Can you feel some bunnies spines?

[Yield]

[align=center]I give my rabbits practically unlimited pellets that they like (I know that's supposedly not good, but they are not overweight and they do not eat too much), unlimited timothy hay, and a good amount of veggies at night (more than the recommended amount I believe), but I can feel Silas's spine, and Sabriel's somewhat.

They don't seem underweight and act perfectly healthy and happy. They even look a bit chubby.

Silas even takes food calmly and I feel like he would spaz out if he was really hungry. Sabriel always spazzes about veggies- he has since I first got him- that's his personality. He LOVES food.

Am I not feeding them enough? Or is this normal?

=/

 

[MiniLopHop]

Can you just feel they are there or every individual bone of the spine?

Becky has a tendency to have a boney back. From her spay she has lost .2 pounds and it is very easy to feel her spine. I'm hoping over the coming week she will gain a little, but that is not a huge amount. When she is at 4.5 pounds the vet said she is at a good weight for her- not over or under.

What does your vet say about your bunnie's weight?

 

[Krissa]

MiniLopHop wrote:

What does your vet say about your bunnie's weight?

I had the same concerns about my Australian Shepherd. She is very 'spiny.' We do a lot of hiking with her so I try to increase her food as needed but its a guessing game. She also got very sick during the big pet food recall and lost a lot of weight.

I had a long talk with my vet about her, and I found that her breed is a bit spiny. My vet gave me a set weight to keep her at (40lbs) and I visit every 3 months to use their scale. A vet tech weighs her for free so I can keep track of her weight. Every time I take her in the vet tech records her weight so when I go for my yearly checkups the vet can see the fluctuations.

I would head over to a vet you can trust and see what they say. I would also ask if you can bring your rabbit back in to use their scale every few months - it has really put me at ease knowing my dog's exact weight and if I need to increase or decrease food intake. And I don't have to buy an expensive scale!

 

[Yield]

MiniLopHop wrote:

Can you just feel they are there or every individual bone of the spine?

Becky has a tendency to have a boney back. From her spay she has lost .2 pounds and it is very easy to feel her spine. I'm hoping over the coming week she will gain a little, but that is not a huge amount. When she is at 4.5 pounds the vet said she is at a good weight for her- not over or under.

What does your vet say about your bunnie's weight?

The vet didn't say Sabriel was over or underweight, but I'll ask her on Wednesday.

Silas has never been to the vet, besides when he got neutered, July 29- the day I adopted him.

I can feel Silas's better than Sabriel's.

 

[MiniLopHop]

If you are going to take one can you take them both for a weigh in?
I use a postage scale to keep track of Becky's weight on a more regular basis.

 

[Yield]

MiniLopHop wrote:

If you are going to take one can you take them both for a weigh in?
I use a postage scale to keep track of Becky's weight on a more regular basis.

I cannot, for Sabriel's legg is broken, it would be very inconvienent and dangerous for him. Plus it's a new vet andd it would cost to add Silas to the vet records. We don't have the money for that right now...

 

[MiniLopHop]

I saw Sabrial's photos in the other thread, poor bun. You can always weigh yourself with and without the rabbit, subtract to find how much Silas weighs. That might help you figure out how the weight is?

 

[Yield]

MiniLopHop wrote:

I saw Sabrial's photos in the other thread, poor bun. You can always weigh yourself with and without the rabbit, subtract to find how much Silas weighs. That might help you figure out how the weight is?

[align=center]I'll try- with the scale downstairs. I don't really know how to work it! It's all high-tech and weird, lol

 

[naturestee]

I have two arch breeds- they're always boney!:biggrin:

Like Krissa said, some animals just have a more prominent spine. I think you get a much better idea of their weight by feeling their ribs and hips. There should be muscle along the spine, and you should have to push a little to feel the ribs on the sides. Sometimes there isn't much muscle along the spine, especially if the rabbit is older, not very active, or (as I've often seen), recently came from a place where he wasconstantly confined to asmall cage.

I would expect Sabriel to loose some muscle mass while he heals. As long as he doesn't seem to get skinny overall, it should be ok.

 

[Yield]

naturestee wrote:

I have two arch breeds- they're always boney!:biggrin:

Like Krissa said, some animals just have a more prominent spine. I think you get a much better idea of their weight by feeling their ribs and hips. There should be muscle along the spine, and you should have to push a little to feel the ribs on the sides. Sometimes there isn't much muscle along the spine, especially if the rabbit is older, not very active, or (as I've often seen), recently came from a place where he was constantly confined to a small cage.

I would expect Sabriel to loose some muscle mass while he heals. As long as he doesn't seem to get skinny overall, it should be ok. 

 

[align=center]Sabriel actually lost 4 oz since he broke his leg. We have to find a way to get him to gain the weight back and keep it. He's not skinny- but he's not the weight we want him to be.

Silas- he's probably lacking in the muscle department on his back since he's a lazy bun and lays around practically all day!

 

[Blaze_Amita]

I noticed with my Velveteen's event he adults I can feel down their spines. THey are not thin by any stretch, it's just that way.

 

[elrohwen]

I finally checked my bunnies to see if I could feel spines and I can, on both of them. They're a healthy weight and have been to the vet recently. I would imagine that not being able to feel their spines at all would mean they were overweight - if you think about it you can feel our spines, a dog's spine, etc when at a healthy weight. As long as it doesn't stick up and out it should be ok.

 

[jcl_24]

Maybe it's down to the breed, where they store fat and if they naturallyhave much muscle?

Guy is not very muscular and I can feel his spine but he has enough "padding" around his hips/back end to suggest he is not underweight.

Jo x