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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How to help a rabbit gain weight?

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    • River
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        Hello! I have a five year old rabbit named Thumper. We were told he’s underweight and we need to help him gain a few pounds, but we don’t know what to feed him that’ll help him put on the weight. He’s been fed good quality pellet, of which the brand name has slipped my mind, and timothy hay. I often supplement this with chard, baby kale and spinach, and occasionally some fresh oats. I don’t know what else I could give him to help him put the necessary weight on. Does anyone know any treats or foods that could add on pounds? Does anyone have experience with helping a bun gain the weight?

        This is Thumper.


      • Taylor
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        33 posts Send Private Message

          Hi! I’ve hear that with baby rabbits, senior rabbits, and special needs rabbits who need to gain weight should be fed alfalfa or alfalfa pellets. They have a lot more calories than normal hay. I think that’s because they’re in the legume family, rather than a grass family


        • River
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            I’ll give him some Alfalfa then! He is a senior, or at least getting up there at 5 years and (roughly) 7 months. Thanks!


          • skysblue
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              Unlimited timothy pellet is good to go. Caution about alfalfa and kale – very high in calcium. Not very good for rabbit at this age.


            • River
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                Oh, I see. We’ll do that! I’ll lower his kale amount as well. Any other healthy treats for a senior?


              • LittlePuffyTail
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                  Has Thumper been seen by a vet recently. Weight loss, especially in a senior bun, can be a symptom of a health problem. Dental problems and many other issues can cause weight loss.

                  He’s really cute!


                • skysblue
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                    I think oxbow baked treats are pretty healthy. My rabbit gets about one a day.
                    Or you can make your own baked treats. Is pretty easy.
                    Mix like timothy pellet, fruit, oats etc. and bake them. There are different recipes online.


                  • River
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                      Posted By LittlePuffyTail on 7/12/2016 10:57 AM

                      Has Thumper been seen by a vet recently. Weight loss, especially in a senior bun, can be a symptom of a health problem. Dental problems and many other issues can cause weight loss.

                      He’s really cute!

                      He sees a vet annually. We changed his diet to something that was healthier but less fattening, which is why he lost the weight, but now he is underweight; they aren’t concerned yet, no. They think he just needs an altered diet, like supplemented with healthy treats and such, but if he doesn’t put it on with these changes, then he will go back to the vet and we’ll see what else it can be. 


                    • MintJulep
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                        My bunny doesn’t like to eat very much, pellets or hay, and I got her as an underweight rescue. She gets about a tablespoon of oats every night which is the only thing other than papaya that she goes crazy for. It’s helped up her weight and maintain a healthy body condition. However she is not a senior bun so I’m not sure if that makes a difference. My vet also said raw hulled sunflower seeds can be a good way to increase weight in the short term.


                      • River
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                          He has gained an ounce or two with what I have been doing. He is at 6.9 now when his average is 7.2 – still underweight for a NZ male, but I only just figured out the diet I was feeding him wasn’t up to par, so hopefully he’ll gain a few pounds and be 8 or more with a new diet. I do give him oats occasionally; I’ll give it to him more often. I do have sunflower seeds but I thought sunflower seeds tend to be very fatty, so I’m not sure what the nutritional value is.
                          I did get alfalfa blocks and I will be feeding one block in addition to his usual, primarily timothy diet – I won’t replace this alfalfa block daily, just leave it till he finishes it, since it is high in calcium, like someone above has mentioned.


                        • flemishwhite
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                            From what little I know, alfalfa is not good for older bunnies.  It has too much calcium. Grass hays are supposedly the best..timothy, oats.

                            Advice for fattening them up? First of all they need a basic wholesome diet.  I’ve had 12 years of experience feeding bunnies and still I’m probably not an expert. They are evolutionary conditioned to eat green leafy vegetables and grass…grass hay is just fine.  Grass hays include oats, timothy.  You can also increase their calorie intake with treats..apple slices, bananas, bing cherries, guavas, unsalted raw almonds, etc. I’d try to feed them all the things I’ve mentioned before giving them rabbit pellet blends that are heavily dosed with sugars such as molasses and corn syrup.

                            Next, if you bun continues to have a weight loss problem, you have to address dental issues.  Rabbit’s teeth are always growing!    Unlike people and many animals, rabbit’s teeth continue to grow throughout their life.  They like to eat hay, and the silicates in hay help to keep their teeth worn down to normal lengths.  If your rabbit’s teeth have grown to excessive lengths, it’s painful for them to eat. This causes them to stop eating and also, of course, results in weight loss.  It may be necessary for a vet to ground down excessive bunny tooth growth. By the way, horses have exactly the same problem.  Horse owners also have to have vets ground down their horses teeth.

                            Bunny weight needs to be monitored.  The very dreaded GI Statis death syndrome is characterized by weight loss, among the other symptoms.

                            Another comment about weight.  Fertile female rabbits develop a pronounced fat deposit underneath their throats. This is to build up a fat supply for lactation for babies.  It’s the dewlap. Neutered girls will eventually eventually loose their dewlaps.

                            Love my rabbits.


                          • River
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                              His last vet visit revealed no tooth problems. He is still eating, and passing stools and I’ve not seen any signs of gas. We’d been feeding him an improper diet, so of course we do think that’s the issue, and since he only lost a few ounces, I was told not to bring him in unless he A. Loses more weight or B. Doesn’t gain with the changes.
                              Of course if he doesn’t gain or loses more then I will be bringing him in to the vet.
                              Alfalfa is very high in calcium, but i have also heard that just a small amount added to a timothy based diet is safe for seniors. Is this true?

                              Thank you so much. I like to monitor my bunnies weight weekly as I know weight loss is often a cause of concern. I’ve made a lot of diet mistakes with my rabbits – giving them more pellets than hay and limited greens – and I never knew it to be bad. I guess now is the time to make up for it all. He’s been getting all the proper changes he needed, along with the other buns. 


                            • River
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                                UPDATE: Thumper has gained 85 grams in just 4 days – and that’s just this week! He’s been doing very well. Thank you guys so much!


                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                  Glad to hear it!

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                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A How to help a rabbit gain weight?