Reassure me!

[Michelle&Lolli]

I am trying to get Curvy girl Lolli to loose weight.  So I have been limiting their pellets.  They are on 1/4 cup once a day.  Please remind me that the are not starving.  LOL  They aren’t acting like they are starving and they have their hay.  Plus they get lettuce every night.  I don’t measure that.  I just figure lettuce doesn’t need to be measured since it’s better for them than pellets.  So logically I know they are fine.   I’m just a pushover and they are my spoiled babies (obviously).   And I tend to freak out over them. 

Also, is there any way to determine how long it will take before I start seeing results in Lolli?   Eddie’s is right at the cusp of being overweight, so I’m not so worried about him.  Lolli probably weighs at least 8lbs and she needs to be down to 5 or less. 

And yes, they do get treats.  Just at night though.

[mrmac]

I have been cutting back on Dexter and Dennis’ pellets. Dexter needs to lose weight and Dennis is a little pudgy. They were getting 1/4 cup per bun before but are now down to one tablespoon apiece fed separately. They used to be kind of frantic around pellet time but now they really just enjoy their tablespoon and eat it slowly. Most of the time they do not even finish it and they get the rest of their portion a little later. They are not starving, just push more hay. If they really are hungry they will eat their hay, you might just go through it a little faster.

[Monkeybun]

They are not starving! hehe. My moose is down to 1/8th of a cup a day now, and he’s just fine.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Ok. I do know they are fine. It’s just that they have those cute faces and they definitely know how to use them! lol And I want them to be ok and happy.

I am apparently dealing with a 2 year old right now. Eddie is being all grumpy and pissy cause he’s not getting his treats. Which means he’s going to start acting out by chewing on the carpet and such cause he has to let me know he’s not happy. Like I can’t tell from the stink eye he keeps giving me. LOL Oh well. They just won’t get much free time which will make him even madder. LOL

[MirBear]

twix eats like a miniac so i just cover the bottom of the bowl so it looks like lits bit is a super small amount.. hersheys bowl gets half filled because she doesnt over eat.

[Monkeybun]

You could try giving them a favorite veggie instead, as a treat. Mine adore their cilantro It’s much healthier!

[jerseygirl]

You mentioned you’re home with them more at the moment. So be very careful for they will have you trained if not already! lol

Mine seem to think any reunion between me & them means food. Or anytime I seek them out when I am at home. So I’m often walking about with them following me saying “No. No food, you’ve had your breakfast” etc. Eventually they give up begging and go eat some hay or back to dozing or whatever. They just try their luck. Be strong! They’re not starving, just hanging out for their favourites. It’s like kids and candy or something they’re set on having. They can get on a one track mind about it. Say they’re hungry etc. You say” well go eat an apple then” and it doesn’t make any difference. They want what they want.

One thing I have found is if I “serve” out some hay in the bowl/plate directly after pellets, they go for it. It’s like my saying this is my next offering, take it or leave it.

Kralspace mentioned with her Lola that she reacted alot when she first reduced he pellets, but then she started to appreciate and savour what she did get. So there is hope.

As for results, I don’t know when you see it. Sometimes it doesn’t show on the scales but just in the body form. I saw this in my lop right away but have seen no change since then.

[Michelle&Lolli]

Yes, we all got in a really bad habit of me just giving them treats whenever they asked. When we’re in the work routine, I give them treats in the morning when I left. Then I’d come home and let them out. During the course of the evening, i’d give them their lettuce and maybe another treat. Then at bedtime, they’d get a treat for going into the pen. It didn’t sound like too many treats until I wrote it out. LOL

Then with me being home, I compensated for that routine by just giving them treats whenever. Lollipop was obviously fat before. I’ve been forced to realize that if i don’t get her weight under control, she’s going to have a lot of medical problems when she gets older that will be all my fault and i can’t afford.

[Elrohwen]

Definitely not starving! How much does she weigh? If she’s under 5 or 6lbs she could probably go down even more without a problem. Hannah is 5.5lbs and has been getting 1/4c, but the vet asked me to reduce it a little because she had molar spurs and we need to encourage hay. If fatty Hannah can live on less than 1/4c I’m sure Lolli can too 😉

I’ve noticed that both bunnies eat a lot more hay now too, which can only be good for them, even though I only reduced by less than 1/8c out of the 1/2c that they share. 

[RabbitPam]

One thing I especially like about bunnies is that they regulate their food intake throughout the day. Unlike dogs, who inhale it all at once, a bunny will eat, leave some, return later and eat more, and possibly not finish it for several hours. So treats may fill the need for more at times when they would naturally go back for the rest of the greens, pellets or hay.

Usually an overweight bunny is the result of the humans more than their appetites. (forgive me.)
I’ve noticed that the shows like the Dog Whisperer and “It’s Me or the Dog” show the trainer working as hard on the human as on the pet.
Stocking up on mint, cilantro, or baby carrots will help you help her.

[MirBear]

i adore the dog whisperer!! Cesar is my idol !!

[Michelle&Lolli]

Usually an overweight bunny is the result of the humans more than their appetites. (forgive me.)

Oh I know Lolli’s overweight is due to me. Too many treats. lol And I don’t even give her as many treats as she wants! HAHA! But it’s completely all my fault. And I do need to get her slimmed down before she starts having other problems. I haven’t weighed her, but I would say she weighs at least 7lbs. If not more. She’s obese.

The main problem that i have is putting them back in the pen at night. Lolli doesn’t like being in it (naturally) so she will dart out when I am trying to get the pen closed up. And of course she sits just a few inches from the pen area. lol So I’d have to give them lots of treats for her to scavenge for so I could keep them in the area while I closed up the pen. I think what I will do from now on is give them their lettuce when I put them up for the night. That way they are still distracted by food, but it’s healthy for them. lol

They generally do not eat a lot of pellets. When I would fill their bowls up, it would be very rare that they’d even eat half the bowl. I have cut down on 1/4 cup of pellets and this morning their bowl was empty. They were acting like they were starving, but I know they were fine. They have plenty of hay to eat. It’s just that whole “my bowl’s empty! my bowl’s empty!” panicky thing they do. LOL

[Michelle&Lolli]

 

Not a very good pic cause it’s from my phone, but you can kind of tell how fat she is. 

[RabbitPam]

That’s a great plan with the lettuce.
also, bunnies’ weight varies with the breed. Spockie was a Mini Rex, but when he weighed 5 lbs. the vet called him lean, and at his biggest he was 8 lbs, but he never was called so fat that I had to put him on a diet, so she may just need some slimming down, but is a big girl to start with. If her tummy bulges out the side it’s an indication. And substituting good foods for bad is how Weight Watchers started me off, so I can personally recommend it! LOL

[Author]

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