What does your Dutch weigh?

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Kricket

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I am so nervous! Shorty (my overweight couch potato bun) has his 'diet' vet appointment tomorrow. I swear I think he weighs 7 pounds!:shock: His sister proably weighs about 4 pounds.

I am scared my vet will think I am a bad bunny mum.

So let's hear it, how much does your dutch weigh?
 
Dutch rabbits normally weigh 4.5-5.5 lbs. How did your Dutch become 7 pounds? Did you overfeed it?

The way you get it back to normal is gradually taking away more and more feed. Dutch rabbits only need 2 ounces of feed twice a day. NO TREATS. Until it gets back to normal size, let him run around all you can.
 
Akkatia wrote:
Dutch rabbits normally weigh 4.5-5.5 lbs. How did your Dutch become 7 pounds? Did you overfeed it?

The way you get it back to normal is gradually taking away more and more feed. Dutch rabbits only need 2 ounces of feed twice a day. NO TREATS. Until it gets back to normal size, let him run around all you can.


I know how much Dutches should weigh. He HAS been on a diet for 4 months (no treats). Hence the vet visit. If I cant help him lose weight on my own, then I am hopeful the vet can put him on an effective diet. And he has free run for about 12 hours a day, but he mostly lounges around while his sister plays, hops and binkies.


 
naturestee wrote:
Loki weighs a little under 5 pounds.

You can't go entirely by weight- does he feel big? You should be able to feel his ribs a little.


He is SOLID! I can feel some definition of his back, legs and ribs. But, oh my, he sure is big! I don't understand! I have had him on a diet for 4 months and no weight loss. :(
 
I'm wondering too if it's possible he's not full-blooded. If he could possibly be a mix, then it's especially true that you can't necessarily go by weight alone. I have a Jersey Wooly who is 5 lbs. JW's are supposed to be 3.5 lbs max, and to my knowledge she is purebred (has a pedigree), but apparently she didn't get the dwarf gene, so she's oversized. She isn't fat though because she has good definition, and the vet checked her and said she's just right. So anyway, I'm just wondering if it could be something similar with Shorty? Is he longer than his sister, or about the same length?

If he is overweight, I'm sure the vet will have some suggestions. Try not to worry. I'm sure the vet won't think you're a bad bunny mom since you've had him on a diet and are bringing him in to be checked. Good luck tomorrow! I hope everything goes well. Let us know what the vet says. :)
 
doodle wrote:
I'm wondering too if it's possible he's not full-blooded. If he could possibly be a mix, then it's especially true that you can't necessarily go by weight alone. I have a Jersey Wooly who is 5 lbs. JW's are supposed to be 3.5 lbs max, and to my knowledge she is purebred (has a pedigree), but apparently she didn't get the dwarf gene, so she's oversized. She isn't fat though because she has good definition, and the vet checked her and said she's just right. So anyway, I'm just wondering if it could be something similar with Shorty? Is he longer than his sister, or about the same length?

If he is overweight, I'm sure the vet will have some suggestions. Try not to worry. I'm sure the vet won't think you're a bad bunny mom since you've had him on a diet and are bringing him in to be checked. Good luck tomorrow! I hope everything goes well. Let us know what the vet says. :)
I definitely know what you are talking about with the woolies. Most of my does are non-dwarfs and the bucks carry the dwarf gene. They make better mothers because of their large frame.

He could be just large for a dutch. Could have heavy bone. Happens a lot in Belgian Hares. It is all in the breeding. Or he could be a mix. If he has lots of energy then I wouldn't worry too much.

Personally, I like my Dutch small. Larger ones tend to lose the cobbiness in type. They tend to be larger in body. I have had some large ones. I can't use these in my breeding program so I find them homes! Dutch make AWESOME pets!!!

Sharon
 
Pernod weighs 6 pounds, and I can also feel some definition. She is a very active bun, free range all day with access to the garden, and does her share of bunny 500s and binkies. She is quite stocky, but when I mentioned it to the vet, he wasn't concerned, and her health check was fine. She was a rescue bun, so it's possible that she may not be full blooded.

Jan
 
Shorty weighs 6.5 pounds. The vet says he is not fat, just large. She explained where his fatty deposits would be if he were to be fat, and he has no 'fat pockets.' I am so happy she says he isn't fat. But, he IS longer than his sister and much less active than his sissy.

Vet also said that spayed and neutered animals need about 15% less calorie intake than un-altered animals.
 
LuvaBun wrote:
:muscleman:YAY! Shorty is a fit little guy - there is just more of him to love ;).

Glad to hear that he got the OK from the vet!

Jan
:colors:AHAHAHA! Thanks Jan! Your muscle man is so funny!

Hugs!

Krick and Shorty & Star
 
IWAS trying to reply to this yesterday, but out internet was down:X

I was going to say that 5 lbs is the correct weight according to the specs of the ARBA, if the bun is a throughbred.

Ours S'more is a dutch mix. You can't tell it from looking at her. She is mismarked, but it clearly dutch. She weighed in at 6.5 lbs at her last vet visit...and she had just lost about a half of a pound. She had gone into GI statis and hadn't eaten for 2 days at that time. She's fully recovered and has been on a limited diet since last Sept. The vet is very plaesed with her condition and attributed her 6.5 lbs to the fact that she's a mixed breed. S'more is a lean, mean, bunnie-machine!!!

Now Brindle is another story!!! Can you say "Volleyball with fur"? We are in a constant struggle to keep her weight down. We "over-treated" her when we first got her, because we didn't know any better (and she's got this pitiful "gimme a treat" look she gives us). She's much better now and has lost some weight, but there a bit to go yet. We refer to her as our "Svelt bunnie" so we won't hurt her feelings.

~Jim
 
At 5 months old my little dutch is full grown right? She looks very fit but I have not actually weighed her yet. I would guess she is about 3-4 pounds at most.
 
Actually, she might still grow for a month or more. And if Mocha (Polish) is any indicator of other rabbits, she might fill out and add more muscle around 1 year.
 

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