Dried Pea Flakes – Lets Discuss

[Fluffykins]

So I’ve mentioned this here before (probably a hundred times haha) but my fluffykins was unwell from his routine vaccinations for a week, a short while back.

Now he never really lost much weight (negligible amounts and he was wriggling in the scales so I can’t be sure it was even an accurate reading) BUT after getting better I just felt and saw him as thinner then before, and he felt a lot lighter.

The vets were and have always been really happy with his weight and he has been steadily gaining ever since I’ve had him. He’s a mini lop (Holland lop) and last weight recorded was something over 2lbs which is perfect for his species and age (22 weeks).

I’m sure he’s got the dwarfing gene.

Anyway, quick rundown of his food intake, 1/4th cup alfalfa pellets (always been the case since I’ve had him from 8 weeks). Mix of hays but mostly Timothy. 1.5 (sometimes 2 but he never finishes) cup veggies.

So, after the week from hell, when he was unwell, I’ve wanted to put a bit more weight on him just to strengthen him up a bit.. I’m not talking anything big here but I just wanted him to feel a bit more ‘solid’ rather then a floofy feather that he normally feels like haha.

He was gaining weight a lot faster in the days after he was better, I could see and feel it. Again I should clarify he’s still in the 2lbs region and probably at or under 2.5lbs currently. Long story short I had ordered some dried pea flakes for weight gain, and I wasn’t going to offer it after he was naturally putting on weight fast from his normal everyday diet, but me being me I wanted to try it out!

I’ve given around 5 pea flakes daily for about 4 days now and this morning I was astounded at what a difference I noticed. Looking at him, he’s still exactly the same size. No sagging belly haha. But he looks and feels so much more *solid*! He actually looks and feels more musclely now rather then like a big ball of fluff. When I pick him up he also feels more heavy but bear in mind I know he hasn’t put on even close to 0.5lbs lol. We are talking tiny amounts here but I feel like it’s made a big difference.

So this thread really is just out there for anyone that needs to put weight on their bunny for a legitimate reason – perhaps, dried pea flakes.

I also have a question, I’ve done as much googling as I can but I know sometimes someone here might know more then I can find out from extensive googling are there any real drawbacks to making these pea flakes a part of his daily feeding plan? I’m thinking to cut down to 3 pea flakes daily now for maintenance rather then putting anything else on.

I should also state my fluffykins is a super active bunny. He’s either sleeping or running. No middle ground really with him lol.

I’m also wise and mature enough (ha! ) to understand this is something that’s working for us right now. If he’s food intake was to change (ie he went off his hay or something) or he continued gaining weight or his activity levels came down etc etc etc) I would reassess the situation.. just want to put out there these decisions we make need to be thoroughly thought out intelligent decisions, not something we do because we see someone else do it or because it’s the done thing. The last thing anything wants or needs is an overweight bunny that can’t clean them selves properly, run without getting tired and become host to a plethora of other problems.

[Bam]

Sounds good to me! There’s ground peas in the food Bam gets (Vetcare Plus Digestive health). He’s prone to putting on weight, but it’s all about dosage. I weigh him once a week.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Bindi needs to put on more weight so I’m curious about this. Never heard of this before. Where do you buy it?

I’d read about adding a bit of oats to help gain weight but it seemed to make him have more mushy poos so had to stop them.

[Sirius&Luna]

You normally get pea flakes in the muesli type food mixes LPT, but not sure about buying them separately! Perhaps you could pick them out…

[Fluffykins]

LPT I found it on Amazon. Just type in dried pea flakes and it should come up hopefully.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Thanks

[Author]

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