Feeding Question

[MyBabyBunnies]

Zoey went in for her spay on April 19 and the vet said that she was in good health except she was too skinny. At the time I was already giving her as much food as she would eat but I just think she was so energetic that she wasn't eating enough to put on weight.

So I started adding oats hoping to add weight. The problem is that she is not putting on weight, I gave her about 1-1.5 tablespoons of oats a day but she would only eat the oats and barely touch her pellets. She was getting picky so I cut her veggies down to a very small portion (just so she doesn't get left out since the others get veggies still) hoping she would eat more pellets and she did but not a lot.

I was thinking maybe I would stop the oats and try black sunflower seeds instead. I figure since they are more fattening than oats, I can keep them to a minimal so she doesn't get picky like she did with oats but still be adding stuff to put weight on. Is this ok or not?

 

[bunnydude]

I don't see a problem with adding those foods to her diet. But first, I think a vet needs to determine the reason that she is not gaining weight. In general, rabbits are supposed to gain weight after a spay.

 

[naturestee]

bunnydude wrote:

I don't see a problem with adding those foods to her diet. But first, I think a vet needs to determine the reason that she is not gaining weight. In general, rabbits are supposed to gain weight after a spay.

Really? I haven't noticed weight gain with my three. They're very active though.

MBB, I'm assuming Zoey is on regular alfalfa pellets? Does she eat a lot of hay? She might not like pellets a whole lot, so you could supplement her regular hay with a little alfalfa hay. The sunflower seeds should be okay. I know I've seen a couple experienced breeders here talking about using them for weight gain and coat condition.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

There is no health reason for her lack of weight. But she is very hyper, she cannot sit still and is constantly running and I'm thinking that's part of the issue. So I'm going to try seeds for a while and if she doesn't gain weight, then it's back to the vet but I already had her checked for any medical reason for her to be like this.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

She is on Alfalfa pellets and Timothy hay. It's nearly impossible for me to get Alfalfa hay just for her. I'd have to buy a bale (none of mine will eat store bought hay) and she would never eat all of it. I have a feeling I'm giving her too much hay, she loves her hay so I think she's eating all the hay and not eating her pellets as well. I normally keep it full so I think I'll have to change that and only give a small handful instead.

P.S.- I had gotten some Alfalfa from a friend before she sold her horses last summer but Zoey wont eat more than a few bites of it, she prefers Timothy and with the prospect of the bunnies being bonded for good soon, it's impossible to remove the Timothy and only feed Alfalfa.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Oh yeah, one more thing. Should I try a different brand of pellets or just a new bag? Maybe these ones are old and that's why she doesn't like to eat them. The problem with a new brand is that I can't find any others that don't have a bunch of junk in it.