Thin Bunny??

[bunbunbinkie]

OKay so, I have had Merlie since she was 8-10 weeks old (she's 10 months now)and she's always seemed kinda, well "boney" to me... but I'm not sure if that has to do with my previous misconception that domestic rabbits should be fat:foreheadsmack:

She eats great, and has a nice, round soft tummy. The only thing I notice to be strange is her hips. I can feel them really well when I run my hand over her body. Is this normal? I am a little worried, because when Merlie went in for her spay, the bloodwork showed a slight elevation in a liver enzyme (I have to go it re-checked soon). I know in dogs with chronic liver probelms (like a shunt)they tend to appear very thin even though they may eat a good amount.

Does she sound like she's underweight? The vet(s) never said anything to me about thinking she was too thin... I'm just curious as to what you guys have to say since I don't know much about "in shape" bunnys.

Thanks!

Kayleigh:huhand Merlie:brownbunny

 

[ra7751]

Hi,

My feeling is if she were too thin, the vet would not have performed the spay. What breed is she? And what does she weigh? As far as the liver enzyme....unless it was off the chart, disregard it. A slightly elevated reading is normal due to the stress of a road trip and a vet visit. If you lab it again under the same conditions, it most likely will be slightly high again. It would be a very rare event for such a young rabbit to have liver issues.

And you are very correct in your feeling that most domestic rabbits are at least slightly overweight. This is something I see often since I have so many cottontails thru here. You never see an overweight cottontail since they eat as nature intended. I would rather have a rabbit a little thin than overweight. Metabolizing fat will cause liver problems.

Randy

 

[bunbunbinkie]

I *think* she is a holland lop, although I cant be positive because she came from a pet store and her ears don't exactly lop. The other rabbits in the store were apparently all lop eared and, in my opinion she has the features of a Holland: massive "bulldog" looking head, but really rather small in size.

She is about 3.5lbs.

And that makes perfect sense about the liver...it was a good hour long car ride and another stressfullhour or two (for her)until they got the blood drawn...and she HATES to be restrained

As always, thanks for the great information and help ra7751!!!

 

[kherrmann3]

I had this question not too long ago. I eventually just invested in a digital scale (0-35 pounds) so I can monitor Toby. I can feel his backbone fairly well, and his hips stick out a little bit. BUT, he is a four-pound Nethie. He's not overweight, either. You should be able to feel their spine and shoulder blades/hips (not TOO much). Bunnies tend to have a "doughy" feeling stomach, too. That is about all that I can say as far as bun-weights I hope that helps!

EDIT: Here is the thread I had concerning bunnies and their ideal weights - http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=40501&forum_id=16

 

[BethM]

I can feel Nick's hip bones when I am able to pet him. He's a Holland Lop mix. The last time I took him to the vet, his weight was actually up a little, he's at 4 pounds, 5 ounces. Sometimes I worry about him being underweight, but he eats all the time. He eats lots and lots of hay, a big salad, and just a small amount of pellets each day.

I think his partner may be a little overweight, but they eat the same food. I want to put her on a diet, but there's no way I could feed them separately. They are both nibblers, so I'd have to keep them apart all the time. She just doesn't exercise much, while he's always running around everywhere.

 

[bunbunbinkie]

Meybe it's got something to do with the holland lop breed? Probably not, but I cant remember feeling hips on either Oliver (but he was a little chubby) or Marina when I had her. They were both dutchies. They both actually, now that I think about it were more muscled than Merlie.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[BethM]

Are some bunnies built a little differently than others? When Nick and Amelia hop, it looks like they move a little differently. Like, his whole body sort of lifts up in the back and his back legs don't seem to move as much. It's SO cute, to see him boing-boing-boing! Amelia seems to move her legs more and her back end less.

That could be an individual difference, but I've always thought it was cute how they moved in different ways. (Maybe that affects how/where they carry their weight?)

 

[pamnock]

Some rabbits have a genetic conformation that lends to rough hips. This doesn't necessarily indicate being underweight.

Rabbits that are too thin generally drop a lot of flesh off their spines, however, some are naturally rough over the spine also.

Pam

 

[bunbunbinkie]

That makes sense. I was wondering if it was breeding or something along those lines. In high school we had a rabbitry (like 12-15 buns that people had given the school, most of them used to be pets but owners had lost interest and given them up) and some of them I remember being well, more "boney" than others. It's been awhile so I kinda forgot about it until I read your post Pam