Rabbit weight

[Vicky]

Hello:)

I’m still new to bunnies and I’m confused about the weight. I just don’t want my bunny to overfeed or give him too little.

She is a 4 months old dwarf rabbit. (I hope I said it right, she is just like a lop rabbit, not too small not too big)

She is now 1kg. Is it okay? How much should she weight at full age?

I tried to feel her ribs and spine if they are not sharp and it seems just fine. She eats hay and pellets. If I give her pellets she only eat just as much as she wants and leaves the rest for later.

Thank you for any help or advice!!

Vicky

[Wick & Fable]

It is extremely difficult to provide information on healthy weight online. There are weight estimations based on breed, we never really know what combo of breeds are in our rabbits that will make them stray/adhere to those estimates. Also, 4mo is really in the prime of growing, so it’s hard to tell.

Here is a diagram that can be helpful for a general idea, but the best assessment will come from a rabbit vet who can handle the rabbit and balance their expertise to know how your rabbit is:

 

… I think generally speaking, if you received your rabbit at a healthy weight and have provided an age-appropriate diet and exercise, he/she should be maintaining a healthy weight relative to his/her age, unless there are underlying medical issues.

At this point, your rabbit should be eating lots of hay (unlimited) and some pellets, based on weight. Alfalfa hay and/or alfalfa pellets are fine since the rabbit is growing and needs that extra nutrients to grow.

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]

Keep in mind that young rabbits tend to be a bit on the lean side. They fill out once they are done growing size-wise. Wick provided an excellent diagram. I agree though. As long as your bunny is receiving an age-appropriate diet, you shouldn’t have to worry.

[Vicky]

Ahhh okay and what do you think about unlimited pellets? My vet said I can give her now unlimited pellets but I give her when she “asks”

She always sits in front of the cage when she wants them and waits haha

[LBJ10]

Yes, unlimited pellets are fine when they are growing. Unlimited within reason though, of course. She needs to eat hay too.

[Vicky]

Thank you very much!

[pinkiemarie]

Are you sure she’s a dwarf? 1kg sounds on the large side for a 4 month old dwarf, so I’m wondering if it’s another small breed or maybe a false dwarf. Don’t limit her food too much based on dwarf standards if she’s truly a full kg in weight. If you’re just rounding up then maybe she is. Like said above, pellets and hay since shecs still growing and it’s easy enough to adjust when she grows up.

[Vicky]

Hm, i cannot attach my picture to this discussion but here is a link to what my rabbit exactly looks like.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dutch+rabbit&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwig2OTN_LLuAhULSxoKHaWRD7cQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=dutch+rabbit&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQEzIECAAQE1Ct1AJYudkCYLfeAmgAcAB4AIABXogBuAGSAQEymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=q5EMYODWBouWaaWjvrgL&bih=706&biw=1474&rlz=1C1GCEA_enSK902SK902#imgrc=lWQ9Uzm9N–nZM

She is a dutch rabbit but i have just a few information about her because i got her from a friend..

I have read these bunnies can weight 2 – 2,5 kg.

Am I right now? ugh

Thank you for help!

[pinkiemarie]

Yes that sounds like the right weight for a Dutch but that’s definitely bigger than a dwarf. Dwarf rabbits are usually going to be less than 1kg full grown so keep in mind that if you were reading about the amount of food needed for a dwarf she’ll probably need more than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vicky]

Yes yes of course, and did you give your bunnies unlimited pellets?:)

[pinkiemarie]

When they were babies I didn’t, but I gave them a LOT more than they get now as adults plus of course hay and salads once they were old enough. Since she’s only 4 months it shouldn’t hurt her to have a bowl of pellets out for a couple more months, then you can reassess what whether she needs to start cutting back and eat more hay.

[Vicky]

Okay thank you very much for your help! <3

[NalaBunny]

I think it would also be beneficial to start introducing veggies to her at this point. Of course do this very slowly as you don’t want to upset her stomach. Start by maybe giving her a 1/4 of a romaine leaf and then see how her stomach reacts. Watch her poop and if it’s a lot different then give her a smaller piece. Make sure you take you time and don’t rush anything. Oh also start with veggies that are basic and easy on rabbits stomachs.

[Vicky]

Ah thank you!
<p style=”padding-left: 40px;”>Well now I have a problem with her poop because in the evening she kind of have some squishy ones. It’s not the cecotropes. They are more like two squished together. There aren’t too many of them but still I don’t know what to do because she doesn’t eat anything only hay and pellets.</p>

[DanaNM]

What kind of hay is she eating? Grass hay (timothy, orchard, etc.), or alfalfa?

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

She has a meadow hay and junior pellets with higher protein and fiber.

Should I change it up with something else? I wanted to try the Timothy hay because she is picky with the meadow. She picks up mostly the green grass ones.

[DanaNM]

If it’s just the occasional softer poop I wouldn’t worry too much, as long as her hay consumption is good. It’s likely because of the higher protein content of her pellets, plus young bunnies are still developing their gut flora. If she starts having lots of soft ones then it would be good to talk to a vet about it.

. . . 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.  

[Vicky]

No not too many but she has few of them every evening.

Thank you, you calmed me down a lot. I was worried I do something bad.

At what month should I change the junior pellets for normal ones?

 

[SpicyBons]

I would definitely add some timothy hay into her diet. Generally speaking, a larger variety of hay provides a higher level of nutrition so a bunny on timothy, meadow, orchard, oat etc. will have a more nutritious diet than a bunny kept purely on meadow. Timothy hay is high in fibre so particularly good if you’re experiencing squishy/dark poops. Although they can appear with young rabbits as their gut flora levels out, I would still advise adding timothy to her hay as it can definitely help her digestion, especially if she’s being picky with her meadow hay.

In terms of pellets, yes, you can continue providing her with unlimited amounts as long as she continues to eat her own size in hay. If she’s eating less than her own size worth, then it may be worth reducing the pellets to ensure she’s consuming enough hay.

At 6 months old rabbits are generally qualified as adults and should be moved away from junior food and onto adult food, but read the back of the bag and consult your vet to ensure that the diet change will agree with your bun. Just remember that changing a bun from one brand/type of food to another should take a month or so. Over the first week you want to provide 25% new food, 75% old, week 2 should be 50/50, week 3 75% new, 25% old and by the fourth week you can start giving just the new food. But this is a rough guide and depends on how your bunny manages the change x

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