a LOT more than play! They play hard for a few minutes, then sleep for a few hours to recuperate. LOL My 7 month old doe weighed in at 12 lbs. yesterday. Cher, senior doe, is at 16 pounds. They aren't fat...they're solid! Make sure you're not mistaking muscle mass for fat.

 

[EPICBUNNY99x]

Lake condo: i have changed her diet recently to more vegetables as she has getting hardly and i decied enough was enough and she deserved more. she also got a very pooy bum which i discovered was from to much pellets. i try to get in her run pretty much the whole day if the weather is nice and i bring her inside to run around if not (but she just sort of sits in one place). i always put her food and water out but she never takes any notice of them enless they are in her cage.

mdith: i will try hiding pellets in hay for her and will look round the house for things that can be reused as toys!

woahlookitsme: i feed her 7oz of vegetables and 0.6oz pellets (excel) a day i know that the amount of pellets seems so little but i was adviced by vets to give that much don't worry i am not starving her!!!

i will try all your suggestions today and update u tomorrow

 

[EPICBUNNY99x]

hi thank you for all your suggestions i hid her food today and saw a whole different side to her she was digging around and having a great time!! i could not find anything to use as toys so will have to buy stuff. i am also looking into building her a nice big run so she can have lots of toys and digging boxes in there

 

[MiniLopHop]

Baby rattles made from hard plastic are great fun for buns to toss around or the hard cat balls with bells in them. I find, particularly my mini lop, loves to make as much noise as possible when she plays.

They love a cat treat dispencer. It looks like an egg that has a little hole. I put pellets in there and they have to work for their food.

Paper towel or toilet paper rolls, even an oatmeal box with ends cut off is great to put one treat in the middle for motivation and then stuff with hay. They have something fun and tastey to work on.

You can also try to play a game to get her to hop. I'm the fitness coach for a very lazy lop at the SPCA. I put her on the floor and then tickle her bum to make her hop around. She lays down and refuses to move after a couple minutes, but we all have to start somewhere to build stamina.

Best of luck!

 

[LakeCondo]

I have never heard of loose poop from pellets, only from veggies.

0.6 oz of pellets is only a little over a tablespoon. It's better than none, I guess, but Rabbit Health in the 21st Century recommends much more per 5 lbs rabbit for one on a diet, ie 1/4-1/2 cup. This is 4-8 tablespoons for weight loss.

 

[woahlookitsme]

I really think she should be getting more pellets than what she is also. Veggies are not a complete diet although some might have another opinion but pellets should be more than 0.6oz especially for a french lop. I remember a vet always advocating that rabbits should have a majority of veggies and only small amounts of pellets but pellets will not hurt, they can cause a rabbit to become overweight but not when you are barely feeding them. I also think the runny stools were from the veggies and not from the pellets. If you introduce veggies too suddenly they can get diarrhea from the sudden change. If she is getting runny stools I would also increase the amount of hay you are giving.

How old is she and what was her last weight?

If she is still growing Wendy could probably tell you about what her lops weigh at a certain age but french lops have no maximum weight in shows.

 

[EPICBUNNY99x]

i think the vet knows better, her poo is not runny she just has it stuck around her bum i KNOW this is from to many pellets as it is starting to go away