Continental Giant Experience, Advice etc

[talesOfTybalt]

Hi all! It’s been a heck of a long time!!

SO I’ve recently adopted a 4 month old-ish conti giant girl, I’ve already had multiple trips to the vets with her as I suspect she was rather neglected from birth but at her last appointment I was told she’s losing weight and has gone from 2.2kg to 1.8kg. She practically inhales all her pellets and eats lots of hay with veggies here and there.

My question is: does anyone have recommendations/advice on how I can keep her weight up? Best brand of pellets to feed her? How much? She’s on Science Selective junior pellets atm and didn’t take to alfalfa hay so I’m sticking with the Timothy I already use for Tybalt. The vet said I shouldn’t generally look at her weight as she grows, just to feel her tummy and make sure it’s full which it always is?

My next question is: giant breeds take longer to grow to their full size, so do they also mature later? I’d love to bond her to Tybalt (2 yrs old, neutered male mini lop) but of course don’t want to spay her too early and with her weight not being quite right, I’m very nervous about her being strong enough to go through a spay surgery even if it is in a few months. What age would be best to get her spayed providing she ticks all the other health boxes?

I’m more worried about the spay as I had a rabbit neutered back in Feb who I’d wanted to bond with Tyb and he sadly couldn’t recover from the surgery and passed away while he was still at the vets :’(

All advice and personal experience encounters welcome!!

[DanaNM]

Aww congrats!

She should be getting unlimited junior pellets at this point, so if not then that’s an easy thing to change and will probably solve the issue!

I think with larger breeds many vets like to wait until the bun reaches their adult size just so their skeleton develops properly, so for a giant I think that could be 6-8 months? I need to confirm that though. I don’t think giant breeds really mature later (as in, she could likely get pregnant now), but it’s just that they have a lot more growing to do.

I’m also sorry about the other bun. 🙁 It’s very rare but some buns just do not react well to anesthesia.

. . . 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.  

[talesOfTybalt]

Thanks for getting back so quick Dana!

How long should she be on unlimited pellets for would you say? I top up her bowl anytime I see it close to emptying so I don’t really understand why she’s losing weight but she’s got another appointment on Saturday so fingers crossed her weights up!

I think I read somewhere they can keep growing up to 18 months! My plan is to wait until she’s about 7 months but I’ll wait longer if need be.

and thank you 🙂 it was such a shock when it happened to my sweet boy but getting another bun actually really helped me mourn and appreciate the happier memories I had with him.

[Azerane]

I would be concerned about the weight loss while she is still growing, and a loss of 400g is quite a large amount. Unlimited pellets until at least 6 months I would think, though as long as it wasn’t preventing her from eating hay you could keep them unlimited until 1 year because she is a giant breed.

[LBJ10]

I think most people wait until at least 9 months before spaying continental giants. They are big bunnies and the hormones help with bone development. And yes, she needs unlimited pellets right now. She can continue on unlimited pellets until she is done growing. Obviously, this takes longer for giant breeds, so I think Azerane is correct that you could go up to a year.

[DanaNM]

I was also going to say 1 year for unlimited pellets for a giant breed. If you find she’s emptying the bowl you could get a larger bowl or a hopper type feeder.

. . . 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.  

[talesOfTybalt]

Do I gradually change her pellets to a higher fibre one after the 6months-ish mark or keep her on the science selective junior ones for the whole first year?

[talesOfTybalt]

I bought scales today for my own peace of mind so I can keep an eye on her weight going forward and since last Saturday she’s gone up to 2.3kg! 🙂

[DanaNM]

I would keep her on junior pellets for the whole first year! You could probably incorporate some of the adult pellets as well at 7 or 8 months though.

Glad her weight’s back up!

. . . 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.  

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