What else can I do to make this fat rabbit thin?

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Flashy

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Candyfloss is the size of a small house (seriously).

She gets a huge amount of hay, which she loves. She gets a tiny pinch of pellets in the morning (about 10-15 pellets). She gets a teeny tiny piece of banana (or other edible) in the evening to check she is ok and acting normal.

She has a run attached to her hutch which is, admittedly, not as big as I would like, but during the good days comes out into a much larger run.

She is currently bonding with Dusk and he likes to make her run, so lack of exercise is not a problem.

So why is she still mahoosive?!!?!?!?!?!?!

Any ideas what else I can do?

I know its for a different forum, but are there any medical conditions that could stop a rabbit losing weight? I've dieted rabbits before and been successful, but I am very definitely failing her here.
 
Ok, I'm glad it's not just me :p

I think she needs to lose about 0.5-0.7kg.

Before she came to me she was a very slender stray and has always been one for hoarding any sort of food. In terms of food, this is the only time she will fight another rabbit.

Could lack of food previously have messed her metabolism somehow? I don't even know if that's relevant with rabbits. I know behaviourally it has messed with her, but just wondered if maybe there is a physical cause too? Or obviously any other adjustments that need to be made.
 
I have one like that and he is on a diet but still is overweight (but he doesn't get enough exercise )

he will move for food and fight for food but otherwise mellow; he was a stray but he came in as a fat stray LOL
I'm sure that there can be metabolic issues in rabbits...
 
we were given a mini rex that resembled "jobba the hut". Took her completely off of pellets--just hay and greens. She's lost about a kilo--looks much better now, but, will never be a thin rabbit. She eats as much hay as our Checkered Giant. No matter what, they won't be with us forever. We try to be good stewards, but, we also want our babies to be happy.
 
different hay has different amounts of protein,bananas are sugar and most all rabbits are beggers for treats and that gets them and their owners in trouble, don't know what breed your bunnie is but feel it's body to see if is fat or muscle,might be a normal stocky bunny,lol
 
Nope, not alfalfa hay. I buy a 25kg bale from a farming shop and we go through that in about 6 days. It's good quality stuff although obviously not as good as stuff like Timothy, but with 16 rabbits I can't afford to give them all unlimited timothy or other expensive brands. She is my only one with a weight problem, and I would think if the hay was an issue that at least one of the other 15 would be showing some sort of issue?

She's definitely not a stocky bunny. She's supposed to be a nice, lean bunny. She's a long, thin, rangey bunny (sort of looks like an English Spot physically, although she is a REW). She is just huge.

The banana really is the smallest bit (looking at something about the size of 5mm cubed, just enough for me to satisfy myself she is eating and normal). Each night I do rounds and check all bunnies are coming for food, acting normally, etc because obviously that can show any problems that may have arisen, that I missed, during the day (and it has done, last week it picked up Dusk's discomfort with his spurs).

When she came to me she was 2kg, but I think she was smaller generally then. That was nearly exactly a year ago, and she now weighs (at last weigh in) 3kg (0.2kg of which she had put on since going on her 'diet'). I think a healthy weight for her would be 2.3kg to 2.5kg and that would be fine if I could work out how to strat shifting it :(
 
well,howdy,20 miles south of seattle washington,usa.,.9000-miles away-(give or take a few)our local farm supply store sells orchard and timothy bales for $20 each 3 bands about 125# each and my 20 buns take about 7-8 weeks to eat 24/7,..weight problems are generally related to a diet problem,..need more fiber,low fat pellets(1oz.per#of bun)some vegy,s,..but i think your thread identifies a weight problem which may be related to the type of rabbit-genetics,...sincerely james waller
 
Don't worry, Willow and Bruce are the same way! It has taken forever for Bruce to lose weight and he is still 3 oz overweight!

Here is a great tip that worked that my 4-h leader told me:
Feed them a small amount of pellets in the morning, like barely anything, I usually fill their dishes so that it is just the very bottom on one side of the dish (I will take a pic for you.) It will depend for you since you may not have the same size dishes we do.

And then give them unlimited hay, and give the most pellets in the afternoon, not full dish but about three times the amount in the morning.
This is because rabbits use the most energy at night so they need more food and it also burns the calories, or something like that, I can't remember what she said.

With Willow and Autumn it worked great but Willow is still her big Nethie self with a dewlap! And for Bruce it took a very long time but at Youth Fair he had lost several ounces!

Hope this helps!

Amanda
 
Thanks for the idea and the reply. I'm not sure I can spread a pinch of pellets over two feeds. She gets her food in the morning, but I guess what you're suggesting is change it to the evening? Or rather, just before dusk? I can definitely give that a go.
 
You won't have to use one pinch for two feeds. You can just give her what you normally give her in the morning and night, but at the night feeding just give her a little more.
 
Yeh I just give her a pinch of pellets as her quota, so I'll move when I feed. Definitely worth a try :)
 
You could also give her the pellets in a treat-dispensing ball so she has to work for them, and gets some exercise that way. It is difficult because it sounds like you're doing everything right for her, even though it's not causing her to lose weight.
 
I did that, but she dumped it in the water bowl (so all the food went soggy and she got none of that). We did that a few times but it always went in the bowl. She can't drink from a bottle (and personally I don't use them anyway), so swapping is not an option.

Oh yeh, and last time I gave her a treat ball she broke it because she was so desperate for the food, lol.

Right now I hide them all over her cage, more specifically under various mountains of hay, so she really has to work for them. She's got the most amazing nose so finds them quickly though, but keeps her busy for a while.

I do agree though that stimulating her food environment is important, but I have no other ideas for how to do it. I am completely open to suggestions though :D
 
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