How do I start dieting rabbit?

[halogoop]

My bunny Reese who is currently 1 year and a half still gets unlimited pellets and unlimited hay (alfafa). He typically eats 1 – 1 1/2 cups or more of his pellets and rarely any of his hay, we previously had timothy hay and I think he ate more of that than his current alfafa hay so we’re thinking of making the switch back. He doesn’t seem too overweight/obese but due to his pellet portions I think this may cause future problems, he tends to eat a lot of pellets in one sitting. I heard 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of pellets a day is the ideal amount for an adult rabbit but I’m not sure how I should cut down, do I do it immediately or slowly give him less and less pellets? Also, how do I make him eat increased amounts of hay? As for greens, we normally give him apples or kale daily and he has no problem eating those. Thanks!

[jerseygirl]

What type of rabbit is he? Is he a large breed?

1- 1 1/2 cups is A LOT!! You can definitely start to cut back there. Do it gradually. You could start by removing what he leaves after one sitting. For example, say if you gave him 1 cup and he ate 3/4 cup right away, take away the remaining 1/4 cup. Then for the next feed, just give 3/4 cup. I think you’ll find he will start eating more hay as a result. He may then start to leave more of the reduce ration of pellets so you could continue to take it back even further.
Some people are able to “free feed” pellets and their rabbit will just eat a portion. But if your guy eats a lot at once and not too much hay, you probably are best limiting pellets.

It’s great that he liked the timothy. You could probably switch back to that right away.

I would also stop giving apples or just grating a little bit and giving that with his kale. If that is too much fuss, just give a small piece that is about the size of a thumbnail. 

[halogoop]

Posted By jerseygirl on 7/22/2017 1:02 AM

What type of rabbit is he? Is he a large breed?

1- 1 1/2 cups is A LOT!! You can definitely start to cut back there. Do it gradually. You could start by removing what he leaves after one sitting. For example, say if you gave him 1 cup and he ate 3/4 cup right away, take away the remaining 1/4 cup. Then for the next feed, just give 3/4 cup. I think you’ll find he will start eating more hay as a result. He may then start to leave more of the reduce ration of pellets so you could continue to take it back even further.
Some people are able to “free feed” pellets and their rabbit will just eat a portion. But if your guy eats a lot at once and not too much hay, you probably are best limiting pellets.

It’s great that he liked the timothy. You could probably switch back to that right away.

I would also stop giving apples or just grating a little bit and giving that with his kale. If that is too much fuss, just give a small piece that is about the size of a thumbnail. 

We have started to give him 1/4 of a cup in the morning, 1/8 for the afternoon and 1/8 night. So 1/2 cup a day and we have indeed realised he leaves portions of what we give him, I think he’s adjusting well. Also, we bought him timothy hay again and he seems to really like it.

As for his breed we were told he was a Netherland dwarf but he never really resembled one. The rabbit in the middle of the picture below is what he looks like.

http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk…ground.jpg

[Deleted User]

Yes, get him started on timothy hay! I don’t think alfalfa is supposed to be given past 1 year. I transitioned my bun off alfalfa hay at 6 months. I never gave unlimited pellets, because of personal convictions. I didn’t want to start a slippery slope of undisciplined over eating, which could form into a long term habit. Just as jerseygirl said, cut back gradually on the pellets, give timothy hay, and cut back on the apples, as they don’t need the extra sugar every day. I give fruit treats about 3 days a week. If he’s a dwarf, he wont get that big, so he definitely doesn’t need that much food! I’ve read 1/8 cup per 2lbs of body weight, someone can correct me if I’m wrong but that’s the guide I use because it seems reasonable.

[Tim&Alfie]

From his coloring, I’d say he’s a Dutch rabbit. It’s good that you have started to decrease pellets. As BunNoob said, alfalfa is not recommended for older rabbits. It is too high in protein and calcium for them. A hay higher in fiber, like timothy, is better for mature rabbits. You may also want to check if his pellets are alfalfa or timothy based. One way to tell is if it says ‘young rabbit food’. That normally means it is alfalfa based. If you find his pellets are, in fact, made of alfalfa, you may want to switch to timothy.

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