best way to help them gain weight?

[Luimeril]

sadly, i don't think my sister's a good bunny mommy. :/ her dutch bunny, Gizmo, is suddenly VERY bony, to the point where i can feel it's spine and hips! :O i don't understand how Gizzy got that thin, but she looks pretty miserable, imo. it breaks my heart to see such a young, loving bunny so thin and miserable-looking. :< so, i plan on being the one to help Gizzy out, since i get the feeling that talking to my sister about it won't help much. :/

what are some good foods to feed Gizzy to help her gain weight back? she used to be such a plump bunny. my mom'll get any veggies she can to help the bunnies, which is a good thing, and we have bunny kibble(Hartz brand, i think it is. not 100% sure, though), and they get Hay every single day. all we have, veggie-wise right now is Romaine lettuce, and iceburge(which i heard is NOT good for bunnies). :/ but, mom usually goes to the store every day, so i can get her to get any other veggies which'll help Gizzy out, especially if i tell her how thin the poor thing has gotten. if my sister doesn't help take better are of her rabbit, ima do a bunny repo.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

If it is sudden weight loss and the diet has stayed the same (and he is eating normally), then he really should see a rabbit savvy vet. He could have worms or something else is going on that is causing the weight loss. Chaning the diet might not help if you don't know the underlying cause.

Hartz pellets (and other stuff) is not really good. Try switching to something else such as Oxbow or a good feed store brand like Purina or Manna Pro (if you can get them). You will need to gradually switch the pellets over a couple weeks to avoid upsetting the digestive tract. Also don't give too much. While you may need to increase the amount, giving a huge bowl full right away is not the way to do it, instead you should gradually increase the amount by about 1 tablespoon every few days to a week.
Assuming the hay is timothy, you could supplement with some alfalfa. Don't give too much, maybe a small handful a couple times a week. Alfalfa does have more calories than timothy, but also has more calcium so should be limited for adults.
Stick with veggies she is used to eating, giving a ton of new ones at once is not a good idea. You can start with the romaine lettuce and get her used to that before starting other veggies. Veggies usually don't help a rabbit put on weight, but if she will eat them it can be good.

I would get her to the vet for a check up and get her poop checked (bring a fresh sample that is less than 8 hours old). Also get her on a good diet, but do it gradually so she can get used to it.
It is a good idea to weight her if you can. This will help you keep track of any gains or losses, try to do it every week if you can.

 

[Luimeril]

that's the thing, though. i don't know if it was sudden, or gradual. i feed my Mocha daily, but i'm not too sure if Gizmo was fed daily or not. i feel bad for not making sure Gizmo was fed daily as well. :< how could she get worms, though? they're not let outside, cause it's too cold. and, we wash the veggies good before giving them any.

i give Mocha a big bowl of pellets every day, and she eats what she wants throughout the day, so i gave Gizmo a big bowl tonight when i fed Mocha her nightly food. she ate a good bit of it, but still has plenty left that she'll eat when she's hungry. she about bit me, and was looking around for the food, so i know it's gotta be my sister just doesnt' feed her, or doesn't feed her enough. Gizmo goes bonkers for the romaine lettuce more than anything else, so i gave her a little extra tonight.

D: Hartz isn't good? oh, gosh. we get that, because it's cheaper than everything else, and mom can get it while at Food Lion. makes me wanna hurry up and get a job asap so i can buy them better bunny kibbles. D:

also, our bunnies don't like alfalfa. we got some once, because the pet store was outta Timothy Hay, and Mocha turned her nose up at it. literally! would not touch it! offered some to Gizmo after my sister got her, and she nibbled a little, but wasn't too crazy about it.>.> then it molded and we had to throw it out.

 

[maxysmummy]

try rolled oats and sunflower seeds. you can get rolled oats for like 80cents at the grocery store (make sure its not quick oats or any of those instant porridge type ones) and we just got black sunflower seeds from the feed store for about 3 bucks a kilo

 

[Luimeril]

i think we're going to the pet store Sunday. i suggested to mom we try getting the bunnies a different brand of food, since Food Lion's not had the brand we've been buying the last month or so. :/ had to get it elsewhere, and it costs MORE there. Dx i'll see if we can pick up a different brand of food, and some sunflower seeds(which they probably will share with the bird! Lol). thanks. :3

 

[maxysmummy]

Luimeril wrote:

i think we're going to the pet store Sunday. i suggested to mom we try getting the bunnies a different brand of food, since Food Lion's not had the brand we've been buying the last month or so. :/ had to get it elsewhere, and it costs MORE there. Dx i'll see if we can pick up a different brand of food, and some sunflower seeds(which they probably will share with the bird! Lol). thanks. :3

if your sisters bunny is sick i'd suggest taking him from her... especially if you think shes not going to listen to you about it...

 

[Luimeril]

i plan on it. :/ Gizmo's too young to already be in this much trouble, ya know? i'm taking over her feeding, and possibly the bedding changes, since it took my sister over a week, with Gizmo having only the top of the house decoration to sit on, and inside the house to rest in. :/ and, as i said, i'm taking a trip to the pet store hopefully Sunday, and i'll try to find some of the foods suggested here.

 

[Yield]

maxysmummy wrote:

try rolled oats and sunflower seeds. you can get rolled oats for like 80cents at the grocery store (make sure its not quick oats or any of those instant porridge type ones) and we just got black sunflower seeds from the feed store for about 3 bucks a kilo

[align=center]So no quaker oats? Why are they bad? =O

 

[maxysmummy]

Yield wrote:

maxysmummy wrote:

try rolled oats and sunflower seeds. you can get rolled oats for like 80cents at the grocery store (make sure its not quick oats or any of those instant porridge type ones) and we just got black sunflower seeds from the feed store for about 3 bucks a kilo

[align=center]So no quaker oats? Why are they bad? =O

Not entirely sure, I guess they would just be processed in a certain way

 

[Yield]

maxysmummy wrote:

Yield wrote:

maxysmummy wrote:

try rolled oats and sunflower seeds. you can get rolled oats for like 80cents at the grocery store (make sure its not quick oats or any of those instant porridge type ones) and we just got black sunflower seeds from the feed store for about 3 bucks a kilo

[align=center]So no quaker oats? Why are they bad? =O

Not entirely sure, I guess they would just be processed in a certain way

[align=center]Oh okay, we had given Sabriel (he needs to gain the weight he's lost) some quick oats (we already had them)... (he's fine though, thank goodness) but once I read this, we went and bought the normal oats instead.

 

[Peppers mom]

I feed my rabbits Quaker oats when there kinda thin or for a treat and one of my friends does it to.. as long as its just the regular stuff it shouldn't hurt them any..

 

[Yield]

Peppers mom wrote:

I feed my rabbits Quaker oats when there kinda thin or for a treat and one of my friends does it to.. as long as its just the regular stuff it shouldn't hurt them any..

[align=center]Holly meant like the quick Quaker oats are bad =O

The new oats we bought are the normal Quaker oats

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

First, talk to your sister. Find out why the rabbit is thin. If she has been feeding him regularly, he needs to be de-wormed, as mentioned above because he may have worms. Even indoor rabbits can get these from their hay or fresh vegetables occasionally. De-worming can be done by a rabbit savvy vet or you can use Ivermectin horse paste, available at farm supply stores (like Tractor Supply Co). I give a small pea-size amount once orally. Then once again 7-10 days later.

However, if your sister has been neglecting to feed him on a regular basis, the situation is different. In this case, I would be sure to offer unlimited, fresh timothy hay every day. In addition, about 1/4-1/2 cup of pellets per 5 lbs. body weight is best. If the rabbit is severely underweight or has gotten really sporadic feedings, start on the 1/4th end and work your way up. Then you can supplement with about 1 tsp treats daily (oats, sunflower seeds, calf manna, whatever you want to use).

Weight loss can be fast, but weight gain is very gradual. So be patient. The bunny may look bad for a little while but it is best for his system to be slowly acclimated back to food rather than just suddenly give a ton of food. Best of luck! Let us know how things progress.

 

[Luimeril]

i think it's more, she didn't feed Gizzy for a long while, so Gizzy only got fed when i, or someone else would give her fresh veggies when i'd feed Mocha. mom already fussed at her about it, and i suggested she use her income tax money to take Gizzy to the vet. sadly, my mom's bird passed away today, so i'm not sure if we're still gonna go to the pet store Sunday, but i've already talked to mom about getting better bunny kibble, and even mentioned the sunflower seeds and oats, because now that i've brought it up, everyone's concerned about Gizmo and we're looking for ways to help her gain weight. i feel better now, knowing how upset everyone is about the issue, and that everyone's working to get Gizmo back up to being a "fatty", as my sister called her.

 

[Luimeril]

GOOD NEWS!

a few weeks of a tad bit extra food(not TOO much extra. just a little more than usual), and i can't feel Gizmo's spine as easily, and her hip bones are so prominent! makes me think my sister didn't feed her as often as she claims, instead of it being parasites. thanks for the help. :3 i'm looking into getting a different kibble for them, and getting them more yummy foods. thanks so much!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Old Fashioned Quaker Oats are fine for rabbits.

Luimeril, if you get a different feed for them, make sure you switch it slowly. Start by mixing the two feeds together (old and new) and then gradually increase the amount of the new feed.

Emily

 

[Luimeril]

oh, i know. mom's already looking to get two bags of the current feed, but i'm gonna try to talk her into only one bag of it, then a new bag of new feed. :3

 

[Pet_Bunny]

BlueCamasRabbitry wrote:

Old Fashioned Quaker Oats are fine for rabbits.

Yield wrote:

[align=center]Holly meant like the quick Quaker oats are bad =O

The new oats we bought are the normal Quaker oats

The whole (normal) oats and the quick oats are all the same 100% Quaker oats. Quick oats is chopped up in finer bits so it cooks faster. I prefer the larger oats.[/align]