Rabbit Lost Weight

Hi,

My bunny is 14 weeks old, she is a dutch cross and her name is Maisy Today I was patting her and I noticed that her hips and ribs were sticking out a lot more than normal I did some research and I found something that said it might be worms so I have wormed her now. I have brought her some pellets to help her gain some weight and I am giving her more fruit than normal, I know too much is not good but I read that the sugar in the fruit fattens them which is exactly what she needs. I have checked her front teeth and they seem fine, not overgrown or anything.

Does anybody have any idea of what else it could be? I am stressing out so much because I havent had the best of luck with rabbits in the past and I dont want to lose her!



Please help



Georgia

Extra Info:
She weighs 360 grams (is this normal?)
She lives outside (could the cold be affecting her)
She has started molting (does this have anything to do with the weight loss?)
She is still eating but she seems a bit lethargic today. have started feeding her pellets along with her normal food (oaten chaff, lucerne chaff etc) she also gets plenty of fresh hay and grass and constantly has water.

Hi Hun this sounds diet related what does she normally eat?

What is oaten chaff?

She gets as much grass as she wants (she lives outside so it is unlimited) she gets oaten and lucerne chaff (oaten chaff is mainly a horse feed but it is pretty much a type of grass that is dry and chopped finely) pellets and rabbit and guinea pig feed which has seeds grains pellets a little bit of chaff and fruit in it ( i know seeds and grains arent that good for them which is why I give her lots of chaff and pellets) and she also gets loads of hay and also vegetables and fruit.

I there, I think its the kind of food she is eating.

A bunny's belly needs just the right balance in order for it to be able to work properly. A buns belly doesnt absorb the nutrients it needs if they dont get the right food.

She shouldnt be eating any fruit at her age and she shouldnt be eating the Chaff at all.

She should be eating Hay and nuggets with a small amount of fresh veg. A very small amount of fruit can be introduced when she is a little older. The nuggets should be specifically rabbit nuggets (guinea pig ones are formulated for guinneas and do not have the right amount of fibre and things for buns).

It sounds like she isnt able to absorb the correct nutrients to enable her to gain weight and she could become very poorly if she isnt given the right food.

When selecting nuggets to feed her try to avoid ones that are a muesli mix and go for one where the nuggets are all the same.

Try not to worry - If you can get her food right she will prob be okay.

What do her poo's look like?

Thank you for that, I bought some pellets for her today, not sure how good the quality is though...i think they're ok. Umm her poos well she does little round dry ones and then the ones that they are meant to eat. They look pretty normal I think, but I will double check in the morning

Can I just ask why they cant have fruit when they are young?

I think its all to do with the PH in their tummies. Also the sugar in the fruit can cause kidney damage. In order for the tummy to develop properly it needs to have exactly the right balance and the fruit stops this right balance from happening.

What make are the nuggets you have brought hun? Im sure they are fine though.

Your bun is lucky that you care about her so much.

Also - I never said welcome to HH. We are always happy to help with any questions you have - on anything so please feel free to post about anything you would like to.
Wealth of experience on here, and I know that when I first got my bun the people on here really helped me. We all understand what it is like to be new to the bun world and how tricky it can be. Im still learning every day.

They dont actually have a brand on them its just a plain plastic bag and it just has rabbit pellets written on it with texta. I got them from my pet shop but they seem ok
Thank you I love her lots I have only had her for about 3 or 4 weeks but she is so cute!

Agh that's lovely. Hopefully now she is on the right diet she will start to improve. Buns really are so very sensitive to what they eat it can affect so much with them. What is her name?

Maisy

Sorry to hear she's having problems. Katie's pretty much covered it, don't worry too much, but baby buns tummies are sensitive, and ideally they should only be fed a small handful of grass, unlimited hay, and pellets. If you can get Alfalfa hay, it is rich in protein, and helps with growth, but they shouldn't have it after 6 months old. (pets at Home do Alfafa nibbles/biscuit things which are good) Edited: Alfalfa hay should be added to normal hay, a couple of handfuls a day.
Oats are good for weight gain, just a tea spoon full twice a day, but soak them for 15 mins first, then drain them - if you give them dry they will expand in her tummy.

Rabbits grow fast from baby kits to 6-months, so need more protein at this time. The pellets you have should have nutritional info(?) Ideally the fibre content should be 16% or higher. Good pellets for kits are Burgess Junior & dwarf, designed to help them grow, and plenty of fibre. Unlike when they are adults and need only a small amount of pellets, babys can have a lot more. I gave mine 1/2 a cup, twice a day. Now, as an adult, he gets a small handful.

I would steer clear of fruit and vegetables for now, until she puts on weight and her poos become bigger. Sugar is not a rabbits friend, and the calories are empty calories, where as protein rich food has nutritional value too. If she's improved in 3 weeks or so, introduce her to some herbs, like mint and parsley, and spring greens, but small amounts to start of with.

You can keep an eye on her weight by putting a small box on the kitchen/bathroom scales, weigh that, put Maisie in it, weigh and deduct.

I would also add that if you take up the suggestions and see no improvement in a few days. she should see a vet.

She's a lucky bun to have you care so much

I'm not sure if you have gone to your local pet shop for the pellets, but would seriously suggest that you go to P@H and buy some branded pellets that are specifically for rabbits. Make sure you buy ones with a high fibre content - over 19% as Jay said. Excel make a junior rabbit food. If you only have one bun, it will last a while and although more expensive than food from pet shops (which are made up on-site and often with little nutritional balance), it will save on vets bills in the future for poor teeth and stomach problems.

You might also think at this point about taking out insurance against her being ill. Insurance costs about £10 per month and is a good safety net if she does become ill.

Rabbits' stomachs are very sensitive and you shouldn't suddenly switch diets. Start by adding 10% of the new food and giving 90% of the old and increase the new by 10% every day. After 10 days, you will be completely switched over.

Welcome to HH by the way.

Hi

My dutch buns that are the same age are 1300 grams and 1150 grams, just to give you a guideline, they were seen by the vet 2 weeks ago and he said they were the lower end of a healthy weight.

Just had a look through the bunnies weights as we keep a record, they were that weight at 4 weeks, any chance their might be a problem with the scales? Its worth a check

I will check my scales but she is only very small so I think they are accurate. I think she may be a cross breed so maybe that Is why she weighs less than your rabbits? but I will still check and dont worry guys if she doesnt get better soon I will be taking her to a vet Thanks for your help