# how to "fatten up" baby bunnies



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

I had a rescue litter arrive in late November 2009, they're all really scrawny probably because it's a fairly big litter (6) and also due to the fact the Mum was a rescue we didn't even know she was pregnant.

Anyway they might just "look" scrawny to me as I'm used to big fat chunky nethie babies but is there any way of fattening them up a little?

They get tons of fresh hay every day (which they LOVE) their nuggets, a handful of barley rings and readigrass every 2-3 days, they've also just started to have a few chopped carrots which they seem to love.

Their dry food is topped up twice a day, their bowls are ALWAYS empty and they're at the door eating the scoop before I can even get food into their bowls, what am I doing wrong?

Any help would be hugely appreciated, they all seem well and happy but just on the light side :blush:


----------



## Kloy (Aug 4, 2009)

Porridge? Made with water not milk?


----------



## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

we use oats too but dry not mixed with anything, a long time ago wen i was young my dad and i raised rabbits on oats and used tea leaves.....not got a clue wat the benefit of the tea leaves were but our rabbits loved their breakfast:lol2:


----------



## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

This is what i used to add to feed when i had any large litters: Weetabix crumbled over their mix, shredded wheat, wholemeal bread, cream crackers, digestive biscuits (not too many as they have sugar in them), sunflower seeds are good for putting weight on too, along with peanuts (the ones sold out of the shells). My Foxes used to get all this in their food (not all at once but different ones each day) & we had some really good sized Silver Foxes (comments were made by other breeders about the size on them at London Champ show a couple of years ago). Along with plenty of veg & hay this should help get some weight on them. Also try a bottle of full fat Goats milk on the cage so the Doe gets extra calcium etc...


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

A mix of oats, weetabix (sainsburys do a really low sugar one)/shredded wheat and a few sunflower seeds has never failed us. Just sprinkle over the normal food when feeding. Also as they're young, give them more concentrate food providing it's not too high in protein, around this time of year being so young they'll be burning a lot of calories due to both the weather and growing. :2thumb:

ETA: You can also try using 'sweet hays' and Legume hays..Alfalfa, orchard grass, blue grass, etc...
ETA (again): Yeah, pretty much what corny_girl said. :lol:


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

okay that's brilliant everyone thank you :flrt:
I've got some oates and shredded wheat so will give that a go right away and try to get in some different types of hay

THANK YOU


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

just sat here wondering WHY OH WHY OH WHY I didn't ask for help sooner, I feel really bad now


----------



## Tink82 (Dec 17, 2009)

NaomiR said:


> just sat here wondering WHY OH WHY OH WHY I didn't ask for help sooner, I feel really bad now


Aww don't feel bad.. You sound like your doing fine  My little lop was the runt of the litter and is so tiny and scrawny.. She is only just starting to get into her food.. She adores porridge in warm water (nice warmer in the cold too!) and as others have said, wheat-a-bix (just not too much cos of the added ingredients in it!) 

As long as they have space to binky about and are eating, I wouldn't worry


----------



## temeraire (Nov 13, 2009)

Have you thought of giving them a treatment for coccidiosis? This can be an issue if babies fail to gain weight.


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

temeraire said:


> Have you thought of giving them a treatment for coccidiosis? This can be an issue if babies fail to gain weight.


No because their poo is absolutly fine and they're not actually "ill" they're all bouncing round I would just like to have them a little plumper - it could also be that I'm more used to small litters and I've only ever had baby nethies and they tend to be really fat and chubby soooooo perhaps I'm just "thinking" they're thin when actually they're fine :blush:


----------



## x Sarah x (Nov 16, 2007)

Are they pure breed or crossed, only ask in case they may have something like English in them in which case they may naturally look underweight and maybe 'scrawny'.

I'm sure you know what your doing though!


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

no I don't really know what I'm doing, not in this instance anyway - Mum came in as a rescue in October and in November she had babies, the only other bunny the lady (who gave Honey up) had was a netherland dwarf so I'm assuming he's the Dad but I can't be 100% :gasp:

I'm about to weigh them and take some pictures so that might give you a better idea.......


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

here are all 5 bunnies, they weigh between 483 g (heaviest) and 379 g (lightest)










































they weren't as slim as I thought :flrt:


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Absolutely gorgeous :flrt: That last one stands out - he looks 'cheeky' :lol2:


----------



## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

There's a fair bit of Nethie in them (just look at their type & the ears :2thumb, they don't look too scrawny to me. Can you feel their pin bones? If you can then yes they need a bit more weight on them. Just add some weetabix etc.. to their mix over the next couple of weeks & they should do well. What "breed" is the Doe? I would definately say that they are Nethie crosses though so hopefully shouldn't get too big which will make homing them easier for you.


----------



## Kerriebaby (May 12, 2009)

oh, they are just sooo cute

many moons ago I used to foster bunnies too, one of the old ladies who used to help run it, said that one of the best ways of putting weight on a thin bunny was Porridge (made with water) and then a good helping of Black Treacle (or golden syrup) always works a treat (worked for Jasmine when she first came to me (was dumped outside a pet store that I worked at at the time) no more than 6 weeks old, and very very thin.)


----------



## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

No offence, but I think the cocci treatment was not cause they are ill, but to prevent them BCEOMING ill because they are 'Scrawny'.


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

Pimperella said:


> No offence, but I think the cocci treatment was not cause they are ill, but to prevent them BCEOMING ill because they are 'Scrawny'.


none taken but I'm not going to treat the whole litter for something they don't have and also something that could ONLY be diagnosed via a very expensive poo test :notworthy:


----------



## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

NaomiR said:


> none taken but I'm not going to treat the whole litter for something they don't have and also something that could ONLY be diagnosed via a very expensive poo test :notworthy:


 
Arhh, so your not very well up on things then are you, or cheapskating it at the least.

It's only a few quid to put the preventative into the water which would give them a fighting chance as with being scrawny they are more at risk and would die within hours rather than 24hrs/48hrs with cocci. 
Nearly all DECENT show people and breeders and rescues use it at a low does in the water because death by Cocci is a seriously nasty way to go.


----------



## Tink82 (Dec 17, 2009)

wow they are gawwwwwgeous!!! :flrt: I have to say, they don't look overly scrawy to me? could be a lot of fluff though!! def agree about them being a bit nethie, those teeny ears and flat faces.... I want!!!


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

Pimperella said:


> Arhh, so your not very well up on things then are you, or cheapskating it at the least.


I think you should be careful about getting into slanging matches with someone you don't even know. I've run a small animal rescue for almost 10 years now, I work part time and spend between £200 and £400 a month on the rescues that come in. That's pretty much 80-100% of my salary.

I don't go out and I can't remember the last holiday I had.

At the moment my overdraft stands at almost £1,000 because I'm paying off a hefy vets bill incured when I took in 3 pregnant rats who all had babies - out of 28 babies, 17 have been poorly and under treatment.

That's just the rats, I also had a guinea pig with such a severe case of mites he had virtually no hair left and his skin has taken WEEKS to recover, have you any idea how much that all costs??

All my bunnies have a probiotic in their water as a preventative. 

Please STOP AND THINK before you say such hurtful and untrue things, that was totally uncalled for.


----------



## Tink82 (Dec 17, 2009)

NaomiR said:


> I think you should be careful about getting into slanging matches with someone you don't even know. I've run a small animal rescue for almost 10 years now, I work part time and spend between £200 and £400 a month on the rescues that come in. That's pretty much 80-100% of my salary.
> 
> I don't go out and I can't remember the last holiday I had.
> 
> ...


Do you breed as well??


----------



## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Tink82 said:


> Do you breed as well??



I don't think that is relevent to this thread :2thumb:.


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

Tink82 said:


> Do you breed as well??


sometimes........less and less these days, I had 2 litters of (my own - nethies) this year (2009) and only the 1 guinea pig litter.


----------



## sophs87 (Jan 25, 2009)

Well, well done you for taking on rescues! We need alot more people like you hun xx


----------



## temeraire (Nov 13, 2009)

NaomiR said:


> All my bunnies have a probiotic in their water as a preventative.


A probiotic will not prevent coccidiosis. It's not a very nice disease and was *very* common 30 years ago when I first bred rabbits. 

When young babies are looking a little bony and underweight I would be the first person to take advantage of the new anti-coccidiosis medication, now available without prescription, that wasn't available ages ago. Just to make sure - it's no different to regularly worming a dog or a cat.

Thankfully it is not the great killer as it once was. It is heartbreaking to see them sadly lose weight and finally lose life. That was how it was years ago - now there is no excuse... I know you are a rescue but you should know about what Cocci can do. It can also bring on other issues such as Mucoid Enteritis.


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

I think I know quite a bit about coccidia - I especially know that runny poo is a later symptom (as is mucus in the poo), it's hugely contageous and small weak aswell as young animals are highly prone. It's a lot more common in kittens and puppies but is seen in young rabbits more and more often these days.

If you look on my website you will see I have a seperate quarantine area, I am about as careful as I can be and am highly aware of cross contamination and spreading infectious diseases. I use hand gel constantly but especially between animals - I even have seperate shoes for my quarantine shed I'm so bloody paranoid. 

I don't actually know anyone more careful and thorough than I am and ANYONE is absolutly welcome ANY TIME to come and visit, announced or otherwise, I am hugely proud of my set up and have absolutly nothing to hide.

What I do not have, however, is a money tree, so I do what I can and to the best of my ability.


----------



## Tink82 (Dec 17, 2009)

corny girl said:


> I don't think that is relevent to this thread :2thumb:.


Er......ok! 



NaomiR said:


> sometimes........less and less these days, I had 2 litters of (my own - nethies) this year (2009) and only the 1 guinea pig litter.



I was looking at your website and wasn't sure if you bred the nethies or if they were rescues.. gorgeous either way!! Hats off to you for rescuing.. I wish I was able to


----------



## NaomiR (Jan 26, 2009)

sorry it's not very clear (on my website) yes the Nethies are mine ie I bought them and I do sometimes breed them and thank you yes I think they're pretty gorgeous too.

only the animals on my RESCUE page arrive without me buying them or (some times) even knowing about it :whistling2:

I keep the 2 totally seperate but the "sometimes breeding" does fund all the animals food not just MY animals but the rescues too, it does not (however) cover any other costs such as heating lighting and electricity, cleaning, equipment and bedding oh and did I mention vets bills?? They're my biggest expense :blush:

there IS no money to be made from breeding - not if you keep your animals to any kind of standard anyway :flrt:


----------



## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

NaomiR said:


> there IS no money to be made from breeding - not if you keep your animals to any kind of standard anyway :flrt:



Tell me about it :lol2:. I don't think i ever made any real profit from breeding (mind the amount of Rabbits i have given away probably didn't help). The main cost i found was shavings & hay, the amount you go through when you have litters is unreal. As Coxci has been mentioned good husbandry is a must with young kits. You can't leave the hutch dirty or the risk of Coxci is high as it is caught from ingesting infected cecal pellets from probably the mother. Food has shot up in price over the years, i used to feed Rabbit Royal as it's a good mix then some of mine wouldn't eat it so had to find one they would all eat. It isn't cheap keeping Rabbits as you have found out hun, keep up the good work with the rescue & i hope these kits all find special homes :2thumb:.


----------



## temeraire (Nov 13, 2009)

Easicox coccidiosis treatment for pigeons & rabbits 250ml-Hyperdrug

Not a great deal to spend for peace of mind. Sometimes rabbits with a mild subclinical Cocci infection fail to thrive and look dry-coated and lack muscle, despite eating well and pooing normally. In the days when this kind of medication wasn't available, even thru a vet, I lost many.... I know all the tiny symptoms and thankfully, it is actually LESS common these days in rabbits.

If you ever have any that look under par or fail to thrive, not gaining weight as you would expect... that would be my first thought. Adults can be carriers, and pass it on to babies, so in a rescue situation that would be the first point of infection.


----------

