English lop weight

[delusional]

Well, when we picked Alfie up from his neuter, the vet said he was a little 'lean' and should probably put on some weight.

We'd thought so too, a couple of weeks ago, and increased his pellets, but he's now developing a big round gut and not really changing shape anywhere else.

Is this normal shape for an English lop? How much should he weigh at this age? I used to be able to feel his spine quite a lot but now it feels more 'padded', but he looks like he's got a beer belly!

He weighed 3.02kg on their scales, (so that's 6.7lb)and he's about 6 months old now.


ETA: Oops I just realised this is probably in the wrong section..

 

[ChompersMom]

Moose is 9 lbs but he is fully grown. Maybe the vet was going off of what he should weigh when he is fully grown. 6.7 lbs sounds right to me for 6 months old..but I'm not an expert.

 

[Brandy456]

Bucks can healthly weigh up to 10 pounds.

For his 'Beer belly' Maybe decreasing the exercise time, but keep the pellets the same.

 

[Bassetluv]

When I purchased Yofi from the breeder, he suggested that his protein intake be monitored to make sure he didn't become lean/underdeveloped in the upper body (i.e., lack of muscle around the spine/shoulders), as some English lops can have that tendency. Now whether the breeder's advice for preventing lack of body tone was correct or not, I have no idea. But I do know that Yofi weighed almost 7 lbs when he was taken in to be neutered...and he was just turning 5 months old then. I haven't had him weighed since, but he's definitely gained...I'd guess that he's close to 10 lbs now. Yofi's belly feels rounded, but not like a beer belly or swollen in any way...it feels proportional to the rest of his body (to me, anyway).

So I'd say that an English lop's body shape - even when still developing - should be overall uniformity, no large/swollen belly or lack of tone in the upper body area. If Alfie's feeling more 'padded' around his spine now, then his muscle tone might be improving. Perhaps one of the breeders here could give you some suggestions as to Alfie's overall condition. (Maybe Pam could give you a better idea? )

 

[katt]

in my experiance, some lines of english lops tend to be beefy, while others tend to be very boney.

i always struggled with herman's weight. he was givin free food his entire life, and while i got him up to 10 pounds at adult weight, he always looked boney, and underfeed slightly.

and my suggestion would be the opposite of brandy456, you want to give him lots of excerisize time, let him build muscles, does he have a level in his cage or something to jump up on? that will really help out a lot. remember it isn't just what the scale says, but what the rabbit looks like. 10 pounds of fat on an adult english lop is just was bad for their health as being underweight. the trick is that add muscle weight.

you can also add small amounts of black oil sunflower seeds, and rolled oats to his daily food. i would personally suggest a seperate dish for these, as when added to the pellets rabbits tend to dig all the pellets out of the bowl in search of that one last flake of oatmeal that slipped to the bottom!

 

[ADEE]

Abbie is 4+lbs and shes only 9wks 6dys old.. perhaps we should cut back on her intake HAHAHAHA, as long as hes eating normally eliminating properly i wouldnt worry too much.. if hes boney then yes, i would be a bit more concerned.. how much does he weigh now?

 

[BSAR]

Mississippi is around 9-10 pounds and he just turned 1 year old.

Minnesota, I don't know how much she weighs but she is only four months old, so probably about four or five pounds. Maybe less.

 

[BSAR]

delusional wrote:

but he's now developing a big round gut and not really changing shape anywhere else.

That its was Sippi did too at first, when he got him he was a little skinny so we fed him a lot. Minnie also now has just a gut, give him some time and he will get meat. Its probably just because he is still a baby and not full grown.

 

[delusional]

Err.. thanks guys, but this thread is over 6 months old.

 

[ADEE]

thats why i asked how hes doing now silly

 

[BSAR]

haha! i didn't even know it was that old. I just figured since someone else posted then ya.... lol.

But ya, how is he doing now?

 

[delusional]

Lol. Yeah he's doing good. Still going slow with the weight because all the bunners got worms, so a lot of them lost a bit of weight. He's 7lbs 13.5oz at the moment, needs to put a bit more on still.

 

[BSAR]

Yeah he should be at around 10 if he is nearly 1 years old. But I can see why he lost weight with having those nasty worms.