sammys getting thin

[wiwbar]

Last 6 months he has gone down from 3.8 to like 2.5 lbs for a mini rex. Vet check says he is fine no health concerns from a general blood test and thorough exam but she is worried about the weight loss. teeth are fine from a sedated check of his teeth Our vet has been very good in the past saved his life when he had ecaniculi. She said start feeding him calories!

He has plenty of energy for 7 plus years old and is his same old self but won't eat his pellets. We are going to get new pellets tomorrow, any suggestions? He will eat veggies and fruit all day but pellets minimally. thank you!!

 

[Imbrium]

sherwood forest food may be worth a try... you can get a 2 lb sample for just the cost of shipping. it's all natural with no added sugars or molasses like other foods and it tastes different than other pellets (I tried the old kind and the sherwood myself to see what the bunns were eating ) so it may be more appealing to your bunny.

https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/sherwood-forest-natural-rabbit-food/

 

[lauratunes12]

Are you feeding him hay? He should have Timothy hay and or other grass hays

 

[wiwbar]

My wifes a hay nazi, Timothy, orchard he has it all. Thank you. We will try the Sherwood Pellets also!

 

[wiwbar]

just ordered the pellets thanks

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

Great! :thumbup

I'm sure Sammy is in great hands! Keep us up to date on what happens!

 

[wiwbar]

Do they ever just get sick of pellets and finicky? How much would a mini rex weigh in general?

 

[Imbrium]

best of luck, hopefully he likes the sherwood! not sure about the answers to the last couple questions, but hopefully someone will wander along to answer them.

you can also sprinkle a little bit of steel-cut oats (found in the oatmeal section of the grocery store) onto his pellets sometimes (or just feed him a smidge outright) - they're high in calories/carbs which normally isn't very good for bunnies, but the one situation where they're beneficial is with an underweight bunny.

 

[majorv]

wiwbar wrote:

Do they ever just get sick of pellets and finicky? How much would a mini rex weigh in general?

A mini Rex adult's ideal weight is 4 pounds for a buck. The normal weight range is from 3 - 4 1/4 pounds. I can't say that our rabbits have gotten sick of pellets, per se. Once in a while they will back off pellets and eat very little for a few days, but then they usually start back up. Ours aren't finicky though.

 

[JBun]

One instance that you definitely wouldn't want to use oats is if your bun has had any problems with GI stasis.

Have you ever tried moistening the pellets to see if that makes a difference. I know that you had his teeth checked, but if he's gone off pellets because it bothers his teeth somehow, then if the pellets are soft and moist, he might feel more inclined to eat them.

 

[wiwbar]

Thank you all so much!! I did try to moistion the pellets with wifey's ho made jam and no go, but I will try water. Now I wake up and his nasal decongestion is back so we may be back to the vet.

 

[Geoff]

If he is relatively cooperative, you can try syringe feeding him a little bit of critical care Oxbow... soaking pellets is good and blending pellets in with leafy greens is an idea, too (soaked first, then finely or coarsely chopped).. Would definitely avoid oats. Perhaps if treated for his congestion (often dental related, but perhaps is lung related... might want to get a chest radiograph) he might eat better for you. If he is not actually underweight, might be OK (80% of all rabbits I see in practice are heavier than they need to be).

 

[Nancy McClelland]

As our aged, and none of ours are young anymore, I switched them to alfalfa from timothy if they slowed down eating. While 7 isn't ancient it's not young either for a bunny.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

:yeahthat: me too! At least this time it's not in a Rainbow Bridge post. Oh, to re-enact the opening segment from "Scanners"!