My bunny will not gain weight

[Snowshoesmom]

I adopted a three year old lop rabbit this winter.  He has a lot of problems.  His jaw is not aligned properly and his teeth require monthly trimming.  In addition to the tooth problems which probably cause him some pain, he is a picky eater.  Last trip to the vet he weight 4 lbs 4 oz.  He really needs to weigh at least 6 lbs.  I have him bonded with my older bunny Snowshoe who is six.  These two boys just love each other.  I started feeding the new bunny Thumper aka squirt in a separate pen I have.  He is eating but still not gaining a lot of weight.  I just started this two weeks ago so I am hoping if I keep it up he might gain a little more weight. 

If anyone has any ideas to fatten up a skinny bun, please share.

I saw on here that someone else needs to get their bunny to lose weight, perhaps you could fatten mine up for a few weeks!

 

Thanks for any help

Snowshoe and Thumper’s mom

[Beka27]

what does your vet say? i suppose some buns (like people) will always be on the smaller side. does the vet want you to start giving higher calorie foods like alfalfa?

[rabbitsmba]

Are you sure your bunny needs to gain weight? Most house rabbits tend to be bigger than they need to be but that’s just because we spoil them! And overweight bunnies tend to have health issues. Is this weight-gain vet recommended? If so, here are some tips…

Timothy hay and timothy pellets are what is usually recommended to feed an adult rabbit. Baby rabbits (under a year) should eat alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets because it will help them to grow. Rabbit meat farmers also feed alfalfa to “fatten up” their stock . So try switching from Timothy to alfalfa hay and pellets – this should help put on weight.

I wouldn’t necessarily give more treats – it will put weight on them but all the extra sugar can also cause tummy upset, so I don’t suggest that route.

You can also try supplimenting with Critical Care. Critical Care is a food suppliment fed to bunnies who have stopped eating for whatever reason (usually illness). It’s packed with all the nutrients a bunny needs to live and you can get it from any vet that treats rabbits. It comes in powder form – you add water and dispense with a feeding syringe (from the vet also) but some bunnies like the taste and will eat it right out of a bowl.

I volunteer for a rabbit rescue and sometimes we get bunnies that are very underweight. Usually a few weeks on alfalfa and the weight slowly goes up. Also, 1/8 of a cup of pellets per 5lb of bunn is the norm – but in this case, go ahead and give 1/4 to 1/2 per day. And don’t forget plenty of fresh greens every day!

Keep a close eye on the teeth – teeth issues can result in a bunn not wanting to eat, so get them well checked. The vet should use a scope to see them all properly – spurs can be painful so keeping the teeth nice and straight and flat will help your bunny to eat more.

And monitor the weight gain – once you get to the proper weight, cut back on the pellets and slowly switch back to timothy hay and pellets (by mixing them at first, then slowly stop serving the alfalfa altogether).

Good luck!

[Snowshoesmom]

He definitely needs to gain weight.  You can feel his little ribs, he just breaks my heart.  I think I might try the alfalfa to see if that will help some.  Not sure he will eat it because he will not eat hay.  I did try the critical care but the syringe feeding stresses him out way to much.  I did try putting some critical care mixed up on a flat dish.  Someone licked it up but not sure it was Thumper.  I need to try it again but when I have him in the pen without his bonded buddy.  That way I will be able to know if he ate it or Snowshoe ate it.  Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Sarita]

Do try alfalfa. Also try a little oats as well.

It’s difficult when they have dental problems. Also consider Kaytee Exact Rainbow Pellets – they are a little higher in fat – you will see they are not in a traditional pelleted form and are colored. Many rabbit people use these for their rabbits that have problems with weight and even dental problems. You can also give them “wet” – put warm water on them and they will swell up – that might be an option if he is having problems with eating pellets due to his dental problems.

[skunklionshow]

My Leo has chronic teeth issues.  He too has a misaligned jaw.  The first time we discovered this, he lost about a lb.  Now I have become very in tune to his needs.  I can usually tell when he’s teeth are getting pointy and need to be trimmed.  At that point, I usually start pain meds immediately and schedule him for the vet.  He also goes on critical care post teeth trims &/or filings.  I’m thinking your vet can guide you on specific clues that dental drama is coming down the pike.  I can tell when pellet intake goes down or he develops moist chin.  Sometimes it’s more of just a dried clumpy fur on his chin to denote possible drooling.  Other signs can be moist drippy eyes or even tear stains or gook in the corner of the eyes.

I’m also thinking that due to his teeth issues, he doesn’t eat much hay.  Leo has the same problem.  For him I usually hand feed strands of hay to him during hip hop time.  I also keep finely chopped hay in their hay bins.  My bet is that if you add the critical care syringe feeding at least once a day in addition to the regular feedings.   Once a day is much less stressful than several times a day.   Leo will usually lick off a spoon, room temp only, but won’t take a syringe.

Leo also tends to be more of a licker than a biter, so sometimes if I need him to eat a bit more, I will add a smear of something yummy onto one of his many stuffed animals or some cardboard paper towel tubes.   B/c my Jess is such a pig, I can’t just leave yummy things in their condo for Leo to get a bit extra.  I usually have to separate them when he gets extra.

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