Bunny lost weight

[757bunny]

I got a holland lop at thanksgiving and she was 10 months old. I've noticed over the past two weeks she losing weight and has gotten too skinny. She is never without food (pellets) and has Timothy hay in her hutch. She is fine otherwise, no sores/cuts or anything. Any suggestions to get her to gain weight?

Thanks

 

[Blue eyes]

There are any number of reasons a rabbit may lose weight, but I'm sure JBun (Jenny) can give you the full run down better than me.

In the meantime, I thought I'd just mention that it isn't good enough for a rabbit just to 'have timothy hay in her hutch." They pick through the choicest pieces. So whether or not there is still hay in the hutch, it should still be refreshed (new hay added) at least daily, but better twice daily. This encourages them to eat the hay.

What kind of pellets are being offered? Have you introduced greens to bunny? Is she still pooping as usual (same size, quantity, shape)?

 

[JBun]

Have you verified that she is eating her food really well and measured the amounts she is actually consuming each day to make sure she is eating enough for her body size? Also check how much water she is drinking in a day. If she drinks from a bottle, make sure it is working and the amount of water flow is good. May want to offer a water dish instead. Also take a look at her front teeth to make sure they aren't overgrown.

If these are checked and she is in fact eating and drinking well and her incisors look normal, some possible causes can be parasites, other dental problems in the back of the mouth, kidney disease, infection, etc, and she will need to be checked by a vet to determine the possible cause, as well if you find her incisors are overgrown.

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/weightloss.shtml
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/D_problems1.htm

 

[757bunny]

Thanks for the responses. I do refresh/change her hay at least once a day. Sometimes there is none left. She seems to be drinking fine and her food bowl is half empty or 2/3 empty by the end of the day (I haven't measured it but will now) i give her Purina Rabbit Chow pellets. It was suggested by the person we got the rabbit from. I got a few greens today to give. Are there greens that are better or any greens to stay away from? Pooping is the same but a little less than usual. I'll get her checked out though just to make sure nothing else is going on.

 

[squidpop]

Here's a pretty good list for feeding leafy greens here- you might need to scroll down to see it. http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/

 

[Aki]

Have you weighed your rabbit? Do you know what her original weigh was? I think you are right to get her checked out, a rabbit losing weigh is the sign that something is wrong and it can go downhill very fast, especially if she is pooping less than usual. I hope it's nothing. I would change her pellets though (with a slow transition, once you are sure there is nothing wrong) - purina rabbit chow contains a lot of junk (grains, mollasses...), too much protein and salt, and not enough fibers. I recommand Oxbow T basic, or JR Farm grainless or Zupreem Nature's promise. Giving greens is also a good idea, but you have to introduce them slowly to avoid any upset tummy :
http://rabbit.org/faq-diet/

 

[flemishwhite]

from what I've read, and from my own terrible personal experience, a rabbit loosing weight is a potentially very serious issue. I think bunnies are in general very robust hearty animals...there is an exception...their gastrointestional system. a healthy bunny is a hearty eater. If they are not eating enough to maintain weight, something serious is going on. They will slow down on eating if they have teeth problems. (Their teeth are normally always growing and normally they will grind down their teeth chewing...hopefully hay and not furniture.) If their teeth are not being ground down, the teeth will elongate and make it painful for bunny to eat. Also, the continually growing teeth can also start to push upward into their skull causing severe problems. If they have chewing problems, the start swallowing inadequately chewed vegetation into their primary stomach and then it can clog and block off their gastro system...GI Statis. Bunnies cannot vomit. Once their primary stomach is blocked they are going to die without medical help. When the primary stomach is blocked, their secondary stomach, the Cecum will be emptied. The cellulose to glucose transforming bacteria in the Cecum will then die. Without this source of glucose, this is why the bunnies are facing a life threatening situation.

Cliffs Notes: If your bunny is loosing weight, and the bunny has adequate food available..but still loosing weight...see a vett soon.

 

[Azerane]

I think you should definitely get her checked out, if she's still eating well there has to be an underlying cause for the weight loss, whether it's intestinal parasites or something else. Best to get it figured out before she loses too much more weight.

 

[majorv]

Make sure you get her checked for worms also. The Purina is alfalfa based so I would think if she were eating enough of them she shouldn't be losing weight.