Malnurished rabbit problem????

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So I picked up some new Zealands the other day. They are very skinny and you can feel there backbone. They were pasture raised on the ground mainly eating just grass and fed some pellets. However I can tell they haven't been getting enough nutrition. I'm not raising them like that. I've heard that they can get parasites and worms from being raised on the ground
What can I do for them? Should I just see if free choice feed will work or is there something I can give them to help them in case they have parasites or worms??? I do have pyrantel pamoate that we use for our dogs and puppies (we breed).
They are all healthy other wise. No runny nose or goopy eyes. No sneezing. Poop and pee looks good and normal. Thanks!!!
 
So I picked up some new Zealands the other day. They are very skinny and you can feel there backbone. They were pasture raised on the ground mainly eating just grass and fed some pellets. However I can tell they haven't been getting enough nutrition. I'm not raising them like that. I've heard that they can get parasites and worms from being raised on the ground
What can I do for them? Should I just see if free choice feed will work or is there something I can give them to help them in case they have parasites or worms??? I do have pyrantel pamoate that we use for our dogs and puppies (we breed).
They are all healthy other wise. No runny nose or goopy eyes. No sneezing. Poop and pee looks good and normal. Thanks!!!
If they've been mostly pastured and they seem healthy otherwise, they may just be slim, as well as possibly missing some key nutrients, because just grass isn't enough for most rabbits to thrive on, let alone grow into meaty animals. When I raise meat grow-outs in tractors in the summer, they also get free-fed pellets (although they eat about half as much as the ones in cages). They always feel much slimmer than the ones in the cages, and they also weigh a bit less, but on butchering they give every bit as much meat - it's that they're not rippling with fat! I don't like to feel the spines on my rabbits, but not all rabbits are built the same way, and maybe these NZs are just not top shelf in body type, as well as being slightly malnourished.

Before medicating, I'd get them off the ground and try free-feeding pellets for a while, supplemented with BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) and/or uncooked oatmeal, to see if that improves their body condition. It sounds like it's not an emergency situation, so you have some time to play around with their maintenance.

Fenbendazole (Safeguard) and ivermectin (Ivomec) are both safe meds for rabbits. It's always best to know what parasite(s) you're dealing with before starting to give medications, but if you can't identify the organism(s), either one of those are something I'd feel comfortable using. I've never used pyrantel pamoate.

If they have worms, you might be able to see the evidence in the poop, depending on which worm(s) you're dealing with.

I've not had trouble (that I know of) with worms from rabbits being raised on the ground, but I do have problems with coccidiosis when the season is rainy. That shows as boney rabbits with prominent spines and hip bones, but they also have huge bellies due to enlarged livers. For a while they continue to act normally, but eventually they get pretty lethargic and miserable-looking, so it's probably not what you're dealing with. Do keep an eye out for that distended belly, though. Amprolium (Corid) will sometimes work for coccidiosis if you catch it early enough.
 
In horses refeeding syndrome is a risk. So extrapolating that to rabbits, feed good quality hay and plenty of it. Go easy on pellets, supplements and medicine like dewormers. Especially since they look otherwise healthy, just thin. Short on calories from low quality forage may be the whole explanation, possibly combined with not bred for such low quality diets. Feeding to rich to soon may overload internal organs. Mostly plenty of "groceries" should fix an otherwise healthy animal.
 
So there is a couple does that do have a larger stomach. I thought they could be pregnant but have not palpated them as they aren't super friendly and I want them to settle in. They aren't really eating a ton either. Not like they should. Not sure if eating that much grass is messing with there stomachs or not. Should I give some meds for coccidiosis? They aren't acting super lethargic
 
If you did change their diet, it might need some time for them to gear up. Offering lots of hay and doing other changes gradually always is a good idea.

Fresh forage, grass etc. is the most natural feed possible, that's what they evolved for. Only thing is, wild rabbits were smaller and their digestion trackt didn't exactly size up, so supplementing their feed could be necessary if you expect performance. Not necessary for my 9lbs buck though. Also, the state of they meadow they were on plays a huge role, not all grass is the same. Forage as main feed is perfectly ok, when done right, if not, or if the soil is missing something malnutrition can become an issue.

I feed forage, lots of it, and make sure there is a high percentage of all kinds of weeds and herbs, I have to gather it elsewhere because what grows in the bunny garden - where they spend the day - just isn't enough for my current herd of 22.

If problems with parasites or cocci are likely dpends a lot on the local climate, wildlife and breeding line, I never had issues with that.
 
So there is a couple does that do have a larger stomach. I thought they could be pregnant but have not palpated them as they aren't super friendly and I want them to settle in. They aren't really eating a ton either. Not like they should. Not sure if eating that much grass is messing with there stomachs or not. Should I give some meds for coccidiosis? They aren't acting super lethargic
Grass shouldn't mess up their stomachs if that's what they grew up on. It will reduce their consumption of pellets, which in many cases is a good thing! But while grass is a natural food for rabbits, it's not a complete diet. Wild and feral rabbits eat a lot more than just grass; they also eat forbs, flowers, buds, shrubs and tree bark, among other things. And in my experience they will never get as meaty and plump as a pellet-fed rabbit, which is what most meat breeders are hoping for and what you should see in a NZ.

Since your rabbits had access to pellets as well as grass before you got them, shifting them mostly or entirely to pellets shouldn't cause any GI issues. If you can get the brand of pellets they were being fed, at least for a while, that would be ideal.

It's always a good idea to give compromised rabbits hay, since it soothes them in several ways, and giving them a good grass hay (not alfalfa, which is a legume) may help your NZs transition more smoothly. But if you're concerned with them being underweight, hay is not really going to put on the pounds, no matter how much of it they eat.

I always wait to use meds as a last resort, especially in meat rabbits. If I had the rabbits in question, I'd pull them off the ground, give them free-fed pellets, grass hay and BOSS/oat supplements (about a Tablespoon per rabbit per day) and watch them closely. I'd weigh them frequently and if I didn't see almost immediate improvement, meaning gaining at least an ounce or two within the week, I'd go ahead and give them Corid. With coccidiosis, there does seem to be a point of no return, and by the time they're sitting hunched and grinding their teeth in pain, it's often too late to pull them back.

It sounds like your rabbits might be too big and shy to do this, but sometimes if you pick up a rabbit with coccidiosis and move it back and forth near your ear, you can hear sloshing.

And watch those bellies; a pregnant doe usually doesn't get an especially big belly unless she's already had several litters, has lots of babies in there, and is close to kindling. But if you think your does might be pregnant, I'd go ahead and give them nest boxes just in case.
 
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Check their skin all over for lumps about the size of a pea. I had a rabbit in perfect health before letting him out in my fenced yard. Soon he started to rapidly lose weight. I had all sorts of nutritious weeds and he also got pellets, oats, hay and sunflower seeds so it was a mystery. When I picked him up I noticed 3 lumps. They were warbles and had made him so miserable he couldn't put on weight. Within a couple of days after pulling them out he was noticeably filling out again.
 

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