Why won't my rabbit gain weight?

[JJNad]

Hi everyone!
About 2 years ago we adopted a female mini lop rabbit. She was apparently given to the rescue after being bought at an auction so we have no idea on her background. She is now about 3 years old and lives with our male rabbit. When we first got her she was quite skinny and we managed to get her to gain some weight. After having her for about a year, she developed a head tilt and a growth by her ear which was surgically removed. She completely recovered but become skinny again during the couple weeks around the surgery. Since then we have never been able to put any more weight on her. She is not extremely thin or anything but quite bony and it would be good too see her with abit more fat. Otherwise she is completely healthy, has a good appetite and gets fed separately from our other rabbit to make sure she gets enough food. I feed her by eye but she gets about 3/4 of a normal rabbit bowl's worth of pellets in the morning (Burgess Excel with Mint) which is about 4x the amount of what our male gets who is exactly the same size, a very healthy weight and at least as active as her, if not more. This is also the same amount as each of our other bonded pair of Continental Giant rabbits! She also gets a mix of vegetables each evening, unlimited hay from our local farm and is treated for parasites when required. Any ideas as to why she won't gain any weight? Thank You in advance!

 

[JJNad]

Anyone have any ideas please?

 

[Blue eyes]

Jenny (JBun) may have some ideas.

In the meantime, here is a guide to help determine just what an ideal weight may be for any particular rabbit:
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-weight.asp

 

[JimJam]

You could add apple cider vinegar to her water - I did it with my buck who wasn’t gaining weight and he has improved heaps! Apple cider vinegar has lots of good results such as healthy coat, better immunity against getting sick, weight gain and digestion.

 

[JBun]

Have you had any blood work, xrays, or fecal float done?

 

[lavendertealatte]

Apple cider vinegar? Is this common? I have some in my pantry, but I've never heard of putting it in water for a rabbit!

 

[JimJam]

Yeah it’s a new thing for my rabbitry too, but it definitely works! Their coats look healthier and it dewormed them, builds immunity etc. I put 1 tablespoon per 3 litres of water. It takes the rabbits a moment to get used to it, but now they LOVE it!

 

[Preitler]

Apple cider vinegar? Is this common? I have some in my pantry, but I've never heard of putting it in water for a rabbit!

Yes, it is quite common, and the best thing is it can't hurt (at 1-2 Tbsp vingar per gallon water).
Although I think all those wonders told about it are a myth, it sure alters the taste of the water and many rabbits seem to like it - and drink more, which can be a very good thing and responsible for those benefits some people attribute to the vingar, like improved digestion and appetite.
You read mostly from people that think it works, those who didn't notice any improvment seldom speak up (imho the majority), but it can't hurt to try.

And other than some remedys it's cheap, worst thing that can happen is that the water attracts those harmless, small flies.