Skinny NZ doe, no sure what to do

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Jamie Dog Trainer

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Hello everyone :)

I am really hoping to get some answers here. I have a trio of meaties, one of which is a 6 month old NZ (she is supposedly crossed with Flemish, but only 1/4 if at all...) I have some concerns about her. She is active, bright eyed, normal poop, normal pee, friendly, interested in everything --a really nice rabbit.

My issue is that she is skinny. I can easily feel her spine and hip points, and her ribs too if i feel for them slightly. I've had her, and the other rabbit I got from this breeder, for just over two weeks. The other rabbit is a 6 month old Champagne D'Argent, and she is in very good weight. I have been told several different things to do, including giving her BOSS.

She is getting 12oz of pellets a day, sometimes more, plus tons of hay, and about 2 tablespoons of BOSS a day. I might have noticed a small improvement but not much, if at all. I am quite worried/frustrated with this as I would really love to breed her in the next 6-8 weeks, but I worry that she'll not improve in her condition and I won't breed her if she doens't put on some weight.

What else can I do??? Free feed? Another kind of supplement? :(
 
How quickly does she finish her pellets? Do you feed once a day and find the dish empty in an hour or are there still pellets when you come back for the next feeding. Does she appear ravenous (shaking the cage wire as you approach with food is an indicator that the rabbit is impatiently wanting to be fed NOW).
 
is she clearing up her pellets? or is she eating her hay?

I'd be more inclined to feed pellets and hay at separate times to encourage her to eat more pellets.

Generally speaking you can get their weight back on them in about 3-4 weeks.

Can you do a fecal on her to see if she has a parasite problem? and if so treat that.
 
I'm wondering if she perhaps has internal parasites. Pumpkin seeds are a beneficial supplement for rabbits, very nutritious, and also help with parasites. Something in the pumpkin seeds paralyses the worms and aid their expulsion. I'd be inclined to give them a try... just feed them like BOSS. Use raw ones, in or out of the shell.

DO NOT use commercial seeds intended for planting... They have usually been treated and could harm the rabbit.
 
She is finishing all her pellets, except last night she scratched most of it out :evil: BRAT! Most of the time however, she finishes everything, and in the morning when I go out there's nothing in her feeder.

I recently treated her with Ivermectin paste for ear mites, wouldn't that take care of internal parasites too? If not please recommend a general de-wormer for her and I'll get right on that.

I feed them their pellets at night, before i got to bed and they get hay to amuse themselves with in the morning.

Is there a high fat supplement you would try?

Thanks everyone for your help!!!
 
The BOSS and pumpkin seeds both have a high fat content.

Try gathering some dandelion greens and plantain (the lawn weed, not the banana thing) and giving her some each day. Dandelions can be a bit laxative, so phase them in slowly, but plantain will help offset that and may be fed in larger quantities. I've seen these weeds do very good things for rabbits. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
 
Jamie Dog Trainer":36obp1l5 said:
She is finishing all her pellets, except last night she scratched most of it out :evil: BRAT!

Ok, she's 6 months old and you've had her for 2 weeks, right? Is there any chance that she is already bred? Scratching feed out of a feeder is certainly typical of a bred doe and if she's got kits growing that could explain why her spine and hips are projecting a bit while ribs and belly are not.

Just more to consider :)
 
moonkitten":r66rnhzo said:
Jamie Dog Trainer":r66rnhzo said:
She is finishing all her pellets, except last night she scratched most of it out :evil: BRAT!

Ok, she's 6 months old and you've had her for 2 weeks, right? Is there any chance that she is already bred? Scratching feed out of a feeder is certainly typical of a bred doe and if she's got kits growing that could explain why her spine and hips are projecting a bit while ribs and belly are not.

Just more to consider :)

Oh boy! Idk weather I should be concerned or excited. The breeder did have them all separate though. She does act like she is ready to be bred. When I have had her out a couple times for exercise she allows my immature buck to mount and her vulva is bright pink to purpulish. I dont' allow him to practice on her though, but the behavior suprised me a bit and I got them separated. He's only about 10 weeks. LOL

__________ Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:01 am __________

MaggieJ":r66rnhzo said:
I'd start with a tablespoon of each.

I was editing my post while you were posting... please be sure to see my comments about green feed supplements.

Thank you for that information. I have actually been giving them dandilions for a few days now. I have not noticed any soft poop from any of them, she especially LOVES the dandilions. I will get the plantain too, I know I've seen it around here...just have to remember where. :D<br /><br />__________ Sun Apr 24, 2011 3:04 pm __________<br /><br />Hi Everyone, thanks for all your help here. My NZ does finally seems to be putting on some weight. I have been giving her BOSS every morning along with a handful of dandilions. When I fed her this morning I petted her quite a bit and noticed a small, but real, difference in her spine. Her hips are still pretty prominent, but I know they'll take longer to cover. Thanks again!!
 
I really enjoy the tone of this site, thanks again for the help. I'll keep this thread updated as she continues to gain weight. I am thinking I need to invest in a small animal scale! ;)
 
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