Thoughts...Bunnies eat a TON but always seem thin.

[JenGibs]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if anyone else thinks this about their buns and what they do.
I have 5 bunnies. 3 Angoras, 1 Mini Rex and 1 dwarf lionhead. The Rexbun is huge- probably slightly overweight (she loves to eat). The Dwarf Lionhead is teeny tiny in size but she is a plump one. It's my Angora's that I worry about.
All of my buns eat the same foods and roughly the same portions (based on size). They et a lot. They have hay 24/7/365. They all get pellets in the morning. Sometimes a small scoop of oats is put in the pellets if any of them have squishy poo until it firms back up. In the evening they all have a large salad. Every night they all get Romaine, cilantro, parsley, Italian parsley, dandelion leaves, and a few carrot chips. Sometimes I toss in a mustard leaf or a big collard leaf, but they always have the other every day. So, my buns eat pretty well. The Angoras always seem to feel "bony". One of them has a little round belly (he is the biggest- 8lbs) but I can always feel his backbone and hip bones. The other two Angoras are slightly smaller (6-7lbs) and they don't have as round of a belly. I feel their backbones and hipbones even more. I see them eat. I know what they eat and how much. I see them munch on hay all day as well. They poo great. They drink and pee great. They binkie, loaf and flop. They are happy to see me and about plow me over for breakfast and salad in the evening.
Why do I feel their bones so much? It's like all the food goes straight to their belly and the rest of them is bones. All the buns eat the same stuff and the same amounts. Rex and Dwarf Lionhead are nice and their plump is spread around evenly. LOL.....
Any thoughts on why the Angora's are so "bony".

 

[zuppa]

Hi, judging from your avatar photo and your description of their diet I would say that your Rex and Lionhead are getting too much food, I would reduce carrots to once a week and remove oats from their diet. I don't know how big are their bowls but I would reduce pellets for your Rex and Lionhead as well.

If you could post some more photo that would help but generally based on your description I think that your Angoras don't need more weight it is just that you probably feel better when your rabbits are 'plumpy' but please think about their health as well. At least they need to get lots of exercise with all the food they are getting now.

Also may I ask what age they are and how long are they with you? Thanks

 

[JenGibs]

Hi, judging from your avatar photo and your description of their diet I would say that your Rex and Lionhead are getting too much food, I would reduce carrots to once a week and remove oats from their diet. I don't know how big are their bowls but I would reduce pellets for your Rex and Lionhead as well.

If you could post some more photo that would help but generally based on your description I think that your Angoras don't need more weight it is just that you probably feel better when your rabbits are 'plumpy' but please think about their health as well. At least they need to get lots of exercise with all the food they are getting now.

Also may I ask what age they are and how long are they with you? Thanks

Hello! My profile pic is of 2 of my angoras and the Rex. The lionhead is not in the pic. There is no way to tell by a picture just how plump angoras are because of their fur.

I dont need plump bunnies; I just dont like feeling bones. The Rex is currently on a diet. They dont get oats unless they have suishy poop from the pellets. Only one set of Angoras get the oats (maybe twice a month) so it is not a lot and the Rex does not get any. As far as the carrots, Im talking about the chips. The thin slices in diameter- not length and each bun may get 1-2 chips so they really dont get a lot. Only 1 bun out of the 5 eat any fruit so she gets about an inch of bananna 2 times a week.
As far as pellets, they get maybe 1/4 cup a day, once a day. That is not a lot and we only do salad once a day. They only have Timothy hay so not the more fattening hays. They get daily papaya for digestion.

2 of my Angoras are almost three years old and I have had them since they were 12 weeks old (they are brother and sister).
My gray angora is actually their dad. He is almost 5 and I rescued him almost 2 years ago.
The Rex- no one knows. She was tossed outside and the lady who had my gray angora snatched her up and put her in the hutch with him. When I went to rescue him- there she was. I couldnt leave her behind. I had her spayed shortly after I got her and they said she may be a year or two- that was almost 2 years ago.
The Dwarf Lionhead is the newest member of the family and I have no concerns about her. She is about 2 years old. I have had her a few months.

I will upload some more pictures later but like I said, there is no way to determine an Angora's plumpness, or lack thereof, by a photo. Im most concerned about being able to feel their bones so much and I listed their diet so anyone who reads this knows all by buns eat the same thing and the amounts of what they eat.

Im most concerned about the bones that I feel.

 

[zuppa]

Surely more photo would help us to understand better

 

[Hermelin]

You are supposed to feel bunnies hip bones and spine a little.

But long hair like angora can need a bit more food because of the growing fur ^^

 

[JenGibs]

Surely more photo would help us to understand better

Sorry in the delay. Here are a few pics.

Cream colored Angoras- Waffles & Butters (brother and sister- bonded pair)

Gray Angora- Wally (their dad)
Rex- Eva
(Wally & Eva are a bonded pair)

Lionhead- Camilla (currently solo bun). She is significantly smaller than all the rest (2lbs) so I’m afraid she will get hurt so I haven’t pushed bonding too much.

 

[Hermelin]

Your Rex really need to lose weight, but the other bunnies seem alright.

Myself have a little plump Netherland Dwarf. When bunnies get older they might need a bit more food to keep their weight up. I know my french lop need to eat 1 cup of pellets everyday to maintain a healthy weight. Before it was enough with 1/4 cup of pellets.

So you need to personalizes the bunnies diet after what they need. For example my holland lop mix only get 1 tbs and that’s enough for him to keep an healthy weight [emoji5]

I feel his hip bones and spine but they have a bit of skin. It’s not like I can feel all of them and count, just a slight feeling of his spine while the hip bones are easy to feel.

 

[JenGibs]

Your Rex really need to lose weight, but the other bunnies seem alright.

Myself have a little plump Netherland Dwarf. When bunnies get older they might need a bit more food to keep their weight up. I know my french lop need to eat 1 cup of pellets everyday to maintain a healthy weight. Before it was enough with 1/4 cup of pellets.

So you need to personalizes the bunnies diet after what they need. For example my holland lop mix only get 1 tbs and that’s enough for him to keep an healthy weight [emoji5]

I feel his hip bones and spine but they have a bit of skin. It’s not like I can feel all of them and count, just a slight feeling of his spine while the hip bones are easy to feel.

Thanks for your reply! Yup, the Rex is quite the chunk. She is “thick”. I have changed her diet within the last few weeks.
Can I ask you a question? What made you decide when it was the time to increase pellets? I ask because the amount I give.....they do not eat it all at once. They spread it throughout about 1/2 of the day. How much does your bunny weigh that gets the 1 cup? How old is she? My buns weigh between 6-8 pounds. With exception of the little dwarf lion head. The biggest one is one of the cream colored Angoras. He is 8lbs. Wally is the oldest at 5-6. The cream ones are almost 3, Rex is estimated at 3 and the Lionhead at 1-2.
I just do not remember them being so “bony” until 6 months ago. That’s when it first hit me. I was giving one of the Angoras a haircut. Normally you can’t see something like that with all the fur. I felt it.

 

[Hermelin]

Thanks for your reply! Yup, the Rex is quite the chunk. She is “thick”. I have changed her diet within the last few weeks.
Can I ask you a question? What made you decide when it was the time to increase pellets? I ask because the amount I give.....they do not eat it all at once. They spread it throughout about 1/2 of the day. How much does your bunny weigh that gets the 1 cup? How old is she? My buns weigh between 6-8 pounds. With exception of the little dwarf lion head. The biggest one is one of the cream colored Angoras. He is 8lbs. Wally is the oldest at 5-6. The cream ones are almost 3, Rex is estimated at 3 and the Lionhead at 1-2.
I just do not remember them being so “bony” until 6 months ago. That’s when it first hit me. I was giving one of the Angoras a haircut. Normally you can’t see something like that with all the fur. I felt it.

My french lop doe weights 11 pounds and 6 years old, she’s a giant so it’s an old age for her. I noticed when she started to get skinny after getting to a healthy weight again. Try to weight your bunnies during a few weeks to keep a track on the weight. If they keep on decreasing, maybe they have worms or something like that. Causing them to lose weight or if they stay in their weight.

I know how my doe are supposed to feel, when she get skinny I start to feel her ribs and spine pronounced.

 

[majorv]

I’m not an authority on Angoras, but based on the tufting on the ears I’m wondering if they’re giant angoras (or a mix of). If purebred, their weight would normally be 9 1/2 lbs or more. At any rate, angoras need more fiber and protein than other rabbits. What is the protein % of your pellets? The only other thing that might contribute to the angoras’ problem would be worms, but if one had them then the rest probably do too, so that may not be the problem.