overr weight bunnies? what to do!

[mocha200]

i have a book and it says that holland lops/dutchs should wiegh about 4-41/2 pounds! my buns are about 6 pounds! is the book wrong, or are my bunnys realy over weight? the vet didn’t say they were. but maybe they didn’t really think about it. do they need to go on a diet or somthing?

[Deleted User]

your rabbits may be mixed. you can tell if they are too fat by examining their chest: a fat bunny will have a very fat chest and also there will be a skirt of fat draping above their tail. If you think they are a little chubby, you can cut back on pellets as they are usually the culprit.

[mocha200]

another Question: how do i know if they are getting enough food now that they are bonded? they always have a ton of hay, but what if one bun is eating most of the pellets and veggies?

they might be a tad over weight but i don’t see and fat by there butt.

[Beka27]

The weight guidelines for breeds are what is expected of show quality bunnies. So depending on their lineage, they may be bigger or smaller naturally. House rabbits tend to be chunkier, but like Petzy said, with the right diet and exercise they can slim down.

[mocha200]

yes they are going to get more exercise now that they are bonded, cuz they will be free range in my room probably by next month and they will have play time in the living room for three hours a day! it was a lot harder before because i had to sit there for 6 hours a day watching them! ( three hours for mocha and three hours for lulu).

[kralspace]

I’m hoping for the same results mocha. Now that the four of them are together I hope Lola gets more exercise to slim down, but she now also has access to pellets. Toby and Pringles are a bit chunky too.

[Karla]

Yeah, putting bunnies on diets is my speciality hehe.

No, seriously, the best thing you can do is feed them their pellets in a treat ball. That will exercise them, and it is great fun. I don’t really feed that many pellets, only when Molly begs. I just noticed today that my pellets actually contain sugar! You might want to check yours as well.

But yes, you raise an important aspect of having more than one bunny; how to check who eats what. I usually keep an eye on newly bonded bunnies in the beginning to see their eating habits. However, hay and veggies are most likely not what is causing the overweight, so I wouldn’t worry too much, however, it does contain important nutritions, so of course they should each get their share.

[Deleted User]

Rabbits are supposed to spend most of their waking time munching. Offering pellets in a bowl at all times for example is often the reason for obesity in rabbits. They don’t even need a bowl. You can just scatter pellets on the flooor to make them search them out. It is more natural for them to browse for food stuffs so Karla’s idea of putting pellets inside a treat ball is ideal.
My rabbits don’t get any pellets now that they are group. In the winter, though, when I have less vegetable matter for them, they will get a little pellets in their diet again.

[Sonn]

OMG it is such a hassle getting chunky butts to lose weight.

I did like Petzy suggested with Marshmallow at first I made her ‘work’ for her food by scattering it. I did a treat ball with my dog’s treat ball that worked the best with her.

I also started putting her night portion on a shelf so she had to jump up to get to them. She only got treats rarely at first. And when she did I would take it and make her follow it all the way to the end of the house and back before she got it.

She got very little pellets and mostly vegetables which I do anyway with Pacey as well.

Lol I basically made her move as much as possible or else she would just lay there waiting for her food and then go back to the same spot for most of the day.

[Deleted User]

Sonn, you should mention too in this context that chunky butts are very skilled at stealing food. LOL.

[Sonn]

Ah yes VERY skilled at stealing food LOL!

[KatnipCrzy]

You can not judge if a rabbit is overweight by the breed standard- the body condition of the rabbit has to be evaluated.

[Author]

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