How to get my rabbit to lose weight??

[TheSketchyBunnies]

This is one of the many reasons I strongly prefer feeding a complete pellet-based diet; if a rabbit needs to lose or gain weight you can just increase or decrease the amount of pellets, without worrying about ratios of pellets to veggies to hay, etc. All my rabbits are at perfect weight with minimal effort.

I've fed Mazuri before (but to cavies, not rabbits), I like the brand well enough if you were looking for a timothy based pellet as a supplement to other food.

When I say complete pellet based diet, I don't necessarily mean no hay. Some pellets are labelled as a 'complete diet', such as Purina, Manna Pro, etc. They have all the protein, energy, vitamins and everything that a rabbit needs. You can feed grass hay with them if you want to give your rabbit more fiber (especially for rabbits prone to GI issues) and/or something to chew on. The complete diet should have enough fiber and hay material ground up in it to cover most rabbits' nutritional needs, but those needs vary between breed and between rabbit. (If I was feeding a holland lop, for example, which tend to be more prone to diarrhea and digestive issues, I'd almost certainly supplement these pellets with a grass hay).

Personally I rarely feed hay and my rabbits do great (although they are intact, breeding rabbits, so their nutritional needs are quite different from spayed, pet rabbits which tend to have lower protein and energy needs). I haven't had GI issues, teeth issues or other diet related issues on my current feeding plan and I've been feeding it since 2012. (no "GI stasis" - that doesn't have to

When pellets get a bad reputation, it's often because of the low quality pellets sold at most pet stores (especially muesli) which is marketed towards uninformed consumers and usually not meant to be a complete diet, so they lack many key nutrients. It can be hard to find a pellet that actually covers a specific rabbits nutritional needs, and the quality and freshness of pellets varies so much by location that finding information online isn't very useful. That's something best asked of a local rabbit expert.

Not to say pellets are the only way to feed a rabbit. There are many correct ways to feed a rabbit, as long as they get all the nutrition they need. It's just the one I personally find easiest and most consistent, especially as its difficult to find good quality greens & vegetables around where I live.

Very interesting! Thank you!

 

[Mariam+Theo]

In all honesty, I have never in my life, heard of the first brand. But I have checked the ingredients and the protein and fiber levels and they seem fine. The rest are from amazon because I couldn’t find pellets that I know about properly. I’m not too sure if you can order those pellets but I hope you can: they are quite good brands

1) https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/mazuri-rabbit-diet-with-timothy-hay-5-lb?cm_vc=-10005

first ingredient is Timothy hay,
protein level is 14%

2)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supreme-Sc...89HP89ZTK3Z&psc=1&refRID=42Y8RRYWG89HP89ZTK3Z
I have absolutely no idea if this is an English brand:
First ingredient: Timothy hay
Protein level: 14%

3)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excel-Burg...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
Also, i think this is an English Brand:
First ingredient: Grass...
Protein level: 13%

I looked at the pellets @Apollo’s Slave sent and they look good. I also found the ones on English Amazon on American Amazon if that is helpful.

2) https://www.amazon.com/SupremePetfo...eme+science+,aps,192&sr=8-2&tag=forumyield-20
Protein: 12.00%
Ingredients: Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal

3) https://www.amazon.com/Burgess-Exce...gess+excel+,pets,185&sr=1-2&tag=forumyield-20
Not sure of the protein and ingredients.

Also, I'm not sure if this would even be an option because they are timothy pellets, but the protein is 8% and the fiber is 35% so maybe it would be good for an adult rabbit? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grass-pellets-40-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Blue eyes]

http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-food-comparison.asp

There are a number of Burgess lines (variations) of pellets listed on the above site. Many of them are highly recommended (but not all).

The Science Selective (Supreme) also has a few lines of pellet feed on the above site - also recommended.

Just look for any that are listed as recommended. Remember, even the most expensive brands will be no more than $5 per month!!

 

[TheSketchyBunnies]

Thank you @Blue eyes I find that very helpful! I have a question though. Is this kind of pellet safe?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grass-pellets-40-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10005

 

[Blue eyes]

Thank you @Blue eyes I find that very helpful! I have a question though. Is this kind of pellet safe?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-timothy-grass-pellets-40-lb-bag?cm_vc=-10005

The details given at the link list it as not suitable for rabbits. I can see that it is nothing but timothy hay - no other ingredients listed. That is likely why the protein is so low, there is no listing whatsoever of any calcium or phosphorous (which is supposed to be a certain ratio), no fat and no vitamins.

 

[Blue eyes]

Unless you are able to refrigerate the bulk bags, they will lose their nutritional contents before the bag can be used up. (Assuming a 40-50 lb bag with just 2 rabbits.)

 

[Blue eyes]

This link Theo gave earlier...
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/oxbow-animal-health-simple-harvest-20-lb-adult-rabbit-diet-10799?solr=1&cm_vc=-10005&st=oxbow animal

That's a good one. It should last roughly 6 months with 2 rabbits. So while it is $28, you won't have to buy it again until August. So you're only spending $4.60/month. If you set aside $5 every month, you'll be ready to purchase the 2nd bag when the time comes.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

This link Theo gave earlier...
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/oxbow-animal-health-simple-harvest-20-lb-adult-rabbit-diet-10799?solr=1&cm_vc=-10005&st=oxbow animal

That's a good one. It should last roughly 6 months with 2 rabbits. So while it is $28, you won't have to buy it again until August. So you're only spending $4.60/month. If you set aside $5 every month, you'll be ready to purchase the 2nd bag when the time comes.

I'm going to be swapping over to these.

 

[TheSketchyBunnies]

Unless you are able to refrigerate the bulk bags, they will lose their nutritional contents before the bag can be used up. (Assuming a 40-50 lb bag with just 2 rabbits.)

This link Theo gave earlier...
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/oxbow-animal-health-simple-harvest-20-lb-adult-rabbit-diet-10799?solr=1&cm_vc=-10005&st=oxbow animal

That's a good one. It should last roughly 6 months with 2 rabbits. So while it is $28, you won't have to buy it again until August. So you're only spending $4.60/month. If you set aside $5 every month, you'll be ready to purchase the 2nd bag when the time comes.

This is sooo helpful!! Thank you!!

 

[Annettesuter]

Some bunnirs are lazier than others, some can eat more than others and dont get overweight. Basically like with humans. A neutered bun tends to be rather overweight than a not-neutered bun. Plus some bunnies look fat, but they only have a lot of fur, especially those who have Angora Bunny ancestors.
Do you have a scale for your bun? It could make sense to monitor its weight by checking its weight like once a week or so.

 

[TheSketchyBunnies]

@Annettesuter Very true! She isn’t fixed quite yet and we do have a scale but I can’t find it anywhere... lol!