Rotund Bun

[sarahtrg]

My 2 1/2 year old neutered mini lop has turned into a chunk-a-monk (7.5 pounds!) and it's my fault. (Too many treats, amount of pellets fed). He is a rescue and even after all this time won't touch hay so it made me feel guilty his food was so boring.

My question is what is a good serving size (and times per day) of timothy hay pellets to feed the average mini lop rabbit?

It's time to get him a bit trimmer so he has a longer life!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

For pet rabbits, 1/4 cup per day per 5 pounds of body weight is recommended. Your rabbit could be OK with 1/3 of a cup per day. You can feed twice a day of you want to, just divide the amount. Since he is over weight, you should reduce the amount gradually and feed for the weight he should be, not the weight he is.
He should eat more hay once you limit pellets. He will gets hungry enough, there will only be hay and he can eat that.
You can also give veggies if you want. You do need to introduce them slowly so he can get used to them.

He may act differently when you start to limit pellets and treats. This can include being more aggressive and pushy as well as acting like he is angry with you and ignoring you. He is doing this to get what he wants. You need to not give into him and stick with the limits you set. Once he realized that he is not getting what he wants, he should settle down. If you give in after a day or two, he will learn that he can get what he wants and doesn't have to eat hay.

You do need to make sure he is still eating and pooping. Giving pellets twice a day can help you to know that he is eating. If he stops eating all together or stops pooping, then you should get him to a rabbit savvy vet.

 

[sarahtrg]

Thank you!

I have an exotic vet who specializes in buns I trust and have gone to see her for years so if I have any problems I'll be sure to take him in.

The real problem I've realized is that I feed both my buns together (they are house rabbits with free reign of the house) so I haven't been able to control how much he's getting (he could be eating part of her portion). I'll have to consider feeding alternatives.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Depending on how fast they eat pellets, you could separate them when you feed pellets. This will allow you to make sure each one gets the right amount. If they tend to graze pellets throughout the day, then you can try offering pellets more often but still separate them. Using 2 bowls is a must and even just having them on opposite sides of the room would help. For hay, just make sure there is lots avaliable and even have 2 hay areas.

Having a bonded pair can make it more difficult to know who is eating what and making sure they each get what they should. I would feed pellets so that they are not too close together and monitor them. If one rabbit is done eating the pellets, take them away and offer them again later.
If she is smaller that he is, you can try cutting a hole in a box so that she can get in but he cannot. If she is more agile, you can put her food on a shelf so she can jump up and he cannot.

 

[sarahtrg]

Thanks for the suggestions! Yes, she is smaller than he is so I might try that idea because he can still get his fat butt up on high places!