Baby Rabbit Size

[kaylenbm12]

Hi! I bought 2 New Zealand does as potential future breeding rabbits as 7 week old babies and i’ve had them for a few weeks now and they still seem very small (both have grown but still small for their age) they are each around 2.5 pounds not siblings is this a normal size or do i need to supplement their diet?

 

[Blue eyes]

Photos would be nice! So how many weeks are they now?
What do you currently feed them? What is their daily diet?

Hopefully our breeders will hop on here with more info. In the meantime, I found this info regarding New Zealands...

New Zealand: 9 to 12 lbs

In a longitudinal study of the growth of the New Zealand White Rabbit, it was recorded that a study group of rabbits met 72% of their 34 week weight by 16 weeks [Source].

That being said, on the higher end of the spectrum your bunny should weigh roughly 8.64lbs, and on the lower end should weigh 6.48lbs by 4 months of age.

 

[kaylenbm12]

Hi! I bought 2 New Zealand does as potential future breeding rabbits as 7 week old babies and i’ve had them for a few weeks now and they still seem very small (both have grown but still small for their age) they are each around 2.5 pounds not siblings is this a normal size or do i need to supplement their diet? They are currently getting 1/2 cup of Purina 16% complete formula and plenty of timothy hay 2x a day

 

[Moonshadow]

Are you giving them alfalfa pellets?

 

[kaylenbm12]

Are you giving them alfalfa pellets?

I give alfalfa cubes

 

[Blue eyes]

If they are eating plenty of hay, there is no need to ration their pellets at this age. Could you clarify their age? Not sure what you consider "a few" weeks.

 

[kaylenbm12]

If they are eating plenty of hay, there is no need to ration their pellets at this age. Could you clarify their age? Not sure what you consider "a few" weeks.

they are 10 weeks old

 

[Blue eyes]

Thanks. Purina Complete is alfalfa-based (answering @Moonshadow 's question). That is appropriate for breeding rabbits since they need the higher protein. For growing rabbits (under 6 months of age), the pellet amount does not need to be limited. They can be free fed. The only exception would be if free-feeding results in a particular rabbit avoiding hay in favor of the pellets.

I'd suggest allowing them more of their pellets. Just keep an eye on their hay consumption.

 

[SableSteel]

By 10 weeks a new zealand should be about 5 lbs. For a rabbit to be that small, its likely genetically smaller or has a slower growth rate. I feed Purina Complete as well. At this age I would be free feeding them but purina complete should have a decent growth rate on it. To be honest I probably wouldn't use these two for breeding, as they probably dont have the growth rate genetics you want to see in a new zealand.

 

[kaylenbm12]

By 10 weeks a new zealand should be about 5 lbs. For a rabbit to be that small, its likely genetically smaller or has a slower growth rate. I feed Purina Complete as well. At this age I would be free feeding them but purina complete should have a decent growth rate on it. To be honest I probably wouldn't use these two for breeding, as they probably dont have the growth rate genetics you want to see in a new zealand.

thank you! i switched to free feeding to see if that helps but i will keep these as pets and get some older does next time