Rabbit breeds

[Dragonfly]

 

Does anyone know what breed my bunnies are? 😊

[LBJ10]

How big are they?

[Dragonfly]

The white one is 4.5 pounds and the black and white one is 3.5 pounds. I adopted them both about 5 months ago.

[LBJ10]

You adopted them as babies? If they are still growing, then I would say they are probably a medium-large breed mixes. Maybe Havana or New Zealand is in there somewhere. One of them has the harlequin pattern. Harlequin is a breed as well… but the genes for the harlequin pattern have been introduced into many breeds, so you can’t go off of coloring alone.

[Dragonfly]

Thank you so much for your help 🙂

I have been feeding them 1/4 cup of pellets and 1 cup of greens. Do you think they should get more because of their weight? I’m having a hard time figuring out their food diet on the internet because they say lots of different things. since they are getting bigger in size.

 

Thank you again

[DanaNM]

It’s really hard to gauge a bun’s weight from photos, but a vet visit could help you ensure that they are getting the correct diet for their age.

How do they feel when you feel their backs? It’s normal for teenage bunnies to be a bit lean, but they should still have good muscle along their spine. The spine should feel like small bumps, so you can feel the middle of the vertebrae but not the sides, if that makes sense?

They are very cute!

. . . 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.  

[Dragonfly]

Thank you,

 

And the white one is much fatter and her head is much bigger than the black and white one that’s why I wasn’t sure if it was their breeds? Right now the internet says to give them 1 cup per 2 lbs and I was wondering if the white one should get 2 cups because she is 4.5 pounds. At the moment I feed them both 1/4 cup of pellets, 1 cup of veggies and an unlimited  amount of hay. The white one (Snowball) seems pretty big and bulky with a bit of squish, when I touch her sides or back I can just feel her spine. The black and white one (Thumper), I can feel her lumps and spine but she has alittle fat but I don’t want to say skinny, I’m not sure if that’s underweight or just ideal or if that’s just her breed. Right now I’m waiting to being them to the vet but it might be a month until than.

Thank you so much for your help, it has been very helpful 🙂

[DanaNM]

Depending on their age, that might be on the high end for pellets (or is it 1/4 cup shared between them?). But if they are under a year then it’s an OK amount.

Honestly, I don’t really tailor my buns salad to their weights closely. I used to have an 11 lb bunny, and she certainly got extra! But my current buns all get somewhere between 1-2 cups per day (basically 1 big handful each, depending on what I have for them), and they range in weights between 4-6 lbs. Hay-eating is the most important thing, so if they are eating their hay well then I don’t think you need to adjust the salad much. Another thing that you can do if you aren’t sure is to track their weights to see if they are stable.

If your white rabbit is a NZ or a florida white, she may have some “meat” breed in her which would make her tend to put on weight more easily. My bunny Myra is part Californian and she was overweight when I got her. With a low-pellet diet and more exercise she’s much better now. 🙂

 

. . . 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.  

[DanaNM]

Also if they are under around 7 months to a year old, they should have some source of alfalfa in their diet, usually it’s in young rabbit pellets.

. . . 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.  

[LBJ10]

If they are still growing, then I think 1/4 cup is a reasonable amount. Snowball definitely has that meat rabbit look to her and your description of her “body type” definitely fits. I’m still leaning toward NZ with her. Florida White is a good guess too. You will want to keep an eye on her weight as she gets older. They were bred to put on weight easily.

[DanaNM]

Just have to add I love that pic of Snowball snoozing in the sun! 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Dragonfly]

Thank you for all your help I appreciate it,

They are both about 5-6 months now, I will try to maybe put less pellets for snowball and an extra cup of salads. And their pellets do have alfalfa in it.

 

It is really good to know that her type of breed gets overweight fast and to watch out for that, I’m glad you mentioned it so now I can keep an eye out for it. The weird thing about her is, even with the amount that I feed her, she still seems like she’s starving 🤣 , I know they just eat all the time but it’s good to know I will be on the right track. Thank you again 😊😊

 

 

Also I’m glad you added that you liked the picture of snowball 😊.

 

 

[Wick & Fable]

As a quick aside, if you are keeping your rabbits together, please note that based on their age, they may have what is called a ‘baby bond’. A ‘baby bond’, also known as the false bond, refers to the relationship between rabbits where at least one is unfixed and young. Due to the absence of hormones, territorial feelings and aggression are not yet present, facilitating what can seem like a very loving, stable relationship– however, this can change very quickly once a rabbit reaches sexual maturity. Please note that rabbits being together since birth (i.e. siblings, parent-child) does not rule-out the baby bond phenomena, since rabbits can and often will fight and mate within family.

Please see here for more information: My two bunnies used to be happily bonded, but now they’re fighting! What happened?

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.

[Dragonfly]

Hello,

 

I have already looked up and talked to the vet about fighting and such. They have a divider in both their night cage and indoor playpen, they are only together when I sit with them in their outside playpen which is never for very long. They started getting hormonal and that is why I put in some dividers before they started fighting.

What age would you cut down on their pellets?

 

Thank you again ☺️

[DanaNM]

IMO a healthy rabbit pretty much always acts starving LOL

Usually people cut down from “unlimited” pellets around 6 months, but since you are already at 1/4 cup you can probably stick with that for now.

That’s great you already have them separated. Now that they are a bit older you may also want to double check their sexes, young rabbits are often mis-sexed!

. . . 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.  

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

It looks like New Zealand and harlequin. My friend has a harlequin that looks identical to your bunny

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