how do I know if mango is fat/getting fat?

[niniliefie]

hey all… so how will i know if mango(name change… i struggled with regards to name change when i found out she is a he, but i did it) is fat or getting fat? ill post pics, but my concern is that he might be gaining to much weight. the resources said that pellets and hay should be freely available till 7 months(he is 4months) . i was also giving him too much carrot. so i reduced carrort to less than a third a carrot a day. i started adding greens 2.5 weeks ago and someone here suggested reducing pellets also. (1/8 of a cup a day) but he jumps on the container and eats out of the pack sometimes! he doesnt look fat, but has a bit of a tummy when he lies down. it might be bloating, but its soft and not distended so doubt it! (introduced small amounts of cabbage? can that cause bloating) so when do i know if he is fat? ill add pics to my following posts. just wana rather prevent rather than having to cure at some point. (4+hours excersise a day and very lively bun) 

[niniliefie]

[LBJ10]

He doesn’t really look fat to me. When bunnies are lying like that, their sides are going to smoosh out. To get the best guess for ideal weight, you would probably need to ask a vet. With bunnies, you want to be able to feel their ribs and backbone. There should be something between them (fat/muscle), nothing should be protruding (that would mean they are underweight). If you can’t feel their ribs or backbone at all, then I would start questioning if they are overweight or not. Hopefully that helps.

[niniliefie]

Ok! I can feel his ribs and back bone. So ill just keep an eye on him? I don’t want him to get unhealthy!

[Sarita]

He’s still growing so I wouldn’t worry about restricting anything with him at this point.

[Bam]

He doesn’t look fat to me either. When a bunny is fat, it looks more like a furry cushion or a puddle of fur. I didn’t realize that my bunny Bam was fat until my vet told me. It is kind of hard to tell if you’re inexperienced =/

That cabbage causes bloating is an old misconception. It causes gas in humans but rabbit-stomachs aren’t like human stomachs. But of course it needs to be introduced slowly, just like you’re doing. Kale is a form of cabbage (cruciferous plant) but has more nutrients because it’s deep green. Carrots are not really needed, they’re more of a treat.

Hay should always be unlimited, no matter how old the bunny is.

[LBJ10]

Yep, just make sure he is getting everything he needs. Like Sarita said, he is probably still a growing boy. Depending on his breed, I wouldn’t start restricting pellets until he is at least 6 months (longer if he is a large breed).

[Eepster]

You know what happens with my still growing human child (who is very skinny generally) he goes through phases where he eats and eats and he gets a wee bit of a belly. Then boom,he sleeps more than usual for a night or two, and the next morning the belly is gone and his pants are suddenly too short,

He’s a growing bunny, don’t worry too much.

BTW, do you know what breed he is? What breed he is will help you figure out much longer you should expect him to get.

[Author]

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