Thin rabbit

[trixie_rabbit]

Hi everyone i'm new to this site, I have a rabbit he's about 5/6 years and he's really thin. He was thin when I got him but I thought that it was because that his first owner was giving him only pallets to eat but now that he's mine i'm giving him lots of food,treats and veg but he's still the same i'm really worried about him because I don't know what to do.

I forgot to mention that he's my first pet as a rabbit so I don't really know about it a lot. Any advice please??

 

[Watermelons]

What type of rabbit is he? How much does he weigh?
How thin is thin?
Has he been to a vet for a check up?
Can you post some photos of him for us? Maybe a side view profile style and direct top view so we can see his body shape?

 

[Bunny Sofa]

He has lagorexia

But in all seriousness he may just have an unwonted body type or it may be an indication of something much more grave like a postnatal viral disease.

You should probably consult a professional

 

[trixie_rabbit]

What type of rabbit is he? How much does he weigh?
How thin is thin?
Has he been to a vet for a check up?
Can you post some photos of him for us? Maybe a side view profile style and direct top view so we can see his body shape?

He's a lionhead. I don't know how much he weigh tough I will check. If you touch him you can feel his bones on his back.

I took him to my vet when I got him, he's not that professional on rabbits he gave me some vitamins (in a form of powder to mix with his water) but I don't think that it's working because he's still the same.
You can't see that he's thin because of his fur, if you see him you would say that he's not thin you have to touch him to notice that he is thin.

 

[ladysown]

to fatten up a boney rabbit

1. don't mess with the diet too much
2. feed higher energy foods while maintaining a good base diet

Higher energy: oatmeal, BOSS, higher protein pellets.
Lower energy food: hay, poor quality pellets, green feed

base diet should be: good quality pellets and one handful of hay per day. Only one handful because you don't want him filling up on a lower energy feed if you want him gaining weight.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

The first thing to do with a thin rabbit is to de-worm them. You can do this yourself and it is inexpensive. In the past, I've used Ivermectin de-worming paste for horses, available at most farm supply stores. It costs maybe $4-5 for a large tube. Keep in mind that it's meant for 2,000 lb. animals who are supposed to take the whole tube of medication in its entirety. When you're dosing for a rabbit, it's best to squirt the whole tube into a bowl and mix it up to make sure that the medicine is dispersed evenly throughout the paste. Then give a small, pea-size amount to the rabbit. It's usually best to do two dosages - do the first, then do another 7-10 days later.

I am NOT a veterinarian, this is just common treatment used by the breeding/show community, so use your discretion. Some breeds and varieties (blue-eyed-white rabbits, Dutch) seem to have a sensitivity to Ivermectin. So some people use Safeguard, which is another de-worming paste that most rabbits seem to be less sensitive to.

 

[majorv]

I agree that he should be checked for worms. If he has them it's easily treated. I also agree that if he's getting a lot of hay then reducing it some to get him to eat some more pellets would help.

 

[trixie_rabbit]

So today i weigh my bunny, he's 1.8kg. How much a rabbit weight should be ?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our Lion Head weighs almost three kilos--6 pounds.

 

[Watermelons]

So today i weigh my bunny, he's 1.8kg. How much a rabbit weight should be ?

Can you please post pictures like requested?
Some animals are naturally bigger or smaller, we cant compare a weight with out actually seeing how that weight looks and or feels (only you can do that) on the animal.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

So today i weigh my bunny, he's 1.8kg. How much a rabbit weight should be ?

Rabbits can range from 2 pounds up past 20 pounds depending on the breed. Even within a breed, there are weight ranges, a rabbit can be within the weight for the breed but not be a healthy weight. A rabbit could be above or below the weight limit and be healthy. Rabbits simply don't always follow the rules, so you can't base their health on guidelines.

The important thing is to determine if your rabbit is a healthy weight.

 

[JBun]

How to tell if your rabbit is too thin:
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp

 

[trixie_rabbit]

This is my bunny. As you can see you cant tell that he's thin because of his coat but when I touch him I could almost feel most of his bones and i'm really worried about him.

 

[JBun]

You will be able to feel your rabbits bones, but they shouldn't feel sharp and protruding. When feeling along the backbone, you should be able to feel rounded flesh on each side of the spine.

How long have you had your rabbit and how long has it been since you increased food amounts? What exactly do you feed each day(type and amount of pellets, hay, veggies, treats, supplements)? It's possible the weight loss is due to health issues. Do you have an experienced rabbit vet in your area that you could take him to if needed?

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/weightloss.shtml
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f28/finding-vet-13366/