Feeding questions

[milli]

Just got my baby girl spayed today and the vet said she is really fat She is a mini Dutch mix (not exactly sure of her weight though) but I was wondering how much and of what should I be feeding her everyday? Thank you very much!

 

[JBun]

What has her diet been like: type and amount of pellets, hay, veggies, treats, etc? How you should change her diet will depend on what you have been feeding her previously that caused her to become overweight.

 

[milli]

Unlimited hay. 2 handfuls of lettuce mix a day, and unlimited pellets. 1 treat stick about every 3 weeks

 

[JBun]

You didn't mention the type of hay and pellets? The type used makes a big difference.

 

[milli]

I do a mix of alfalfa and Timothy hay (she's 8 months old) to transition her into just Timothy by next month. She's been on just alfalfa since I got her at 2 months old. And the brand name of pellets is Small World. Not sure the "type"

 

[woahlookitsme]

Her pellets should no longer be unlimited. Alot of people say 1/4 cup per 5lbs of rabbit. Dutch are a more laid back breed and do not need unlimited pellets. For cuttin g back you probably should do it slowly.

 

[milli]

She probably weighs maybe 3 pounds at the most

 

[whiskylollipop]

Have a look at the ingredients on the pack of pellets - is the first ingredient alfalfa or timothy? Alfalfa pellets will be higher in nutrition compared to timothy, just right for a baby but too rich for an adult over 6 months old. If she used to be on alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets, it's no wonder she's gotten chubby. She should be transitioned onto timothy pellets and timothy hay at this age. Oxbow make a good timothy pellet, there may be other brands where you live that could be cheaper though, have a look around.

 

[Blue eyes]

Small World is the Wal-Mart brand. It is alfalfa-based.
Your bun should now be on an adult diet, which means timothy based (not alfalfa-based) pellets. Oxbow has an adult rabbit food that is timothy-based. Others may have more recommendations. To transition your rabbit to a different brand of pellets, you will want to mix the old pellets with the new. You can try offering 3 parts old to one part new for a few days. Then switch to equal parts of each. Then to 3 parts new and 2 part old.
Then you will be able to decrease the daily amount of pellets gradually as well.

 

[Azerane]

I agree that cutting back the pellets should do the trick Bandit weighs about 3kg and he only gets 1/4 cup of timothy based pellets daily in addition to unlimited hay and some fresh greens.

 

[JBun]

Alfalfa is high in protein, so feeding that will contribute to weight gain, especially in adult rabbits. Once you get her off of the alfalfa hay and onto the timothy, that should help.

Unlimited pellets will also be a cause for weight gain. Adult rabbits should be on limited amounts of pellets each day, so gradually reducing pellet amounts will help with weight loss as well. Average recommended amounts for adult pet rabbits is about 1/4-1/2 cup per 5-6 lbs of body weigh total for the day, though this will also vary with each rabbit depending on metabolism, so you may need to decrease that amount if your bun is maintaining too much weight, or increase if she loses too much and isn't maintaining a healthy weight. For a 3 lb rabbit, you would end up feeding about 1/8-1/4 cup pellets a day, but again that is just an average and the amount will vary depending on your individual rabbit. My 3 lb rabbit gets even less than that because he maintains his weight well on a lower amount of pellets.

When reducing pellet amounts you do need to ensure she is eating the timothy hay well to make up for the reduced amount of pellets. She still needs constant access to food to keep her digestive system moving, you are just replacing the high calorie pellets with a low protein/ low calorie grass hay. Once you have her on timothy and reduced pellets, if she is still maintaining too much weight on the small world pellets, you could transition her onto an adult timothy based pellet to see if that helps her lose weight.

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/diet-weightloss.asp

 

[milli]

Thank you guys so much for all your input!! This all was very informative and helpful, thank you!

 

[milli]

I do have one more question. Is it normal for her not to be eating as much after the spaying? It was 2 days ago and she's hardly touched any of her food, including hay. She has ate all the veggies though that I've given her. Thanks again

 

[Watermelons]

Yup. Shes sore. She just had her tummy sliced ope. And innards ripped out. How would you feel?
At least she is eating. Keep her eating. Ensure there is decent food going in and poop coming out. That needs to continue and hopefully in a few days her hay appetite will pick up again.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

She probably weighs maybe 3 pounds at the most

---does-not sound fat,-3# x 8= ok,-however-the diet should not be unlimited alfalfa pellets,try to limit them,-their-teeth and gi tract requires lots of grasses/water-some treats--watch the poops-size matters--bigger is better--sincerely james waller