Question about sunflower seeds

[BethM]

On Pam's suggestion, I want to add sunflower seeds to Benjamin's diet to help him gain weight. I've never fed these before, so I have a couple of questions:

What kind do I get? The ones sold for wild birds?

Do I feed them whole?

Also, what is a "normal" weight range for a healthy adult male Mini Lop?

Benjamin is currently 5 pounds, 3.5 ounces. The veterinarian said he (Benjamin) has a fair amount of "extra" skin, as though he used to weigh much more but lost the weight. Benjamin was VERY skinny when I got him. He was depressed and not eating much; I could feel many of his bones. His eating is much better now (though he's still fussy), and I can no longer feel all of his ribs, but his hips and shoulders are still prominent. The vet said he wants to see Benjamin continue to put more healthy weight on, but did not specify a weight range.

Thanks!

 

[ra7751]

Umm...sounds like this rabbit has been a bit overweight at one time. I think standard weight for a mini is between 4.5-6.5 pounds. We have several minis here and they all weight in between 5.5-6 pounds. I am not so sure that adding a lot of weight is the answer here....sounds more like a conditioning issue. And I am also not sure that sunflower seeds would be the way to go. It sounds like this rabbit has suffered a poor life...at least until now. The way to add weight in this type of situation is to slowlyadd healthy weight from a healthy diet....this method will protect the liver. I am quite sure if you were to run a CBC that the liver and other organs would show signs of stress. When we have rabbits like this come into rescue....they are fed a high quality basic rabbit diet in which calories are closely monitored. We do not add (or remove) weight quickly by the use of junk food (high calorie stuff without good nutritional value). I would suggest using high quality hay (including at least some alfalfa) and using a high end fortified pellet....and make sure the pellets contain Vitamin D and after you see a "ready gut"...add some high nutrition greens such as dandelions, clover and some kale (always in moderation). And some daily exposure to unfiltered sunlight will help. Slow weight gain is healthy weight gain....and work on body conditioning by allowing as much exercise as possible.

Randy

 

[BethM]

Thanks for the info, Randy.

I do not want to add weight quickly, or with "junk" food. He gets the same minimal treats as my other bunnies do. I did start adding kale to his salad. His current diet is 2 cups of mixed greens, 1/3 cup Timothy pellets, and unlimited timothy hay each day. One banana slice, about 1-2 tsp of rolled oats, and one very small bit of dried papaya (no added sugar). Hay and pellets are American Pet Diner. Daily salad is parsley, dandelion greens, small amount of cilantro, leaf lettuce, and now very small amounts of kale. When I have them, I also add in carrot tops.

I thought about adding alfalfa, but he is already VERY picky about his hay. He won't eat anything that's been out for more than half a day. Even with "fresh" hay, he only eats half of it, and throws the rest on the floor and lays on it. The vet suggested I could give him alfalfa only for a limited time, but I worry that he won't want to go back to the timothy. I have been meaning to pick up some alfalfa cubes to supplement, but haven't gotten to the store yet. The vet said he has perfect tooth alignment, no spurs.

I do not want to add weight quickly. I have had him 6 months, and it's only recently that he's been gaining. I would not be surprised if he had some organ stress, due to his past. Which, as you said, probably wasn't too great.

When he came to me, it took him several days before he figured out what salad was. (Now he loves it.) It was several more weeks before he would eat timothy pellets. Based on this, I am assuming he was fed only pellets, either straight alfalfa, or cheap junk with seeds and colored things in it. Benjamin is still slow to finish his pellets. He also is very shy about coming out of his area, and will not explore, like the others do. I am guessing that he wasn't allowed out of his cage often. He was probably overweight, then got stressed and stopped eating when he was dumped at the shelter. He also doesn't like to be petted.

Instead of giving him sunflower seeds, should I just keep up what I'm doing?