Over weight shelter rabbits updated.

[Beau and Belle]

Hello all. Awhile ago I started a couple of topics about the breeds of the shelter rabbits and how much they should weigh. I weighed all of them yesterday when I was at the shelter. (Becuase the old topics seem to be gone I will post their pics again.) Oh, I can't find where I wrote down the weights so I will have to go by memory...

#1. I think we decided it is a dutch rabbit. She weighs 7lbs.

I know she is over weight, but how many cups of food should she eat a day?

#2 I think she is a calico dutch rabbit. She weihgs 4 1/2 lbs.

That's a good weight right? But how much should she be getting so that she does not beomce over weight?

#3 A Netherland dwarf I think. He weighs 3 lbs.

Again, how much should he get so that he does not become over weight?

#4 I think we decided he was some kind of lop. He weighs 6 lbs.

How much should he eat? (Also, good news for him. My teacher is thinking of adopting him.)

#5 I think we decided he was a mix with a lop. He weighs 7lbs. (If I remember right)

Is he over weight and should he be eating less?

Thank you so much. If you could answer even one of the questions that would be great. Thanks in advance for replying.

 

[Phinnsmommy]

Hello!

Young adults (7 months to one year)

• introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
• decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
• increase daily vegetables gradually
• fruit daily ration, no more than 1-2 oz. per 6 pounds of body weight

Mature Adults

• Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, straw
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
• minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables, per 6 pounds of body weight
• Fruit daily ration, no more than 1-2 oz. ( 2 TBL) per 6 pounds of body weight

Senior Rabbits

• If sufficient weight is maintained, continue adult diet
• Frail, older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets to keep weight up. Alfalfa can be given to underweight rabbits, only if calcium levels are normal. Annual blood workups are highly recommended for geriatric rabbits.

Hope that helps

 

[Beau and Belle]

Thanks. That does help. But how much should we feed the over wieght ones?

 

[Phinnsmommy]

For overweight rabbits, cut back on the pellets, and give more excersice.

 

[Beau and Belle]

Ok, I left instructions for the dwarf to be fed a 1/4 cup of food, and all the others 1/2 cup of food. I wanted to keep it simple. Do you think that is too much or little for any of the rabbits?

 

[Phinnsmommy]

What else is in there diet??

 

[tamsin]

If they are over weight but otherwise healthy then I would recommend feeding unlimited hay and a maximum of one tablespoon of pellets per day (which I guess would be about 1/4 of a cup).

To encourage exercise, I'd feed what dry food they do get in a treatball. You can buy them for cats/dogs as well as specific rabbit ones. They're a hollow ball with a hole in, you put the dry food in and the rabbit has to nose the ball around to get it out. You can make homemade ones will a tube or box with a hole cut in.

For fresh food avoid carrots and fruit as these are higher in sugar. Dark leafy greens are best. Again you can encourage exercise by making them work for their food. Hang the green in the cage or place it on top of the cage so they have to stretch up to reach it.

Hope that helps

Tam

 

[juicyjuicee]

They shouldn't be fed those colorful bits in the pellets. A plain pellet is best.

 

[gentle giants]

How much of the leafy greens should they get per day? I am trying to put together a little nutritional booklet for anyone adopting a rabbit, and it jsut dawned on me that I know they should have greens, but not really how much. I just had some overweight resuce rabbits come in too, so I am making use of this thread! :biggrin2:

Had to edit my spelling-I can't spell rescue!

 

[Beau and Belle]

Thank you everyone for replying. as far as I know they get romaine lettuce once a week and other treats when someone brings them.

I told the manager that they shouldn't have the colored bits of things in their food, but if someone donates it, they aren't going to say no...when I went there Wednesday I found out they had two bins of rabbit food and one bin had colorful bits along with a bunch of moths. That ended up going to the racoons...Its ironic that I found that the day they started their diets...

I think I will make a note that certain ones should only have lettuce for treats; there are guinea pigs and hamsters who could eat the carrots.

 

[Beau and Belle]

Just thought I would tell everyone that #2 got adopted!!!