Monthly weigh-day today.
Both boy piggies, Chocco and Latte, are maintaining their weight, so alls well with them.
In January, when Rusty and Pippi had their jabs, the vet said that Rusty in particular had gained a small amount over the previous year, and that while both bunnies were at a healthy weight, neither of them should gain anymore, so their daily portions of pellets were slightly reduced, and carrots became less frequent. This has kept their weights steady.
Its 18 days now since Rusty left us, and Pippi has lost just over 150g. I was concerned about him getting overweight from the extra food I’ve been giving, to help bond the three bunnies, plus the extra pellets via the teach n treat, and I was keeping a watchful eye on his waistline. Given he’s actually lost weight, he can carry on having that little bit extra, and we’ll see how he does.
Gina’s shoulder blades are still sticking out, but she has finally gained some weight, and is now weighing 150g more than when we got her. Her dropping are a nice shape, size and colour, and all she needs is for her hormones to settle down enough for her to be bonded with the other two.
Jenny still hasn’t gained any weight, which bothers me, given she is getting a good nutritional diet. She did struggle to recover from the spay, and then she had her jabs, as soon as the vet thought she was fit enough. She did develop tiny scab after the jab, so I guess producing antibodies has also taken energy from her. Her droppings can sometime still be a bit small, although they are nothing like the pitiful ones she was producing when we first got her. She eats loads of hay, plus fresh grass that I cut for them all twice a day, and I want hay and grass to stay at at least 80% of her food.
I’ve been monitoring her ears, as she has still been struggling to keep warm enough. A few days ago, I asked for some advice at the pet shop, and was recommended something called ‘Nature’s Touch’, which is a mix of timothy hay, bran pellets, alfalfa, dried sunflowers, dried carrots and dried nettles. She loves it, and both girls have been getting small amounts of that in addition to the normal pellets. Its higher in protein and fibre. Her ears have stayed nice and warm since she started on it, so I guess its doing some good. She’s having an active day today, so maybe her energy levels are going up, with the new food. I don’t really want to introduce anything high sugar into her diet, but I would be happier if she gained at least some weight, like Gina has, before winter, as I don’t over-heat the house, and it won’t be anywhere near as warm as its been, and even that hasn’t been warm enough for her.