Bun getting chubby

[Noodles]

I’ve noticed over the past few days that Cinnabun has been looking a little heftier than a few weeks ago when I got her. She has kind of developed a dewlap that wasn’t really there/noticeable before. She is a 6 yr old mini lop, about 3 lbs when I got her – she was just spayed less than a month ago. I’m wondering if I’m overfeeding her? She currently gets 2 cups of fresh veggies (Spring mix herbs) and 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) of Oxbow pellets per day. She eats a lot of hay throughout the day and I usually refill 2x a day. I also give her a little bit of fruit 2x a day, a small slice of banana (no more than 1 inch) and maybe a small slice of apple, something of that sort. Maybe it’s the fruit? Too many veggies? I read somewhere that the minimum was 1 cup of veggies for 3 lbs so not sure. 

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated 

[Deleted User]

I don’t know about other people, but I was told by my vet no more than a two tablespoons of fruit 2-3 times a week as a treat. So to me, it seems like she’s getting a lot of sugar into her, which might be causing the weight gain. I’d say cut back on the fruit. You also don’t want to cause her any GI problems that would come with too much fruit.

[Q8bunny]

1tsp of fruit per 2lbs per day, but less is better, is what I know. So yes. It could be all the sugar. But it could also be less activity due to summer heat??

[sarahthegemini]

I wouldn’t give that much fruit. Veggies don’t have a lot of calories, so it’s usually not the veggies that would be the culprit. Sugar from fruit definitely could tho.

[Deleted User]

I agree with the others, the sugar is most likely the culprit. I give fruit only 3-4 days of the week. It’s not necessary to give daily, and it’s more of a treat that way. Even some veggies should be given sparingly. Of course, lettuce, herbs and that sort are fine to give daily. But, for example, carrots are pretty high in sugar compared to greens, so I only give carrots as an addition to salad every now and then, as a “treat”. I would cut back on the fruit!

[Noodles]

Thank you for the responses, everyone! I’ll be sure to cut down on the fruit for the week.

Not sure if she is getting enough exercise as well. Her area is blocked off right now since I am still litter training her. She gets a good 6′ x 6′ of space right now. She’s been pretty good with litter habits but I’m unsure as to when I should start expanding the area.

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