Too fat?!

[EJP]

Hi there! I’m new and I didn’t see an introduction area so I’ll just say hello here! (HELLO! lol) I have two buns, but since I don’t plan on keeping the 2nd one (too many pets and moving soon), I’m only going to talk about Pixie, my dalmation dwarf.

Here she is!  Cute, ain’t she?   Anyways, the vet told me recently that she’s a bit overweight.  What can I do to help her lose weight?  I’ve already cut down her pellets to about 1/4 cup a day. She gets all the hay she wants though since I’m under the impression rabbits must have that available at all times.

She gets raw treats but is very finicky so she gets carrots and if she’ll eat it, little bits of lettuces or stuff like chicory, escarole, etc.

 

She LOVES cereal, like corn flakes, but I’m very sparing with that. LOL  (Sugar coated is even better.  I have to hide them from her.)

She does not get a lot of treats. I think she just ate too many pellets as I was always filling the dish to the top every day.o.0; This habit was because when she was little I was told to just feed her all she’ll eat.

 

Anyway, now that I’ve cut the pellets down, is there anything else?  Should I feed less hay even?

 

Thanks in advance!

[IMG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/PictureDragon/004.jpg[/IMG]

 

 

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[Deleted User]

Welcome Pixie! What a gorgeous girl!!!
I think I can help! go to https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/Diet/tabid/60/Default.aspx
This is binkybunny’s diet section.

I think the problem is all the extras that Pixie is getting. All she needs is the pellets (and you were right to cut back, in fact you could probably cut back more, there’s a ratio per pound, but I don’t remember off hand), unlimited TIMOTHY (not alfalpha…what kind is she getting?) hay, and a combination of greens. Theres a fruit and veggie list on the diet page I’ve directed you to. Carrots actually shouldn’t be given to rabbits as they are full of sugar and….fattening! The same goes for the cereal and I’m not sure if rabbits should have any cereal at all, actually! She should get llike 2 cups of dark leafy greens a day. (romaine, parsley, etc….)
The carrots should be considered a treat and she should only get a sliver maybe 2-3 times a week.

When I first got my bunny I fed her tons of carrots, cuz I just assumed rabbit=carrot!

Hope that helps! Check out that page, its full of great info!!!

I’m happy you found us!!! Welcome!! And Pixie is adorable. Feel free to overload us w/ pictures!!!!!

[BunnyMuffin]

Aww – poor fat bunny!  I for some reason think I recall reading that rabbits shouldn’t get grain products like cereal at all either.  But definitely ditto the other advice!

[KatnipCrzy]

Can you give us a little more info on the pellets that you are feeding her now?  Brand?  Timothy or alfalfa based?  protein%? Fat%?

It may be that a simple change in pellets and treats may be the key to an easy weight solution.   There are healthier treats out there- though most of us are guilty of a little spoiling now and then (OK a LOT guilty).  And some of the treats that we give that are not the healthiest- we often cut or break into smaller pieces, so bunny still gets a favorite treat but just not as much.  Some of us have even gone as far as cutting raisins in half and I have broken the American Pet Diner bunny cookies in 3rd and 4ths and the buns only get 1 piece as a treat.

I think you have come to the right place for advice- most of us are masters at spoiling the buns and still trying to manage weight and sugar intake!

Welcome- and what a beautiful bunny!

Julie

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome!! You’ve gotten some good advice!! Definitely the grains and sweets-will be tricky to get her off them, they can be such beggers hehe She’s gorgeous!!

[jerseygirl]

Welcome, PixieBunny – I ditto everyone else! Be sure to give her the healthiest pellet available to you and unlimited timothy hay. (Not alfalfa) They can fill up on hay without the calories. If yo are changing pellets and hay, do so gradually to prevent digestive upsets. Plus, I imagine to rapid a weight loss wouldn’t be good so ease her into her new diet. Does she get alot of play/exercise time? If you can increase this and give her things to do, it may distract her from eating and the extra exercise has got to help!
She looks a little chubby in your avatar but not so much in the other picture!    How old is she?
You mentioned a second bun, do you mind my asking what kind of bunny it is? We just can’t get enough of them here!!

[Sarita]

Honestly she does not look fat to me (at least in this picture). She’s awfully cute.

I do agree with the other forum members about the diet – no more corn flakes for sure – but also you need to get her more active as well.

[Beka27]

welcome here! she is ADORABLE!!!

sounds like everyone else covered everything.

like Katnip asked, i am also curious to hear more specifics on what she’s eating…

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html  this is a great diet article from Dana Krempels (rabbit expert)

and the House Rabbit Society diet FAQ… http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/diet.html

being attentive to a bunny’s diet is vitally important since their digestive systems are so delicate.  i’m glad you’ve asked these questions!

 

 

[EJP]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses, folks! Definitely some bunny-crazed people around here, I’m in the right place!
Let me see if I can cover all questions here:

allenj1- Timothy hay. I don’t use alfalfa hay, but sometimes I use other kinds like Brome Grass and the like. (They have varying kinds on Petsmart.)

Katnipcrzy- She gets a pellet from Kaytee that has “dental control” bites in it. Loves the stuff. It’s expensive enough at $8/bag, anything else I really can’t afford. I have to check to get the ratio and % when I get a chance. The bag says small rabbits should get 1/4 cup per day, I do remember that.

jerseygirl- She’s around 2 1/2 yrs and is full grown. The second bun I have is a mini-rex, castor color, named Truffles. She (? not sure) is about 4 months old, maybe 5. Are we allowed to advertise available rabbits on this forum? I’m moving into a shared apartment and I can’t have so many animals in just a room Truffles is a beautiful rabbit but she is hyper too

Thanks for all the lovely compliments! But don’t give her too many, she’s likely to get a swelled head!
Spoiled rabbit!

[Sarita]

That Kaytee pellet is an alfalfa based pellet – you need to try and get her on a timothy based pellet – there is the Kaytee Timothy Complete or since you shop at Petsmart you should look for the Oxbow Bunny Basics T which they now carry and it’s a timothy based pellet. Both of these may be only a few dollars more but they are better for your rabbits than the alfalfa based pellets and also the hay that you get is going to help them as far as “dental control”. I would spend a little more on the right stuff if you can do that.

Have you considered bonding your two rabbits?

[EJP]

Posted By Sarita on 12/04/2008 8:56 AM
That Kaytee pellet is an alfalfa based pellet – you need to try and get her on a timothy based pellet – there is the Kaytee Timothy Complete or since you shop at Petsmart you should look for the Oxbow Bunny Basics T which they now carry and it’s a timothy based pellet. Both of these may be only a few dollars more but they are better for your rabbits than the alfalfa based pellets and also the hay that you get is going to help them as far as “dental control”. I would spend a little more on the right stuff if you can do that.

Have you considered bonding your two rabbits?

 

A couple more dollars can really add up when you’re talking about buying a bag every two weeks.  I’ve got a tight budget and it’s one reason among many why I can’t keep two rabbits.  If i can find a good home for the other one, i can then look into the ones you mentioned. Maybe I can find something similar at the same price, too, I’ll look around.

Things have just gotten financially crazy lately due to the economy, my job is cutting down on everything and I’m lucky to even have the job to begin with at this point.

 

But I appreciate the suggestions, I never even heard of some of these brands! 

Oh and bonding well…neither are fixed, so no, I can’t try that.  I’m not even sure what sex Truffles is yet, I’m being told female, but the vet wasn’t sure.  I’m looking to get Pixie fixed at some point but she’s pretty sweet as is!

 

[Beka27]

that’s definitely a good idea to not put them together since neither are fixed. it’s not easy to sex bunnies, so i think it’s much better to be safe than sorry in that situation. the unfortunate thing is that it’s also not easy to rehome bunnies, esp ones that are unaltered. be prepared that it might take several months to find a suitable home that will take good care of Truffles.

[Deleted User]

I actually think you can get the plain old kaytee pellets (without the junky stuff in them) at like walmart? am i right? i know its not expensive if i’m thinking of the right stuff.

i can’t imagine living in just a room w/ 2 bunnies….no one would have any space to run around! including you! good luck finding a home!

economy—blah! its so sucky! i have a close friend who just lost her job b/c of it…its so weird when it hits close to home like that!! i’m lucky to have my roommate (ok…boyfriend) to help pay the bills!

[Deleted User]

oh another money saver!
YOu should feed 1/4-1/2 cup of pellets per 6 lbs. of rabbit. How much does she weigh, do you know? If she weighs say, 4 pounds, I think you could back on her pellets. We bought a big bag of Zupreem pellets (i think we got them at petsmart) … it was like $12 and has lasted over 5 months and we still have quite a bit left!

[Deleted User]

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753453

Here’s the link for Zupreem….10 lbs for $17 isn’t bad cuz it should last awhile…

ok sorry for all the posts, i’m done now!

[EJP]

Thanks allenj1 for all your advice! Zupreem looks like an excellent food and Pixie’s weight is somewhere around 3 1/2 pounds!

(I honestly don’t think that’s fat, am I wrong? Then again the vet said she’s slighty overweight, not morbidly obese. LOL)

 

I think I’ll try cutting down the pellets to even less as suggested and continue to give her good amounts of timothy hay.

 

(She’s not a big eater anyway, at least not in her adult life.)

 

Everybody thanks so much for your help!

 

Here’s a  pic of Truffles for those who wanted to see   (At least I think they did! LOL)

 

 

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[Deleted User]

aw what a cutie!

i think your plan sounds good! i’m not sure how much a dwarf is supposed to weigh, but no 3.5 doesn’t sound large to me….morbidly obese bunny….hehehe….we call our bunny DC—Double Chin….i bet she’s overweight….

[jerseygirl]

Oh yeah! We wanted pics – or I did at least! He/she is beautiful !!!!! Hope you find a wonderful home for Truffles! Remember, if your cutting down the pellets they’ll last a bit longer, so if you buy one that costs a little more, it may end up evening out. And hay is cheaper, so she can fill up on that. Good luck!

[skunklionshow]

I often get the oxbow basics or if not at my petsmart the Kaytee Timothy.  I have 2 chunky monkeys (rabbits) and have them on no more than 1/4 cup pellets/ day.  Lots of greens and unlimited hay.  My pellets (the small bag) usually last about 3-4 weeks for both the rabbits.  I usually buy my hay from Binky, b/c my beasts are very picky.

I know that my vet has said that Jessi is overweight….not morbidly obese but could lose to stand a bit of weight.  Since her spay she’s about 3 3/4 lbs & a netherland dwarf.  So I guess your vet would know what to expect.  Your girl does appear to have a distinct dewlap which maybe makes here appear more chunky than monkey (well you know what I mean).

Yes the economy is super bad…so attempt to be as prepared as possible & look into pet insurance for those emergencies.  Also the NJ HRS has a spay/neuter voucher program.

So cute!  I would take truffles in an instant, but Jessica and DH wouldn’t have it.

[EJP]

I really appreciate all the advice here!  I did hear about that spay/nueter low-cost program, I will look into that when I can for Pixie.  But as I’ve said before, she’s a pretty sweet rabbit as is.  Being such a calm, layed-back rabbit , she’s just a bit of a digger and occassionally chews on my jeans. LOL

But not really much else.  I think the spay can wait a bit longer, at this point, I just want to do it to avoid possible cancers in her future.

 

She’s a pretty content bun regardless

 

Truffles there has some interested parties, I’m sure she will be getting a new home, maybe even as early as tomorrow.  It didn’t take long to get some takers!  A lady named Sherri lost her pet rabbit last year and seemed quite interested!  (Though it kinda makes me sad, I will surely miss her when she’s gone.)

 

Thanks all!

[Author]

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