Over weight rabbit?

rebeccalyn7 · Aug 30, 2013

My rabbits almost three kilos, for a mini lop/dwarf lop is she over weight?
And if she is what can I feed her to help her lose weight?

Is there any health issues when a rabbit is over weight?

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RabbitGirl101 · Aug 30, 2013

You will have to determine that yourself by putting your hands on her if she balloons out in the stomach area she is overweight.

There are health issues with obese rabbits just like there are with obese humans. It can cause arthritis and joint problems. it can also cause sore hocks from putting un natrual pressure on the feet.
I was told to cut there feed down and make them drink more water, exercise helps a lot too so maybe you can start a new thing like agility just to get your rabbit in shape.

rebeccalyn7 · Aug 31, 2013

Awesome idea, thanks!

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Bonsai · Aug 31, 2013

You know, just this morning I was wondering how on earth to tell if my rabbit was overweight. My Heidi is a big girl, so I wondered if she was overweight and how to tell!

Hope you don't mind me popping in on your thread, Rebecca.

I wanted to thank RabbitGirl for her post.

Nancy McClelland · Aug 31, 2013

Coal was 9 pound mini rex when we rescued her. We took away all pellets and put her on timothy hay and veggies--took 2 years but she went down to five pounds and no longer looked like a furry blob with ears. She lived to be 14 1/2 and we were so lucky she didn't have any ill effects.

missyscove · Aug 31, 2013

There isn't really an official body condition scoring system for rabbits,but here's an approximation of one in a chart. http://www.pfma.org.uk/_assets/docs/PFMA Rabbit PSOM Final Web Version 070809(1).pdf

Your best sign is how well you can feel your rabbit's ribs. Make a fist and feel your knuckles (where your fingers meet your hand). That's an animal that's too thin. Now hold your hand out palm down and feel the same knuckles again. That's an ideal animal. Now hold your hand palm up and feel your knuckles from the underside. That's an animal that's too fat. Feel your rabbit's ribs and compare them to how your knuckles felt.

Some rabbits are really fluffy so it's hard to tell, but that should give you a basic idea.

As far as losing weight, decreasing pellet intake and trying to increase exercise is a good option. Generally feeding your rabbits by making them look for their pellets (hiding them in boxes, tunnels, toys, etc.) rather than just offering them in a bowl both encourages them to exercise and keeps them working mentally.