Feeding older bunny

[LadyBug]

My holland lop, Jamie, is four and a half, and the last few months seems to be loosing weight. His base diet(pellet food and veggies) are very healthy and comply with what is recommended, so I'm wondering what I can supplement in for him to help him gain some weight.
This is what I've come up with so far, but it's been a while since I've been immersed in the 'bun-verse', so I'm looking for a few other heads to put together with mine to ensure his well being.
-Changing from timothy hay to alfalfa, since I seem to remember it having more protein.
-Incorporating sunflower seeds into his diet for the beneficial oils.
-Maybe a ration of oats(daily? bi or tri-weekly?)

I've been wracking my brain, and this is all I've come up with so far, if anyone can help me out, we'd both appericate it:big wink:
Thanks

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Have you gotten him checked for parasites? Worms can cause weight loss and are fairly easy to treat.

4 is not old for a rabbit, so weight loss should not be related to old age.
You can try giving some more pellets and see if that helps.

I would take him to a rabbit savvy vet for a full exam and fecal test for parasites. If there are parasites, then you can treat for those and see if that helps. While it could take a little while for the weight to come back, it should come back.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Have you seen your vet to rule out parasites, tooth problems, or something else? Weight loss in an older rabbit isn't uncommon, but I wouldn't consider a 4 1/2 year old rabbit "older." These days, rabbits aren't considered "older" until they're at least 6 or 7.

I wouldn't recommend feeding any rabbit over 6 months alfalfa hay. Just too much risk of bladder sludge and kidney stones developing. A pinch of oats or sunflower seeds would be a better choice.

But really, I'd be seeing the vet first.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[naturestee]

Yeah, I agree that he should get a vet check. Is he eating as much hay as he used to? Molar spurs are a pretty common cause of weight loss if they cause him to eat less, or sometimes just because their food isn't as well-chewed as it should be. That was one vet's theory as to the weight loss of one of my rabbits, and he gained weight back after his molars were ground down without me changing his diet.

I do use sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and oats in small amounts daily to help keep the weight on several of my rabbits. Two are hyper arch breeds and a third bun has cancer.

I wouldn't switch to alfalfa pellets unless it really seems necessary. It would be better to just increase the timothy pellets a little, if needed.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: