As of present, weight is a big problem in our world, particularly for animals and pets. Every pet owner wants their animals to live with them for a long time. Hence, it is our responsibility to check on their weight from time to time and keep them in the standard weight zone.
By touching and seeing the rabbit, it is easy to check if they are too fat or not. When you are putting a lot of effort to find its ribs, and if the back area of the rabbit is convex or round, it indicates that your bunny is too fat. A typical rabbit should have a flat back, and when you touch their ribs, you will get a similar feeling to picking a pouch of pens.
You will find different ways in this article to find out whether or not your bunny is healthy. As the fluffy rabbit’s owner, you must keep it in shape without the rabbit gaining more weight.
Contents
How Should The Bunny Look And Feel
Looking and touching the rabbit for checking its weight is one of the best methods, but it is not the only technique. Like other pet animals such as cats or dogs, rabbits are also born in various sizes and shapes.
When your rabbit is very thin or losing weight, its backbone will lift like a stick. If you are taking too much to feel the ribs, it means the bunny is relatively skinny. You can feel the rabbit’s ribs with ease, but they mostly have convex or round edges. While touching the ribs of the rabbit, you will feel like grabbing a bag of pens.
It is better to pick a pack of pens before touching the rabbit’s ribs. Therefore, you will understand and feel familiar with the sensation.
Another way to check its weight is by touching the backside area of the bunny. If the rabbit has a curved back area, it means that your bunny is too thin. A healthy and normal-weight rabbit will have a flat backside without looking fluffy (like a ball of fur). If the rabbit’s back area is like a round ball or bulges out, your bunny is overweight and chubby.
It is better to check the rabbit’s weight often and monitor it from time to time. By doing that, you will have an idea of how healthy your bunny is and other things related to its weight and lifestyle.
How To Weigh The Bunny
You have several options for checking your rabbit’s weight. Depending on the availability of the resources and machines, you are free to use any method.
Kitchen scale devices
If you have a kitchen scale in your home, you can use it to check the bunny’s weight. Before using the kitchen scales for weighing the rabbit, it is better to check if it has enough area where your bunny can sit without facing any discomfort. To get accurate weight results of the bunny, make sure to keep the scale into zero reading.
Hanging weight scale
Using these types of weighing appliances is a bit difficult. If you want to use this device, you have to hang a cloth bag, and you must place the rabbit in this bag. When you think that this method might be risky or impossible, you can SKIP IT. But, if your rabbit is sitting in the cloth bag without giving you much hassle, you can go for it!
Flat (bathroom) scales
For this method, you need to have basic math knowledge, or using a simple calculator is also a good idea. The only requirements are a cardboard box and bathroom weighing scale. Firstly, place the cardboard box on the weighing device and record its weight. Then keep your rabbit in the box and check its weight. To know the rabbit’s weight, subtract the box weight (first) from the overall weight (second).
Which Type Of Food Should I Feed The Rabbit
It is crucial to feed correct and proper bunny foods to it, to keep it healthier. You will be amazed knowing the list of rabbit foods.
Bunny food
Always feed some bunny food to your rabbit at the start and end of the day. To know the amount of food to feed the rabbit, read rabbit magazines and consider its breed and size.
Hay
Hay is the simple food to feed the rabbit. All you need to make sure of is to get the fresh hay. It has the necessary nutrients that make the bunny more healthy. Hay is so far the most favorite food of rabbits.
Grass
Grass, similar to hay, is another nutrient-rich food that you have to feed your rabbits. While feeding grass, use only a small amount but make sure that it is freshly available for the rabbit.
Vegetables
When you have daily access to fresh green leafy vegetables, it is better to feed them half-cup every day. Some fiber-rich veggies that the bunny likes to eat are collard greens, basil, lettuces, kale, and watercress. You have to AVOID veggies such as spinach, cabbage leaves, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, iceberg lettuce leaves, and broccoli.
Treats
Giving treats to rabbits often makes them more active. However, feeding them excess treats results in the weight gain of the bunny. Occasionally, a piece of carrot, banana, or apple is the best treat you can feed the rabbit. Basil, clover, cilantro, arugula, and water parsley are the aromatic herb treats to feed the rabbit more often.
How Many Times Should I Feed The Rabbit
It is better to feed food to the bunny two times a day! One feeding in the morning and the other during sunset is pretty good. Make it three times so the rabbits can eat a sufficient amount of grass or hay.
Water intake
For every 2.2 pounds, the bunny must drink water between 1.5 to 5 ounces. As the range is broad, you can use a measuring bottle to know the precise water quantity. Then pour the water into a bowl and place it in the rabbit’s pen. Make sure to change the water daily.
Daily Playtime
The bunnies need more playing time in their daily routine as they are naturally energetic and social animals. The moment the rabbit wakes up, it will start to roam, stretch its legs, and run around. If there are other bunnies or its family, the bunny will interact with them. Every day, you need to give three or more hours for rabbits to play. Moreover, giving them toys makes the rabbit happier.
When you do all these things, your rabbit will have more fun, and it vibes out its happiness.
How To Help The Bunny To Lose Its Weight
To have a healthy and regular weight, humans require a fiber-rich and good enough diet. It also applies to the rabbits. Every bunny has a different metabolism, and not all of them can control its weight. Hence, the rabbits need your help to lose excess weight. Rabbits gaining more weight is not a rare or abnormal issue, and you need to control it quickly to reduce the risks of severe health issues.
Here are a few steps using which you can help your bunny to lose excess weight:
More hay and grass diet
Grass and different types of hay are the healthiest food for bunnies. Make sure that your rabbit is eating plenty of it! The rabbits need an endless amount of hay and grass in their diet to collect all those essential nutrients. Besides, these two foods make the digestive systems of the rabbits work regularly.
Dry Foods
As you feed several dry foods to your bunny two times a day, it gets proper nutrients from them. In every feeding, make sure that the food has at least 12-14 percent of protein and more than 18 percent fiber. If you are feeding the rabbit more food, you are making a big blunder. Take your time to provide the bunny the exact amount of food as per its weight. For every 1kg, you have to feed 10 to 15grams of food.
Fresh Foods
It is always good to feed fresh food to the bunny. Give the foods that have less sugar content to the rabbit as they help in decreasing its weight. Some foods for weight loss are carrot tops, kale, dandelion leaves, and aromatic herbs.
Treats
It is not necessary to stop feeding treats to your bunny. However, it is better to replace treats from the shop with dry foods, fragrant herbs, and fruits.
Exercise
For every living being, exercise is a crucial part of losing weight. It is good to keep the rabbit in a cage with sufficient space to roam and run around the place. Hence, the bunny will have fun and interacts actively with its bunny buddies or family.
Checking rabbit’s weight
You have to weigh your rabbit more often to check its progress. It is better to purchase a weighing scale so it will be easy for you to check its weight whenever you want. Every time you weigh the rabbit, keep a note of it, and later you can see how the bunny is doing.
Inspection
It is necessary to check the bunny’s health, and testing it once a month is a better idea. Firstly, use the “touch and feel test” and then check its weight. Note these results of monthly examination as they show the rabbit’s health progress.
Application
Lastly, you know many ways to check whether your rabbit is fat or not. Do the above tests on your bunny to conclude its health. If the results are positive, it means your bunny is healthy. However, if your rabbit shows overweight signs, you can use the above methods to bring the bunny back to being healthy. Also, it takes some time and practice, so with proper attention and care, you can do it!