Skinny bunnies

[Jack&Lola]

We have two 9 week old Netherland dwarf brothers and one quite is a lot smaller than the other. We are worried the smaller one is too skinny but he eats fine and drinks lots of water but doesn’t seem to be gaining weight like his brother is. His poos look fine but we were just wondering if we should be too worried or not

[Wick & Fable]

Is he just proportionally smaller or actually skinnier? Wick was the runt of his litter, so he was half the size of his brothers and sisters, but still a reasonable weight for his size.

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.

[Jack&Lola]

He is skinnier and smaller

[Wick & Fable]

His health may be ill, causing weight gain issues. Also, it’s possible he’s not eating as much food as the other if they share food (hopefully they’re being housed separately at this stage). It can also be before you had him, he was neglected for being smaller, thus did not have access to as much nutrients. Wick was pretty much ignored by his mom and siblings, so his immune system was a bit weaker and he ended up with a URI.

Give him a bit more than you do the other brother, making sure its unlimited alfalfa pellets and alfalfa hay.

Below is a short clip of Wick, who is currently 11mo. He’s still a bit small for his age, but look at his proportions and let me know if your skinny rabbit seems markedly skinnier: http://www.instagram.com/p/BZmz48alQZ7/?taken-by=wick_theboogeyman
— Wick used to be underweight, but now he’s not. He stays pretty lean.

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.

[Jack&Lola]

He is smaller and skinnier than your rabbit and when we got them they were about the same size, they are sharing food at the moment but he looks like he’s eating fine and between them they eat a lot of food and hay

[Yilina]

Hi! I advise you to separate them during feeding times to make sure they are both eating the same amount of food. Bunnies eat fast and it is hard to see whether one isn’t eating more than the other.

[joea64]

It can be hard to tell with bunnies sometimes. Panda and Fernando look very plump and fluffy, but their actual bodies under all that fluff seem to be fairly slender and rangy from what I can tell. I do understand that you ought to be able to feel their bones (especially their spine) if you gently palpate them, so that’s not necessarily an indication that they’re too thin, rather if you can’t feel their bones, they need to lose weight. They’re eager and enthusiastic eaters of everything served to them and their eliminatory habits are quite satisfactory.

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