Skinny bunny. I’m concerned!

[Serawyn]

 When you feel your bunny’s back (from the top of your head to her bottom…along the spine), can you feel every, single bone? I’m concerned Chloe is malnourished even though we feed her plenty of hay, pellets, and veggies. She gets a 1/4 cup of pellets, unlimited hay (she eats about one handful a day), and 2 handful of various veggies. She was 5 lbs when we adopted her from the shelter and I can’t remember her spine feeling this bony.  

Should we feed her more? She seems fine otherwise and is as happy as can be. She binkies all the time, eats whatever we feed her, pees and poops normally. She did go through a molt so maybe her fur is still growing back? 

[RabbitPam]

If she’s chowing down on what you described, I think she’s just fine. It could be the molt, or she’s having a little growth spurt which is making her seem skinny.
When Spockie was a young adult I worried that he was too thin. My vet called him “a lean, mean bunny machine” and said for his age and activity, he was fine. If he lost weight, it would be cause for concern, but he just hadn’t gotten fat at all. He made up for it, by the way.

[Sarita]

Have you weighed her lately? Maybe if you weighed her that would help you determine if she’s lost weight or not. Young rabbits usually are thinner than older rabbits due to their metabolism and activity level. But it wouldn’t hurt to see what her weight is to see if there might be real cause for concern.

[MooBunnay]

In addition, weighing her every day for awhile can help you determine if she is gaining or losing weight. A couple of my bunnies you can also feel their spine pretty well, but they are not underweight. If she is acting normally then I wouldn’t be as concerned as if she was acting lethargic, but still weighing her can help give you a better idea of if there is a bigger concern or not.

[BinkyBunny]

Some bunnies weight is carried differently. Some lops will carry more weight on their lower half leaving their spine a bit more boney. Also age plays a part in that too. Jack, in his younger days used to be muscle thick and his spine was not as apparent. Now he is a senior bunny and a big lounger – he’s the same weight, but he has less muscle and more old man flab and it seems to be distributed differenty making his spine and ribs more apparent.

Did you ever have a vet check up after you adopted her? (I know many rescue groups offer a free exam with participating vets within 14 days) If not, I would encourage you just to have a vet appointment so you can get another weight and just to discuss the norms for this bunny. That way you have a baseline to work from.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I cannot find a bunny weight chart anywhere…we’re going to have to make one.

Basically though-you should be able to feel ribs (healthy weigth vs. fat) and not see them (too skinny).

If she seems to you to be dropping weight-vet time. Couldl be an infection or worms-and you’ll need a vet for etiher. ((VIBES))

[Beka27]

Another thing that could cause her to thin out is if she is getting more exercise at your house than she was at the shelter. I wouldn’t recommend increasing her pellets (for a 5lb bun, 1/4 cup is a good amount) and if you did, it could cause her to eat less hay. I agree that a baseline exam at the vet is necessary to get a weight, have the vet feel the bun, and determine body structure and what is normal for her.

[Serawyn]

Thank you for all of your responses! We had the vet look at her when we adopted her. She was actually overweight at the time so she was plump and round. Now that she’s more active, I guess she’s back to her “normal” weight, and i may just not be used to it. I can’t see her spine or anything (just feel it when I stroke her). I think she’s okay, but I think I’ll go ahead and give the vet a call just to make sure. Thanks again, everyone!

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