Scared my bunny is underweight?

[ChannyPea]

Hey, I’ve been here a few times now and the advice has always been spot on. I’m basically worried that my baby Whinnie is underweight. 🙁 When I got her from pets at home they said she was roughly 4 months old, and I have had her since late February – taking her to 8 months maximum. I thought she was an English spot but after further research I think she’s actually a broken Spotted newzeland mix. Now, she’s 2.5kg on the scales, no idea if that’s any good for her age as I can’t find anything anywhere and my vets aren’t taking in any non critical animals still, due to covid. I feel around for the typical sharp spine, boney ribs and hips and I’m not entirely sure what I’m feeling. Her ribs aren’t bad i can’t feel those much, her spine is a bit lumpy to the touch but with a bit of pressure. Her hip bones, I can feel but they’re not prominent to the eye. If that makes sense? But i can feel them when I run my hand over her rump. She has unlimited Timothy hay everyday, even though she leaves most of it on the floor lol and 50g of nuggets a day + a Good handful of rocket and other veggies. Fruit occasionally but just as a treat. I’ve attached some photos, they’re not exactly great because she’s quite the fidget. Lol she’s fairly active in the night but she just mostly wants cuddles, so i can’t even say that she’s energetic or that she’s not, she’s generally a bit of both. But like just now she kept up on the sofa at me and judged my hand away from my phone as if to say, Stroke me. Haha so I’m really stuck as to whether she’s actually underweight and unhappy or if I’m just overthinking. She has a BIT of a dewlap under her chin but nothing excessive. I just don’t know, I don’t want to start feeding her oats and stuff to pack on more weight incase she goes overweight. I understand its a very fine balance. I understand you won’t be able to fully tell really and I understand also, that this isn’t a diagnoses site. But I was just looking for some friendly feedback before I start phoning the vets and laying it on thick that she needs to be seen, if really she’s fine. Sorry for quality. X

[Wick & Fable]

You’re right that it can be hard to identify healthy versus underweight with just photos. She does look lean to me, and generally we do not want to see ribs, which I feel like maybe I can see some in that second to last photo, though it could be the fur lighting.

I am pretty vigilant about weight with both my rabbits for different reasons. For my dwarf rabbit, my vet actually let me know he was underweight when we first got him and so we did a feeding regimen to get him to a healthier weight. For my other rabbit, she came to use somewhat overweight because she got very sugary and too much pellets daily and only had 1 hour of exercise a day.

For me personally, I’ve found the spine to be a pretty good indicator. As you mention, ideally, you want to feel slight, rounded bumps when you feel across the spine (being forgiving if there’s a heavy molt or something that makes it seem more or less there). If you feel the spine bumps as somewhat sharp and distinct, your rabbit may be too skinny.

The diet sounds fine — if she is somewhat underweight, you can bulk it up temporarily for a time and then return back to the normal diet after she gains a bit of weight!

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.

[ChannyPea]

I can’t see any ribs, and they are quite hard to feel. But that picture probably isn’t the best from side on. They say it should feel like a pocket full of pens but this bunny feels like a very padded pocket full of pens Hahaha. the only bits of her I can really feel is a little bit of spine but it generally feels rounded, and the hips but her rump is also quite rounded and not flat. I feel like there’s absolutely no harm in doing what you say though, bump her diet up a bit and then if I noticed too much of a dramatic weight change, I’ll put her back on a different diet.

 

I’ve seen people recommend oats and weetabix, do you think this is a good idea? Like on top of her pellets, hay and greens? I guess it’s all fibre so cant do much harm providing she’s not over indulging.

 

I’ve just run back over her again with my hands and her spine is definitely not spikey or sharp. And her ribs are barely feelable but just enough to know they are there. Definitely feel like her rump could be rounder though. I think I’m definitely gunna do what you suggested and add a bit to her diet. 🙂 Frustratingly I’ve had her down as the wrong breed this entire time (medium) when she’s supposed to be a large breed. Which sucks big time. Looking at her pellet bag it says she should be getting 75-125g of pellets depending on her KG. So I’m gunna up her pellets and add some oats & maybe a weetabix every couple days on top too.

 

Thank you for the advice. I just needed someone else’s perspective as she’s my first bunny. And I don’t want her not having enough food. I mean she gets unlimited hay but that’s not gunna out the weight on like protein will. Again, thank you 🙂 I’ll check back with you in a few weeks and let you know the progress. You’ve been a real help. X

[DanaNM]

Young bunnies (under a year) do typically need unlimited pellets (alfalfa) of alfalfa hay, so if that hasn’t been the case then she might be underweight, but what you describe does not sound underweight to me… My vet tends to prefer bunnies on the leaner side, so if you are very concerned I think it would be best to have your vet feel her and let you know (and help you create a plan if she needs to gain). I thought my Bun Jovi was at a healthy weight and my vet said he was tending towards overweight. Those markings are very common across breeds so I wouldn’t try to pin point a specific target weight for any particular breed.

Another action would be to start weighing her and make sure she isn’t losing weight. Unexplained weight loss is more of a concern than a stable lean weight.

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Louiethebunny]

DanaNM, I am just hearing that young rabbits need unlimited pellets. My bun is abt 5 or 6 months, should I give him unlimited pellets?

[DanaNM]

Hi Louiethebunny, how much does he currently get, and is he a good hay eater? Does he currently get alfalfa hay and timothy? I prob should have been more specific. The general recommendation is yes, bunnies under 1 year should get unlimited young rabbit pellets (that have alfalfa in them). But a lot of people do not do completely unlimited, especially if their bunny is not a good hay eater, and will do a big portion (maybe triple what an adult of the same size would get), but small enough that the rabbit has several hours a day without pellets to encourage hay eating.

So you may not need to do fully unlimited, but the portion should be bigger than for a fully grown bun.

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Louiethebunny]

DanaNM, my rabbit gets 1/4 cup of oxbow’s garden select young rabbit food per day, and has unlimited timothy hay. He eats lots of timothy hay every day, should i also give him higher servings of pellets? they are alfalfa and timothy based.

[ChannyPea]

HECK!!!! This is the LAST time I take advice from pets at home. Jesus F Christ. When I bought her, the lady told me to buy a bag of young pellets and once she’d finished those (at 6mobths of age) she’d be ready to go on to adult stuff. She’s been having adult food almost 2 months and Timothy hay!

 

I’m now learning on here that is totally and utterly wrong *Cry face* it’s no wonder I think she’s lean, she hasn’t been getting anywhere near what she needs! But I just did what the lady said at pets at home. I feel absolutely terrible, beyond belief. She relies on me to get what she needs and she obviously hasn’t been getting it. I can’t believe this, I am so angry with PAH!!! I never thought to look up her diet because it tells me on the bag itself what a rabbit of her size should be getting. But in actual fact it’s totally wrong because she’s not even on the right flippin stuff! Argh!!

 

I am now left with no choice but to call the vets. I’m gunna have to take her in because she COULD be underweight and also have gut problems because she’s not had the right stuff. This is just awful. I’m so glad I came here, this place always sets me straight. I’m gunna get hold of the vets now. Hopefully they’ll see her, despite the lockdown because I would now class this as serious. I can’t express how awful I feel. 😭 Thank you so much for your advice. You’re an Angel young lady! Xxx

[ChannyPea]

Okay so I’ve calmed my kahunas since my last message lol and phoned the vets. They’ve said it’s not a major issue that her foods have changed providing that she is actually wasting and drinking properly. But Its been recommended to put her back on young pellets and mix her Timothy with alfalfa. I have to monitor her weight over the next few weeks and if it doesn’t go up then she’ll have to go down to the vets. Christ almighty. What a morning, was not expecting this haha Again, thank you so much. And sorry for my little rant about pets at home above lol I just get a bit upset when it comes to my bun and how she’s treated. Especially at my hand, it’s me who she relies on. So thank you thank you thank you. You have helped big time. Xx

[Hazel]

Don’t feel bad. She’ll be okay, she’s not looking malnourished or anything. I switched my guy to adult food around 6 or 7 months of age, but he’s just a little 3 pounder. New Zealands grow to about 5 kg, just keep an eye on her weight gain, once she stops growing you can switch her to adult food. 🙂

They only need one source of Alfalfa, if you’re going to feed Alfalfa pellets there’s no need for Alfalfa hay. In fact I would recommend you stick with only Timothy hay, as it can be quite hard to switch them back to it once they get used to eating Alfalfa hay.

[DanaNM]

Oh gosh, yes don’t feel bad! Not the end of the world by any means, esp since she had the young rabbit food till 6 months! And def not a crazy case of malnourishment or anything!

But LOL I think we can all agree to never take advice from pet store staff. 🙄

. . . 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.  

[Louiethebunny]

My mom and I had been worried about my bun being underweight too, and now reading this thread, I’m going to be feeding my bun just a little more pellets until he reaches his max growth. He should grow about two more pounds, so I’ll give him more alfalfa pellets until then.

[ChannyPea]

Ahhh, thanks Hazel! ❤️ I bought the Young alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay, tried giving her the hay and she isn’t haaaaaving ANY of it. Hahaha so ill put her back on her usual Timothy Hay – She’ll be most pleased! Lol

When you say unlimited pellets, do you really mean, unlimited? Like fill her bowl and when it’s empty, refill it again? As I’m worried she may stop eating her hay altogether if she knows she can just have pellets. 😂 The bag says 35g but that doesn’t seem like enough after having given her 55g of adult pellets for about a month now.

When I phoned the vet today, they were taking in for vaccinations, so I have her booked in for next Monday with a general health check too. So they should be able to tell me if anything is wrong with her weight or I’m just being a drama queen. 🙂 I am a real worrier. I don’t have any kids so she is literally like my baby haha Anything happens to her I’d be mortified. 😱 But then what bun mum/dad wouldn’t, I suppose?! 😊

[LBJ10]

Unlimited doesn’t necessarily mean unlimited. It really depends on the bunny. Some bunnies are perfectly fine being “free fed” and will eat what they want, when they want. AND still eat plenty of hay. Others need a little bit of motivation to eat hay. So if unlimited pellets causes them to gobble pellets non-stop and ignore the hay, then try filling the bowl with a decent amount and let it run out. Leave it empty for a few hours. This should encourage hay consumption.

And yes, please do not feel bad. When you transition to an adult bunny diet really depends on the bunny. A small breed is, of course, going to stop growing at a younger age. And a large breed is going to stop growing at an older age. Since your bunny happens to still be growing, it would be advisable to continue the young bunny diet until she has reached her full size. Young bunnies do tend to look lean, so I honestly don’t think your bunny is underweight. Most of the time, they reach full size first and then “fill out” weight-wise.

[ChannyPea]

Hi guys, just a little update from the original post. Whinnie went to see the vets for her health check and Jabs today and the vet said she was the perfect weight and she’s really happy with her overall health and well being. 😀😀 Yay! Thank you so much for all your help and advice, you helped keep me sane until she could be seen lol

 

She’s back on young pellets and Oxbow Orchard hay. She likes this hay much better than the Timothy, she was getting really fussy with it. But the Orchard has definitely won her over 🙂

 

Anyway, thanks again guys. You’ve been sterling, as always! This forum is amazing and you’re ll doing an amazing job! Take care in these crazy times peeps. 🐰

[Hazel]

Yay, glad to hear the vet visit went well. 🙂

I’ve always wanted to try Orchard hay, I wish they had bales of it at Tractor Supply (well they do, but it’s mixed with Alfalfa 🙁  )

I hope Whinnie wasn’t too mad about getting shots. 😉

[LBJ10]

Wonderful! Thanks for the update!

[Author]

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