Bonded successfully, but having food troubles

[Katie]

I have had a Reggie (male and neutered) for about 4 years now and I finally had the funds and support to get him a friend. We went to the humane society for 3 weeks until he finally found someone he liked. Bonding was really simple, it only took about a month before they were living together. Brownie (female and spayed) is really submissive and Reggie is really dominant and proud so he likes that she loves him.

The issue I’m having is with feeding. We all went to the vet last month for a checkup and I was told that Reggie is a healthy weight, about 7.5 pounds and idk what breed he is, maybe a Havana mix of some kind. Brownie on the other hand, was only 3.4 pounds, which is more than she weighed at the shelter but not enough. I think she’s a mini lop. How do I get Brownie to eat more food and gain weight without Reggie gaining weight to and becoming overweight? I feel that I should mention that Reggie is my little piglet, he is INSANELY food motivated and we’ve actually been working on his diet for a while now. If I feed her extra food, he will just push her away and steal it. If I feed them separately, Brownie will only eat part of her pellets and leave the rest for later. She grazes and he devours his pellets. They both get herbs, veggies, fruit (as a treat sparingly), and unlimited hay. I just feel like the pellet issue is why Brownie isn’t gaining enough weight. Any suggestions?

[Mikey]

Its possible you might have to feed them separately. Its hard to get a bun to gain weight when in a bonded pair, as its likely their bondmate is will gain weight too

[sarahthegemini]

What about syringe feeding some critical care daily until she’s at the appropriate weight? If you bunny burrito her and put her on a table, at least little piggie Reggie can’t steal it! Or feeding extra pellets on the sly!

[Deleted User]

Also, is she a mini-lop or a Holland lop? Mini lops in the US are the bigger ones ranging around 6-7 pounds and Hollands are smaller. If they’re a true dwarf their weight should be around 2-4 pounds and a false dwarf will be between 4-5 pounds. If she’s a Holland then she’s right in the normal range.

[DanaNM]

try sneaking her some hand fed pellets? even combine it with teaching her some easy tricks

could be a good bonding activity with her too

You could also try feeding them both their pellets in a couple rounds, so that she has time to get hungry again?

Has the vet told you she was underweight?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Katie]

Thank you all for the suggestions I’m going to try to implement whatever I can The vet did say to try to make Brownie gain weight and when you pet her you can tell she’s bony she weighs more now than when I got her but we still have a bit to go. I’m not sure what type of lop she is, if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them, here are my babies! Left is Reg and right is Brownie

[Deleted User]

She looks like a lionhead and Holland lop mix, which if she is than somewhere in that 3-5 pounds is a good range. She’s too small to be a mini lop. I agree with Sarah that maybe you could give her some critical care just until her weight is up a little

[DanaNM]

They are both beautiful! Soooooo cute!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[sarahthegemini]

They are adorable!

[Katie]

So guys the first thing I tried was sneaking her pellets… when she ate them from my hand Reggie HEARD THE SOUND OF CHEWING and sprinted over from another room XD I gave him 1 pellet at a time while feeding her the bulk of them… in case anyone doubted what a piglet Reggie is XD

[sarahthegemini]

Hahaha! Reminds me – in my old house where buns could be free roam everywhere, Buttercup used to go upstairs and play sometimes (and by play I mean cause trouble) whereas Peanut wouldn’t venture up so I’d play downstairs with Peanut and give him a few treats and Buttercup would always hop downstairs at the exact moment I was giving P a treat. It’s like she could hear/smell it from upstairs. Or she just…knew!

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