Holland Lop Rabbit Lost 1 lb in 12 days

[Charlies_Angel]

Hi everyone! I just adopted a holland lop bunny named Charlie middle of last week. I’ve been fostering him since 3/10 though. 

He went in to get neutered on 3/22 and the vet had him weighed in at 4.4 lbs / 2000 g. Since I took him home the day after, he’s been just fine! No complications, eating normally, drinking normal. His poops were smaller but I figured that’s a side effect of anesthesia and in the last few days they’ve been the best poops he’s had since I’ve had him. The last day or two I thought his spine seemed a little more prominent when I was petting him so I got a scale and saw he’s down to 3.4 lbs / 1500 g. 

I read hollands should be 3-4lbs so he was probably a little chubby when I got him (his last family feed him mostly pellets and it took forever to get Charlie to start eating hay again). So he’s in a normal weight range now I suppose, but the loss of that much weight in a short time is concerning. The only other changes are he’s fully free range now when I’m home, and he has a 60sqft room to himself when I’m not home. I have a webcam in there so I can check up on him and he is running around like crazy all night and some of the day. So maybe exercise contributed too?

I’m going out of town and he’s being boarded with my vet Thursday through next Monday where he’ll be handled and weighed twice a day by their staff, so I’m relieved by that. But in the meantime, anyone have any thoughts?

[Sirius&Luna]

What’s his diet like?

It does sound like a lot, but if he was overweight and is now getting a good diet and eating a good amount of hay, I guess it could be okay. Can you check with the vet when you check him in for boarding?

[tobyluv]

It’s definitely possible that the increased exercise he is getting has contributed to his weight loss. It’s also possible that your scale is not as accurate as your vet’s scale, so he may not have actually lost a full pound. Let the vet or vet tech know about your concerns when you take him in.

[Deleted User]

Hollands aren’t cookie cutter rabbits that have that set 3-4 pounds. If they are a false dwarf, they should weigh over 4 pounds but not more than 5 pounds. My boys are both false dwarf Hollands (one weighs 4.4 and the other 4.7), and if they ever dip under 4 pounds they would look and feel underweight. So I think that is something to consider too. If he has a very squished face and shorter ears, he’s a true dwarf, and if his face has more point to it and has longer ears, he’s a false dwarf.

[Charlies_Angel]

As far as diet, I do minimal pellets (maybe 1/8th of a cup), and usually a leaf or two of romaine lettuce, and then mix in one to two rotating things like spinach, kale, arugula, radish, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, dill. I try to limit the total volume to 1.5 cups. The rest is him begrudgingly eating his hay haha. He really isn’t a big fan of hay (I’ve gone through literally every variety and manufacturer online in the last three weeks, RIP my wallet lol.) He will eat some SPS third cut though. To supplement that, I’ll sometimes take his pellets for the day and mix it with water, put a teaspoon of critical care, put some water on those timothy hay biscuit block bites, mix it up and put some dill in it (his fav herb) to trick him into eating some hay. He loves critical care, the little weirdo, so he’ll usually eat all of that.

I weighed him this morning and he came out to about 3.8. He does look a little better than yesterday already. Didn’t drink as much water overnight as usual and had slightly darker urine, but I’d expect that if he drank less. Squirted about 5mL into him this morning and he drank a little this afternoon (I have a spy cam so I can check on him at work haha).

I will definitely be checking with the vet when I drop him off tomorrow!

[Charlies_Angel]

That is a very good point about the scale not being quite precise. He came in at about 3.8 this morning, which seems like a large change just for overnight (though he does look a little better, I think). I’ll definitely get them to weigh him before I leave after dropping him off tomorrow, thanks

[Charlies_Angel]

Ohh, I had no idea about true vs false dwarf! I just looked into it. I’m thinking he’s a false dwarf… Hmm. He seems to look a bit better today so I’m hoping the vet has a more accurate scale to assuage my worries haha

[Charlies_Angel]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 4/04/2018 8:03 AM

Hollands aren’t cookie cutter rabbits that have that set 3-4 pounds. If they are a false dwarf, they should weigh over 4 pounds but not more than 5 pounds. My boys are both false dwarf Hollands (one weighs 4.4 and the other 4.7), and if they ever dip under 4 pounds they would look and feel underweight. So I think that is something to consider too. If he has a very squished face and shorter ears, he’s a true dwarf, and if his face has more point to it and has longer ears, he’s a false dwarf.

Here is a pic of him from last night (firmly declaring that this bowl of hay is his bowl of hay!). What do you think? False dwarf?

 

[Deleted User]

He looks just like Bombur! His ears are definitely longer than normal. I’m thinking false too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgz_9PNBRbx/?hl=en&taken-by=asriel_and_bombur

[Sirius&Luna]

He’s a cutie I wouldn’t say he looked underweight either

[Wick & Fable]

If he’s close to 4lbs, you could probably increase pellets a bit if you’re concerned with becoming underweight. Wick is 2lbs maximum and he gets 1/8 cup of pellets, sometimes closer to 1/4cup if I’m feeling especially generous that day. While a rabbit is growing, it’s a bit difficult to gauge the healthy weight, but I suspect in the next few months you’ll get a better idea of what his body wants to maintain as his actual healthy, ideal weight.

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.

[Charlies_Angel]

He looks just like Bombur! His ears are definitely longer than normal. I’m thinking false too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgz_9PNBRbx/?hl=en&taken-by=asriel_and_bombur

Awww!! Bombur is so cute! They do look like siblings, haha!

He’s a cutie I wouldn’t say he looked underweight either

Glad to hear! He’s my first bunny I’ve had small furry critters for years now, but of the hamster variety mostly. I love little bunbun to death, but he also partially terrifies me since I know how quickly and easily things can go wrong. Definitely some new bun-mom anxiety

If he’s close to 4lbs, you could probably increase pellets a bit if you’re concerned with becoming underweight. Wick is 2lbs maximum and he gets 1/8 cup of pellets, sometimes closer to 1/4cup if I’m feeling especially generous that day. While a rabbit is growing, it’s a bit difficult to gauge the healthy weight, but I suspect in the next few months you’ll get a better idea of what his body wants to maintain as his actual healthy, ideal weight.

Okay, cool! I’ll keep an eye on it. I try to limit the pellets to get him to eat hay, cause hay isn’t his most favorite thing. It’s frustrating not knowing exactly how old he is, since his age was not listed on the surrender form his last family filled out when they left him at the shelter. We’re guessing 8-10 months, and certainly no more than a year. Just dropped him off with the vet, they’re going to keep a close eye on him. I paid them $30 extra to text me pics of him daily until I pick him up Monday haha. It’s so hard being away from him!

Thanks everyone for responding!!

[Author]

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