Reducing bunny's weight

[BugsLola1411]

Our bunny is about 4 years old. He has a poopy butt issue as he is not able to bend and clean himself. We need to clean him every alternate day.
He eats a lot of coriander (cilantro) and carrots. We give him limited pellets just in the night.
He put on all the weight after getting neutered. He needs his timothy hay mostly for smell. He feels secure with it in the basket. He Does not eat too much of it.

What can we do to make him loose weight???
He does not like running around even though he is keft open alll the time. We never keep him in the cage.

 

[lilnaugrim]

Hi there,
Carrots are very high in sugar and should not be fed daily, only weekly as a treat.
He should be eating almost entirely timothy hay, not pellets or veggies. Hay should be 80% of his diet roughly and only 10% pellets and 10% greens, not veggies. Safe greens are romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, escarole, chicory. Stay away from greens like Kale, can be fed occasionally but not daily ideally. It has a lot of oxalates in it, high in calcium which can become an issue. Broccoli and Cauliflower are in the same family as Kale and so it is the same, they can create gas issues so best to stay away from them.

So getting him to lose weight will be easy, stop the veggies and limit pellets to about 1/4 cup of pellets to 5lbs of body weight per day. Then give him unlimited Timothy, orchard, or grass hay and he'll loose weight. It will help with dental problems too since bunnies use two different methods to chew pellets and to chew hay. Hay is chewed in a circular motion which helps grind down their molars, pellets are chewed up and down. If he doesn't eat enough hay, he will get what is called "wave" teeth, his teeth will be very pointy at the edges can cause punctures in his gums eventually which is no good.

 

[BugsLola1411]

Hi there,
Carrots are very high in sugar and should not be fed daily, only weekly as a treat.
He should be eating almost entirely timothy hay, not pellets or veggies. Hay should be 80% of his diet roughly and only 10% pellets and 10% greens, not veggies. Safe greens are romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, escarole, chicory. Stay away from greens like Kale, can be fed occasionally but not daily ideally. It has a lot of oxalates in it, high in calcium which can become an issue. Broccoli and Cauliflower are in the same family as Kale and so it is the same, they can create gas issues so best to stay away from them.

So getting him to lose weight will be easy, stop the veggies and limit pellets to about 1/4 cup of pellets to 5lbs of body weight per day. Then give him unlimited Timothy, orchard, or grass hay and he'll loose weight. It will help with dental problems too since bunnies use two different methods to chew pellets and to chew hay. Hay is chewed in a circular motion which helps grind down their molars, pellets are chewed up and down. If he doesn't eat enough hay, he will get what is called "wave" teeth, his teeth will be very pointy at the edges can cause punctures in his gums eventually which is no good.

Hieee.......but the issue is he does not eat the hay......if no other food is given......he will not eat. Instead he will keep scratching the furniture if someone is in the room to get the attention or if no1 is there he will sit quietly but not eat

 

[lilnaugrim]

It can sometimes take a while for him to recognize the hay is good to eat. So reducing the carrots and pellets while increasing hay may help. Rubbing some carrot or cilantro on the hay may give it a tastier aroma. Currently he's spoiled on the carrots and cilantro which is why he won't eat the hay. Also, try some orchard hay if you can find it, some bunnies prefer that over timothy. Steer clear from Alfalfa though, too high in protein and calcium for an adult bunny.

So instead of feeding carrots and cilantro, try a lettuce instead. This way he won't be getting as much sugar while you try to get him to eat the hay. Escarole or Chicory would be the ones I would try first since they have slightly more nutrients in them versus a green leaf lettuce or romaine. But you've got to make the hay look and smell more enticing for him to eat. Try mixing in cilantro if rubbing it doesn't work, mix it in well so he has to eat some hay to get to the cilantro. This will help to at least get some hay in him.

Also without hay, his gut can stop moving. They need the long strand fibers in their stomach constantly to help prevent gut stasis which is deadly.

 

[BugsLola1411]

Will definately try this

 

[Sophia]

Bunnies do start gaining weight after getting neutered but carrots have a lot of sugar so limit the carrots and he should get 1/4 of a cup of pellets for every 4lbs of you give him pellets. And try keeping him in the cage for about a day or 2 it might make him want to play because he didn't have as much of an option and a raBbits diet should be 80% hay so maybe keep Timothy in the cage but try to get him to eat hay ( I have rabbits and they eat hay but my aunt gives her rabbit unfrosted mini wheats for fiber)

 

[BugsLola1411]

It can sometimes take a while for him to recognize the hay is good to eat. So reducing the carrots and pellets while increasing hay may help. Rubbing some carrot or cilantro on the hay may give it a tastier aroma. Currently he's spoiled on the carrots and cilantro which is why he won't eat the hay. Also, try some orchard hay if you can find it, some bunnies prefer that over timothy. Steer clear from Alfalfa though, too high in protein and calcium for an adult bunny.

So instead of feeding carrots and cilantro, try a lettuce instead. This way he won't be getting as much sugar while you try to get him to eat the hay. Escarole or Chicory would be the ones I would try first since they have slightly more nutrients in them versus a green leaf lettuce or romaine. But you've got to make the hay look and smell more enticing for him to eat. Try mixing in cilantro if rubbing it doesn't work, mix it in well so he has to eat some hay to get to the cilantro. This will help to at least get some hay in him.

Also without hay, his gut can stop moving. They need the long strand fibers in their stomach constantly to help prevent gut stasis which is deadly.

Will this do

 

[BugsLola1411]

It can sometimes take a while for him to recognize the hay is good to eat. So reducing the carrots and pellets while increasing hay may help. Rubbing some carrot or cilantro on the hay may give it a tastier aroma. Currently he's spoiled on the carrots and cilantro which is why he won't eat the hay. Also, try some orchard hay if you can find it, some bunnies prefer that over timothy. Steer clear from Alfalfa though, too high in protein and calcium for an adult bunny.

So instead of feeding carrots and cilantro, try a lettuce instead. This way he won't be getting as much sugar while you try to get him to eat the hay. Escarole or Chicory would be the ones I would try first since they have slightly more nutrients in them versus a green leaf lettuce or romaine. But you've got to make the hay look and smell more enticing for him to eat. Try mixing in cilantro if rubbing it doesn't work, mix it in well so he has to eat some hay to get to the cilantro. This will help to at least get some hay in him.

Also without hay, his gut can stop moving. They need the long strand fibers in their stomach constantly to help prevent gut stasis which is deadly.

Or this

 

[BugsLola1411]

It can sometimes take a while for him to recognize the hay is good to eat. So reducing the carrots and pellets while increasing hay may help. Rubbing some carrot or cilantro on the hay may give it a tastier aroma. Currently he's spoiled on the carrots and cilantro which is why he won't eat the hay. Also, try some orchard hay if you can find it, some bunnies prefer that over timothy. Steer clear from Alfalfa though, too high in protein and calcium for an adult bunny.

So instead of feeding carrots and cilantro, try a lettuce instead. This way he won't be getting as much sugar while you try to get him to eat the hay. Escarole or Chicory would be the ones I would try first since they have slightly more nutrients in them versus a green leaf lettuce or romaine. But you've got to make the hay look and smell more enticing for him to eat. Try mixing in cilantro if rubbing it doesn't work, mix it in well so he has to eat some hay to get to the cilantro. This will help to at least get some hay in him.

Also without hay, his gut can stop moving. They need the long strand fibers in their stomach constantly to help prevent gut stasis which is deadly.

...Or this

 

[BugsLola1411]

It can sometimes take a while for him to recognize the hay is good to eat. So reducing the carrots and pellets while increasing hay may help. Rubbing some carrot or cilantro on the hay may give it a tastier aroma. Currently he's spoiled on the carrots and cilantro which is why he won't eat the hay. Also, try some orchard hay if you can find it, some bunnies prefer that over timothy. Steer clear from Alfalfa though, too high in protein and calcium for an adult bunny.

So instead of feeding carrots and cilantro, try a lettuce instead. This way he won't be getting as much sugar while you try to get him to eat the hay. Escarole or Chicory would be the ones I would try first since they have slightly more nutrients in them versus a green leaf lettuce or romaine. But you've got to make the hay look and smell more enticing for him to eat. Try mixing in cilantro if rubbing it doesn't work, mix it in well so he has to eat some hay to get to the cilantro. This will help to at least get some hay in him.

Also without hay, his gut can stop moving. They need the long strand fibers in their stomach constantly to help prevent gut stasis which is deadly.

These are the different kinds of hay available here other than timothy

 

[lilnaugrim]

I would go with either of the Oat hays.
Where you live, is Small Pet Select available to ship to you? They have bigger boxes of hay for cheaper. But I don't think it's available, try to see though.
The pellets look okay, does it have a nutrition guide? You want something that has 20-26 crude fiber if possible, the more the better. You also want very little calcium in it.

 

[Thumperina]

same problem here! mine weighs 11-12 lbs (5kg) and nothing seem to help!!!

 

[BugsLola1411]

I would go with either of the Oat hays.
Where you live, is Small Pet Select available to ship to you? They have bigger boxes of hay for cheaper. But I don't think it's available, try to see though.
The pellets look okay, does it have a nutrition guide? You want something that has 20-26 crude fiber if possible, the more the better. You also want very little calcium in it.

This is what is says on the hay pellets.

 

[BugsLola1411]

I would go with either of the Oat hays.
Where you live, is Small Pet Select available to ship to you? They have bigger boxes of hay for cheaper. But I don't think it's available, try to see though.
The pellets look okay, does it have a nutrition guide? You want something that has 20-26 crude fiber if possible, the more the better. You also want very little calcium in it.

Small pet select is not available here

 

[BugsLola1411]

I would go with either of the Oat hays.
Where you live, is Small Pet Select available to ship to you? They have bigger boxes of hay for cheaper. But I don't think it's available, try to see though.
The pellets look okay, does it have a nutrition guide? You want something that has 20-26 crude fiber if possible, the more the better. You also want very little calcium in it.

This is what the pellets reads on the back

 

[Blue eyes]

Do you have any feed stores around? I get my hay by the bale from feed stores. It is sooo sooo much cheaper that way. Even if you threw out half of it because of storage issues, it is still way cheaper. It also tends to be fresher too. (Any grass hay will do. Avoid alfalfa.)

When offering your bunny hay, is it easily accessible? Many hay racks have too-small openings that make it difficult for bunny to get. That is why I prefer to put it directly in the litter box.

Also, it is very important to refresh it every day (better twice per day). You should add new hay whether or not the old has been eaten. They lose interest in the hay after it has been sitting in the cage for a number of hours. By refreshing it, it will encourage him to eat it.

By stopping the sweet carrots and by reducing the pellets, bunny won't be getting full on the sweet stuff. That should encourage him to eat more hay. It may take him a while to realize that he isn't going to be getting that carrot. Some rabbits will hold out on eating other stuff like hay if they are expecting the "tastier" stuff.

 

[Blue eyes]

I have rabbits and they eat hay but my aunt gives her rabbit unfrosted mini wheats for fiber)

You may want to warn your aunt that mini wheats are not a good source of fiber for rabbits. In fact, they are harmful. Here is a quote from http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Don't feed your rabbit cookies, crackers, nuts, seeds, breakfast cereals (including oatmeal) or "high fiber" cereals. They may be high fiber for you, but not for your herbivorous rabbit, who's far better able to completely digest celluose ("dietary fiber") than you are. Fed to a rabbit, the high fat and simple carbohydrate content of "naughty foods" may contribute to fatty liver disease, cecal dysbiosis, obesity, and otherwise cause health problems.

 

[BugsLola1411]

Do you have any feed stores around? I get my hay by the bale from feed stores. It is sooo sooo much cheaper that way. Even if you threw out half of it because of storage issues, it is still way cheaper. It also tends to be fresher too. (Any grass hay will do. Avoid alfalfa.)

When offering your bunny hay, is it easily accessible? Many hay racks have too-small openings that make it difficult for bunny to get. That is why I prefer to put it directly in the litter box.

Also, it is very important to refresh it every day (better twice per day). You should add new hay whether or not the old has been eaten. They lose interest in the hay after it has been sitting in the cage for a number of hours. By refreshing it, it will encourage him to eat it.

By stopping the sweet carrots and by reducing the pellets, bunny won't be getting full on the sweet stuff. That should encourage him to eat more hay. It may take him a while to realize that he isn't going to be getting that carrot. Some rabbits will hold out on eating other stuff like hay if they are expecting the "tastier" stuff.

There are no food stores around here. I get the timothy hay and oellets online from amazon. Hence i am sending the pics to know which one is the best.
Have attached the pics with a screenshot of the description.

Do let me know if any of the brands are known and/or tested.

 

[BugsLola1411]

Bunnies do start gaining weight after getting neutered but carrots have a lot of sugar so limit the carrots and he should get 1/4 of a cup of pellets for every 4lbs of you give him pellets. And try keeping him in the cage for about a day or 2 it might make him want to play because he didn't have as much of an option and a raBbits diet should be 80% hay so maybe keep Timothy in the cage but try to get him to eat hay ( I have rabbits and they eat hay but my aunt gives her rabbit unfrosted mini wheats for fiber)

He hates the cage.....starts shivering a lot. His eyes start popping out