Did I underfeed my bunny?

[Helpmeplease]

Hi everyone… I don’t know if my other post will be up before this one or not.

my 13 week old rabbit couldnt stand up or anything and wouldn’t eat/drink. she was fine the night before. took her to the vet and they said shes just bones. I didn’t notice this because she’s very fluffy, I said she’s been eating/drinking/pooping perfectly fine which she has before today, but he wasn’t convinced that I had been feeding her. my little bunny took a turn for the worse and I couldn’t bear to watch her in pain any longer, she had a seizure or a stroke and had serious head tilt. I returned to the same vet and got her put down.

The amount of pellets I would give her was a handful, not a big handful but not that small either. I feed my 8 month old bunny only a little more since he’s bigger and he isn’t underweight. She didn’t just eat it all as soon as I would put it down either, she’d eat some then save some for later. My 8mo one eats it all in one go. She pooped just as much as he does, the vet thought maybe she was just mouthing her food and hiding it elsewhere, but after searching through her bedding I didn’t find any food. She is in the cage herself so only she could eat the food, after telling the vet all of this he says “well she must’ve just not been getting enough”, I mentioned my older bunny being fine with pretty much the same amount of pellets and he finally said it could be a problem with her inside that meant she got no nutrients out of her food. I don’t know if he truly believes that or if he is convinced I starved her, but me clearly breaking down he didn’t want to push it further.

Is a medium handful way too small an amount for a 13 week old bunny? Please tell me

[Benthebunny]

I am sorry for your loss. But a rabbit at 13 weeks should have unlimited pellets and alfalfa hay.

[Mikey]

You mention how much pellets they got, but not how much hay. They should have unlimited hay at all times, and until they hit six months they should have unlimited pellets as well like Benthebunny mentioned

(((((Binky free little bun)))))

[Odette]

I’m so sorry. Binky free, sweet bunny.

I’d like to add that while its true that bunnies need unlimited hay (at all ages) and unlimited pellets at 13 weeks, your bunny may have also had E. Cunniculi which can cause both head tilt and weight loss.

[Helpmeplease]

So it’s very likely this happened because I didn’t feed her enough pellets? The pet store told me they only needed a handful of them and then unlimited hay . She always had timothy hay available to eat, and seemed to like that enough. She would leave some pellets and then eat them later on, I even thought I was giving her too much… the guilt is overwhelming

[Helpmeplease]

How much pellets should I be giving my 8 month old bun? Should he be having unlimited as well? When does that change?

[Stormybun]

Binky free little bunny, binky free

Rabbits that young should be getting unlimited pellets and hay. it could’ve been a a digestive or stomach issue also

[LBJ10]

Being underfed would not cause headtilt. I suppose it could cause seizures if your bunny was severely hypoglycemic. That being said, it doesn’t sound like your bunny was being starved. “Unlimited” pellets are recommended for a growing bunny, but it wasn’t like you weren’t feeding her anything. You were giving her a handful and you said she didn’t eat it all at once. So I’m going to say not to beat yourself up. I don’t think what happened was something you did. I’m going to second Odette and say perhaps she had EC or another parasite. I’m surprised the vet would not explore that possibility and instead accuse you of starving your bunny.

 

You can start rationing their food when they are 6 months (except giant breeds). How much does your 8 month old weigh?

[Author]

Messages