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› FORUM › DIET & CARE › Thin rabbit????
So I’ve been posting a lot of things on this forum because everybody is so helpful here. My bunny Luna, who wasn’t eating as well when I first brought her home, has now started eating ALOT but she still feels so skinny… I can feel her spine compared to her pair Venus. Venus seems a lil older or maybe healthier (I dont know), but I know the fact is she seems bigger and fuller than Luna. Luna doesn’t seem sick at all. She eats her hay, her pellets, and she’s 20x more adventurous (and braver) than Venus. I took her to the vet when she stopped eating when I first brought her and the doc told me that she does seem a lil thin and told me to feed her some antibiotics and critical care. HOWEVER, the very next day after the scary ordeal she perked up and started eating on her own. It’s almost impossible for me to feed her the other medications because it’s so difficult to handle her squirming so after the initial dose I stopped giving the medication since she’s pooping and eating on her own as much as Venus is. I changed their hay to alfalfa hay because I read it’s better for younger rabbits (they are both around 2 months old). I’m planning to buy some fresher hay online though because I felt that the alfalfa hay I’ve bought from the pet store (which I regret because I bought 3 bags of them… what a waste of money) seems too dry and not very appetizing if I were to be put in a rabbit’s shoes. I’m just concerned about Luna’s weight… She binkies and sprints like Venus but I feel she’s more on the lazy/chill side compared to the more active Venus who makes a lot of noise at night.
I’m concerned and wondering if she’s sick with something that I’m not picking up on??? should I put her back on the antibiotics???
Oh and can I start slowly introducing veggies into their diet?? I want to start feeding them greens ![]()
Regarding the greens — I am assuming they are still babies/youth so that is why you are asking about introducing greens? (Or are they adults that never had them before?) IF they are young – then here is a great resource for how to start introducing greens. http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/
The above link will also help give you information about if you are feeding enough. Some rambunctious young bunnies need more food as their body is growing and they have tons of energy.
If she is not under 7 months and/or you are feeding her the recommended amount, and she still seems to skinny (that even the vet recognizes), then it is something to keep an eye on and have a rabbit-savvy vet monitor.
Did your vet say why he thought antibiotics would help? If her poop looks normal and she’s eating and doesn’t seem sick at all, I think it was good that you took her off the abs. Excess antibiotics should be avoided in bunnies because all abs disrupts the bacterial flora to some extent, and rabbits are so very dependant on a healthy gut flora. Medication is sth you should ask your vet about though.
Sometimes an under-weight bunny benefits from a probiotic like Benebac. While lactobacillus rarely survive the GI tract of a bunny and aren’t part of their normal intestinal flora, there are many other bacteria that can be used as probiotics in bunnies. Benebac has one of those bacteria, enterococcus faecium. Here’s a rather long but informative article on use of probiotics in rabbits: http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/beneficial-bacteria-in-pet-rabbits/
Yes they are only a little over 2 months, that’s why I’m curious on how to introduce greens to them. I get mixed responses on when to start giving them greens and fruits… So I’m a little confused. I’d like to introduce some fresh greens to them on top of their pellets and alfalfa hay.
Regarding the antibiotics, the vet gave me some because he was concerned that the lack of eating and gas build up from not eating might have inflamed her digestive tract. So, he gave me the antibiotics to syringe feed her twice a day. However, she started eating well and pooping normally by the end of the day so I took her off the antibiotics like the day after I got them. I think the initial dose was able to jump start her digestion or something.
She really doesn’t seem sick. She’s highly active and sort of an excessive digger/biter that tries to dig/bite the coroplast of their playpen and main cage. (I can’t let them free range YET since they aren’t spayed nor fully litter trained). I don’t understand why she feels so skinny. It makes me worry that I’m doing something wrong
But, She eats like crazy especially her pellets and now I even have to replace their 2 hay racks almost daily because Luna and Venus go through it so quickly.
Not much experience with babies here, but I do know it’s best to wait until 12 weeks to begin gradually introducing fresh greens/veg/fruit. It takes that long for a kit’s gut flora to develop properly. I believe that alfalfa pellets & alfalfa hay are the ticket at the moment. ![]()
Ok, then I see why your vet gave her the abs!
I’m pretty sure your not doing anything wrong. She may have a malabsorption problem. The reason could be one of several. Did the vet test for intestinal parasites? Or say anything about the possibility of worms?
As Q8 says, it’s recommended to hold off on greens/fruit until around 12 weeks, unless the bun has had greens from the start at the breeder’s and does well on them, of course. Alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay has good protein that a growing bun needs.
I’m debating on wether I should put her back on her antibiotics even though she’s eating. I saw some mushy poop today while cleaning their cage that I suspect is from the pellets I gave them yesterday. I usually give them only 2 cups a day but recently i increased the amount because I read they should have unlimited pellets too, but now that I see either luna or venus’ poop wasn’t the right shape at one point last night so I’m going to take away their pellets for today and increase their hay…. They are pooping normally again now that the pellets are gone and they are being pushed to rely on the hay more.
The vet didn’t test for any intestinal parasites…. I should’ve asked but I was more panicked bout her not eating that it slipped my mind. Maybe it’s best to put her back on the medication??
I don’t see any worms or anything in either of my bunnies’ poops though.
Oh okay, I’ll wait maybe 3 more weeks before I give them any greens. Though I’m a lil bummed that I don’t get to feed them some good veggies yet haha
I think you should ask your vet if you should put her back on the abs. Abs can do a lot of good, but it can also be harmful. Abs kill all bacteria that are sensitive to them, good bacteria as well as bad. That leaves the field open for other bacteria (and yeast) to colonize the intestines, and sometimes, that opportunity get seized by some really bad bugs that are normally present in small numbers and kept from proliferating wildly by the other bacteria. That’s why abs should be used in moderation with bunnies (with people too actually but we don’t have quite as sensitive tummies as buns do). So I think it’s best if you ask your vet, that way you don’t have to make a medical decision yourself.
It’s good that you don’t see any worms. Worms are not common in house bunnies and it’s absolutely not the first thing you suspect if a bun isn’t eating, so your vet was right in treating the inappetance/gas first. I was just trying to figure out some reason for her being a bit under-weight in spite of a hearty appetite.
› FORUM › DIET & CARE › Thin rabbit????
