I wonder if it was the oat hay? I know my buns selectively eat the oat seeds vs. the stalks, so maybe your switch to meadow will do the trick with enough time?

Or maybe a different cut of timothy? I think orchard is the richest.

I think also encouraging movement might help. Not sure how old your two are, but I know as Bertha gets older she runs around a lot less, so I’ve been encouraging her to move around and forage for her pellets. As they get more free-roam time, they also seem to actually roam less. so I’ve been trying to change up their arrangement of hide-outs and toys to get my lazy loafs to explore a bit more.

How old are they? As rabbits age, their metabolisms slow down, even if their appetites do not. What worked before to keep them healthy might not anymore.

At 5 years, rabbits begin to show signs of aging. Its like being about 40 in people years. So their metabolism probably is starting to slow down.

Not fat, cuddly!!

Seriously though, it could just be a combo of his breed (mix) and having a compact body. Could you start doing the regular weigh-ins again and see if there is fluctuations? It could be that day he was retaining more fluid then normal.. idk.
Would he be scarfing more of the pellets then Luna?

Potamus has always been chubby looking -the majority of her life really. She got all the milk as a baby. But she has a compact body and 1 inch fur so that contributes to the look. After her recent head tilt, she did drop some weight and she has more defined look. A waistline and flatter planes over the hips. It’s surprising how quick that can happen.

All my buns eat oat, the seed heads and all, and they all have a varied look. Ailis is big due to her breed. Tim is slim always. Gooses weight fluctuates between good and underweight. Yet they all eat good amount of hay.

I wonder if you could give an oaten hay and straw mix? So when they finish the hay, they only have straw until you give a new lot. It’s still good fibre.

Wick gained some weight (unintentionally) when we were in between leases and he had to stay in a smaller pen for over a week. He got a bit chubby….

To help with weight loss, I used a clicker to make him do circuits and work for pellets and food, haha.

Posted By Azerane on 1/03/2019 2:08 AM

That’s true DV, but he’s not allowed to show signs of aging yet I feel like I only just got them.

Lol i feel ya. I got mine 4 years ago and still call them my babies 

ooh the clicker is a good idea!

Its always hard when their diet is good and theyre just lazy ?
Have you thought about more interactive feeding-instead of getting pellets, they come in a treat ball, so work is required for them, or sprinkling them in a dig box(i used a childrens ball pit) to make them go digging and rooting.

Also, wont help with the mess, but giving hay in stuffed tubes, or boxes that they have to break or work for can help, as long as they are willing to work(no point if they juat decide to starve rather than work for it)

But otherwise Id say maybe cycle in different elements to their environment to keep it intresting. Mine show great excitement about their cage everytime i clean and slightly reorganise things

Maybe bringing them into different spaces for an hour would help? Rabbits are normally curious and will go exploring. It could be tricky to do with the kitties though. It’s a shame we cannot just let them run outside when they like. Jersey and Rumball would do that, but Id be too nervous these days to allow my current bunnies to. Plus, they’re unaccustomed and it would be more stressful then enjoyable for them.

Honestly, given your buns’ respective sizes, you’re not feeding them too much AT ALL. My money’s on the hay. We discovered twice now that hay (once orchard grass and once meadow) had alfalfa mixed in and Chewie became a tiny butterball SO quickly (a matter of weeks).

But a decrease in activity might also be the culprit. Maybe the buns play or explore less (alone or with you) since there are two kittehs now?