Skinny Rabbits under all that fiber

Hi,
I just 'rescued' a couple french angora rabbits. I was told they are sisters and are two and a half years old. They've been living outside in a hutch with a barbecue grill cover to block the wind and a 'run' made of chicken wire that they jump out into and roam around. Their hind parts were totally full of mats so I trimmed one of them. Under all that fur she had sharp bumps on her side--her ribs stuck out. Her rib cage reminds me of someone with COPD, barrel chested with the terminal ribs flaring out. Her flanks are barely holding her together. I just started keeping rabbits this summer, I'm not familiar with the Angora body type. Is this right? They have been living on alfalfa and Manna Pro Goat grain. I've tempted them with parsnips and kale from my garden.

Why are you feeding goat grain and not rabbit food? And being that bony isn't normal for any rabbit. Try weighing them and checking them against the senior weight for their breed in the SOP. If they're more then a few ounces under where they need to be I would free feed them pellets, with hay available. You could supplement with BOSS, and oats. I need to get my SOP out of my husbands car or I'd look the weight up for you.

What's the ingredients on the goat grain? It may not be suitable for rabbits. Along with free fed pellets I would give boss and oats until they are a good weight. Oats are around 7% fat while most rabbit pellets are 2-4% fat so it can help put weight on. If you get some loose horse or goat minerals and put them in another dish in the cage, along with unlimited hay, you could just feed a form of oats (they prefer rolled oats to whole oats but whole oats give more fiber) or another grain in your area without pellets. We only have oats here unless you go to the mills and then you have to buy a large quantity at once. I've also fed them on horse feed but unless the first 2-3 ingredients includes some type of hay you should feed unlimited hay with it and extra mineral sources is always a good idea when not using a rabbit specific pellet.

Just a note: BOSS (boss) = black oil sunflower seeds, a rich supplement to help rabbits gain/keep condition, from what I've learned here at RT

French Angoras are a dual purpose breed, and should have a commercial meat body, just in case you don't have an SOP. Senior weight has a large range from 7.5 to 10 1/2lbs, I have 8lb FA and 9 1/2 lb FAs, and neither would look right if the weights were switched. You will have to tell the appropriate weight by the frame. No matter the weight, it should feel like a meaty bunny.

I almost checked into those two girls. Not in a place to take rescues though, so I'm glad they're in good hands now.

You should go to the feed store and pick up a bag of 18% protein pelleted rabbit food. I feed manna pro's grow formula. It's about $20 a bag. Supplement with BOSS too and it should fatten them right up. Alfalfa usually doesn't have a high enough protein percentage for Angoras alone. They either get skinny trying to out on a coat or they keep weight but they have a crappy coat. The grain is a bonus, but your probably still not getting enough protein into them.

Start a round of cat hairball remedy too. Odds are that if they were so poorly taken care of they've got blockages starting too if not already. I give about 3cc orally once a day until the blockage clears, but not knowing if they have one or not, maybe just try it for a week to see if they increase their food intake. Wormer is not a bad idea either if they were living on the ground, which the pics in the CL add looked like they were.

If your ever down around the Canon area and want to sit down and talk proper Angora care and see what I do for my fiber beasts, PM me.

LilacGal":2a2ms1ju said:

Why are you feeding goat grain and not rabbit food? And being that bony isn't normal for any rabbit. Try weighing them and checking them against the senior weight for their breed in the SOP. If they're more then a few ounces under where they need to be I would free feed them pellets, with hay available. You could supplement with BOSS, and oats. I need to get my SOP out of my husbands car or I'd look the weight up for you.

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The lady I bought them from said she was giving them goat grain, she ran out a couple of days before I came out there. She had the alfalfa in a used bag, that's all I know.
I give my other rabbits Manna Pro and rolled oats, timothy, a little alfalfa and whatever scraps of greens from my garden, like carrot tops, cabbage leaves, kale, etc. I think the one in the picture has wool block, I had to use an eye dropper to get some water into her. She has been urinating, but no stools of any sort. I just gave her some hulled sunflower seeds in a bowl, she pushed it out the door of the cage. Last night she started drinking water again, whew!<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 07, 2013 9:41 am __________<br /><br />

PSFAngoras":2a2ms1ju said:

I almost checked into those two girls. Not in a place to take rescues though, so I'm glad they're in good hands now.

You should go to the feed store and pick up a bag of 18% protein pelleted rabbit food. I feed manna pro's grow formula. It's about $20 a bag. Supplement with BOSS too and it should fatten them right up. Alfalfa usually doesn't have a high enough protein percentage for Angoras alone. They either get skinny trying to out on a coat or they keep weight but they have a crappy coat. The grain is a bonus, but your probably still not getting enough protein into them.

Start a round of cat hairball remedy too. Odds are that if they were so poorly taken care of they've got blockages starting too if not already. I give about 3cc orally once a day until the blockage clears, but not knowing if they have one or not, maybe just try it for a week to see if they increase their food intake. Wormer is not a bad idea either if they were living on the ground, which the pics in the CL add looked like they were.

If your ever down around the Canon area and want to sit down and talk proper Angora care and see what I do for my fiber beasts, PM me.

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I think this one has wool block. She has been listless and not drinking for a couple of days, I just barely got her to take some water from an eye dropper. I offered her some hulled sunflower seeds this morning, she pushed them out of the cage. Is BOSS hulled? If not, I guess they can hull it themselves? I have a bag of giant sunflower seeds in the house would that work until I get the BOSS? BTW thanks for your offer, it's hard to get away, especially with this weather.

BOSS is typically not hulled. The hulls actually help provide fiber, so it's better that way if you can afford a whole 50# bag.

I would seriously give her cat hairball remedy. 3cc by oral syringe once a day. You may have to shove it in her mouth a little at a time, and let her run around and eat it in between attempts. Don't just put it on her paw to lick off, she'll get it in her fur and chew her fur off trying to get it off, making it worse.

I have brought several angoras back from the brink this way. (I started my herd mainly with rescues) it's very important you get the blockage cleared ASAP so she can try to eat and gain condition, certainly with the current weather spell. Cat hairball is the quickest treatment I've found short of a trip to the vet for surgury, and anesthesia usually is enough stress to kill a rabbit as it is.

Yeah, if she has wool block, pull her pellets and only feed grain and grass hay (not alfalfa) ... some papaya or pineapple would also tempt her to eating and provide some wool block relief.

As for weight, run your finger tip lightly down her spine, if it is spiky she is underweight, if you cannot feel smooth round bumps because of the flesh, they are overweight.