Starting a Diet/Weight Loss/Exercise Program!

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Ok, so if you've seen my sister's thread then you may know that we have a few bunnies whom are overweight. I took it upon myself to start researching calorie intake, amount of calories that should be consumed, and amount of calories to burn/how long to burn the correct amount, so that we can get not just our bunnies down in weight (of course, gradually. This would probably be anywhere from a1 month to an 8-month process, depending on how much weight needing to loose.) The program I'm hoping to design won't just benefit me and my rabbitry, but hopefully others as well.

Basically, this will be a Nutritional InTake, Output and Weight Loss Program. Intake and output meaning to do with calories.

But, I will need your all's help! One of the most important things I am looking for is about calories. Here are my notebook questions:

1. How many calories should a rabbit consume daily? Minimum? Maximum?

2. I need a list of calorie counts in all of the bunny safe veggies and fruits. Please make sure the sugar count is on there too, because even if it's low in calories, it can be high in sugar.

3. How much time does it take to burn off a desired amount of calories?

4. How many calories should be burned daily, in order to have enough calories left in the rabbit to keep going? Minimum? Maximum?

I tried googling some of this information, but it thought I mean meat (rabbit) and that frustrated me, lol. So that's why I decided I'd ask here.

Thanks SO much!

Emily


ETA: I just found this great chart showing the calcium level of some of the most popular bunny-safe foods! Here's the link: http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

 

[BSAR]

This isn't totally about weight loss, etc. But I found it very interesting.

Since pellets are manufactured and marketed primarily for breeders, and since most breeder rabbits are subject to more stress than house rabbits, many brands of pellets are labeled as "performance" feeds. These brands contain a high level of protein (16-22%), which is probably necessary to keep alive a rabbit who lives in an environment without climate control, is bred as often as possible, or is nursing most of the time. Physical, environmental, and psychological stresses require high energy levels for survival.

A healthier protein percentage for spayed or neutered house rabbits is approximately 12-14%, a level at which it is possible to find pellet brands that contain no animal fat and list at least some actual ingredients on their labels. People who buy small amounts of "rebagged" pellets in bulk at pet supply stores should be sure to ask to see the bag the food came in and read the label carefully. Purchasing a 25# bag and splitting it with a friend may be safer and more economical. Unfortunately, one well-known manufacturer recently increased the protein in their maintenance diet to 16%. Although the food still contains no animal fat, this is more protein than a house rabbit needs.



I found this at:

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-4/pellets.htmlThis place has SO much GREAT info about diets and somewhere it says it has calorie charts, haven't found those yet.

 

[tamsin]

Sorry, I can't answer your questions about calory intake. You don't really need to feed a low fat diet as part of a weight loss program for rabbits though. Just feed them a normal diet and increase the exercise to normal levels. The weight should decrease to the appropriate level gradually and then even out. Generally rabbits get overweight because they have too many pellets and not enough exercise. So by normal I mean what they should be eating for their size/exercise level.

The problem is usually too much dry food rather than too much high fat food.

It's not like humans where we eat a massive variety of food types. There's a great deal of calory difference between double chocolate fudge cake and lettuce but not so much between lettuce and spinich.

Reduce pellets to the minimum, increase greens/hays and encourage exercise with extra enrichment eg using a treatball.

Tam

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Thanks Tamsin. The reason I'm asking about calories is so that I can add up the intake of my rabbits daily and see how much they should burn in order to loose weight. Plus, it's a very interesting topic to cover and I don't think it's been covered much, so why not start now, and pull up and gather enough information to pass along to the next person who has the same question?

Thanks, BSAR, but that's nothing what I'm looking for lol.

Emily

 

[tamsin]

Does this help: http://www.provet.co.uk/Rabbits/rabbitfeeding.htm

Although I would say the protein quoted is a bit high for a neutered adult pet.

Most studies aren't done with pets in mind. So you have to be careful with the stats.

You'll probably find it varies a lot between rabbits. I'd suggest you weigh your rabbit, weigh the food (check the bag for nutritional info) theen gradually decrease the food amounts. That would give you the answer although I don't know how well you could apply it to another rabbit.


Tamsin

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Actually Tamsin, that's exactly what I was looking for!

I found this on that website:

1. Calorie requirements

• For maintenance : 2100 kcals/kg food
• For growth, pregnancy or lactation : 2500 kcals/kg food
• Obesity is common in pet rabbits, and excessive calorie intake should be avoided. In particular only limited amounts of high fat (oil) content grains should be fed.

[align=left]And it's perfect! But, I'm not so sure you're fully understanding what I mean. You keep giving me information about taking them off of pellets gradually, etc.- I already know that. What I'm looking for is JUST calorie information! Sorry if I came off as harsh, I'm not meaning to be. Just trying to get you to understand what I'm asking a little better. [/align]
[align=left]Emily[/align]