New Zealand Red--Fatty?

[EnglishSpot]

I bought Fiona yesterday (and have already re-sold her to my sister in S. OH) and am I wrong, or is this doe incredibly fat??

She is 1.5 years old, pedigreed, and the owner said she weighed 10lbs, but Fiona seemed much heavier than that in the carrier. (My estimate is 12-14? I'll try to weigh her tomorrow.) I've put her on a diet of minimal pellets with lots of hay (although she's chowing through the straw too) and a stick to chew and play with (pretty decimated after her first night). She's not aggressive or super fearful, although her owner scruffed her, she's not been handled a whole lot. She's settling in here at the house and now, 24 hours after I got her, she'll come up to the cage sides and peer out at me.

She's had three litters and the owner said she never had more than six, with only one fatality. I would think obesity would have had a hand in that.

I'm holding onto Fiona until I can get her to my sister, but in the meantime I figured weight loss would be a good thing. I don't think two stomach rolls are the norm for a NZ at this age.

Comments?

 

[Zass]

Make sure you have a nestbox in with her for at least 35 days.
JUST IN CASE.

 

[Nyctra]

...yep...that looks like a fat bunny alright. LOL!
Reminds me of an obese Satin I once had.

 

[PSFAngoras]

And I thought my champ doe was tubby, wholy cow!!

She is cute though, and will definately benefit from your diet plan for her!

 

[EnglishSpot]

Thank you for the replies! It's nice to put into use the education I've gained here on RT!!

@Zass--OOOOooo, I hadn't thought of that. I actually inquired into having her bred before I picked her up, and he said he sold his buck over a month ago. Can a doe that is pregnant have those stomach rolls?

When comparing Lexi to Fiona, I thought, wow, she has GOT to be fat!!!!

 

[Celice]

the reason she's not having big litters is most likely do to her being over weight. I would get her to the weight you want and then breed her, dieting can be stressful on them.

she's a beautiful doe though!

 

[JenerationX]

Dear Lord those are some fat rabbits!!!!

Nyctra, could that satin groom itself properly?

 

[Nyctra]

I believe she could...I remember it seemed like a struggle for her, but she was never very dirty. She was one of my first 3 pet buns. Some pet site and a vet had me under the impression bunnies could never ever not have food available. Sssssooooo LOL By her 3rd year, she gradually became paralyzed from the tail up and met her demise within two days. Not sure if that was because she was overweight or what. :?

 

[JenerationX]

I believe she could...I remember it seemed like a struggle for her, but she was never very dirty. She was one of my first 3 pet buns. Some pet site and a vet had me under the impression bunnies could never ever not have food available. Sssssooooo LOL By her 3rd year, she gradually became paralyzed from the tail up and met her demise within two days. Not sure if that was because she was overweight or what. :?

I did the same thing with a teddy bear hamster. Pretty sure we fed him to death.. little guy was so fat he could barely move around and we had no idea it wasn't normal.

 

[EnglishSpot]

I've got her on only a few ounces of pellets a day (because I have to switch her over to my feed) but man!!!! She chows through hay and straw like there is no tomorrow!!!

__________ Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:16 pm __________

Today I took Fiona outside for some exercise. Wow, I really don't think she's gone much of anywhere in her life. She had to remember how to use her hind legs to hop. I saw she lacks most of a tail! Perhaps her mother cleaned her too well.

I weighed her afterward, she is 10lb 9oz (and I was told she was 10.7 last week...I don't think so!!). She's chowing through the hay and straw like crazy and still on limited pellets.

Her urine is really stinky!!! The first few days it was the color of gritty chocolate milk, now it's has more clarity and less grit. Other than her own biology, is there any reason why her urine is so pungent??

What do ya'll think would be a good weight for her to be at?

 

[Celice]

wow! isn't she...ahem...big boned!

you can put a little ACV in her water for stinky pee.

That's funny how she lacks a tail! I have a buck that got his tail bitten off (gotten in a fight with the buck on the other side of the fence) and now he just looks strange. at least I can now tell him apart from his sister now...

 

[JenerationX]

She looks happy to be outside.

 

[katiebear]

She is a beautiful bunny..not really sure what she should weigh..I believe that the reds are lighter than the whites...read that on this forum, just not sure of the poster....I think the whites go about 10#..Grumpy raises N.Z. whites for production. .maybe he'll have an opinion. .
pretty girl though and the apple cider vinegar works..not only on the smell but it is good for over all health. ..

 

[EnglishSpot]

I'll start the ACV regiment tomorrow with the morning feedings. I modified the cage she's in so I can get her from the top instead of being dragged out through the hole. As it was I had to slow-motion dump her out of the cage. She was alright with being picked up, she didn't nip or fight, and so I petted her for awhile. She's nice, I like her so far.


++++++

I was unable to check on the rabbits today during the day so tonight I got into the garage (finally). Whew! Fiona had eaten all her hay, most of her straw, all her pellets, and half the water. I had put Cell-Sorb in her pan last night to help conquer the stinky pee and it helped!! Loaded up the gallon of spring water with two capfuls of ACV and started to clean the pens. The MR was excited to see me (I can't believe how much I love that rabbit, he's so happy to see me all the time) and I could tell Fiona was wondering why I didn't take her out to exercise today. I'm glad I make the top of the cage a door, it makes handling Fiona so much easier. Both rabbits gulped down the ACV water--does it really taste that good???? It's not as if they didn't have water!

 

[katiebear]

Yeah I don't understand why but they do love the ACV water..they will drink more, I was reading a rabbit health web site today and the recommended it to clear up sludgy pee too.So you are on the right track.They said that if you see sludge in the pee they will develop a urinary tract infection. I didn't know that.....

 

[Schipperkesue]

She is such a pretty rabbit!

I butchered a similar sized doe last fall. It was AMAZING to see where the fat was deposited. There was a little under her skin but most was lining the cavity and between layers of muscle. I turned her into a delicious meal of pulled rabbit and found that I cut as much fat off her carcass as I did meat!

 

[michaels4gardens]

I've got her on only a few ounces of pellets a day (because I have to switch her over to my feed) but man!!!! She chows through hay and straw like there is no tomorrow!!!

__________ Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:16 pm __________

Today I took Fiona outside for some exercise. Wow, I really don't think she's gone much of anywhere in her life. She had to remember how to use her hind legs to hop. I saw she lacks most of a tail! Perhaps her mother cleaned her too well.

I weighed her afterward, she is 10lb 9oz (and I was told she was 10.7 last week...I don't think so!!). She's chowing through the hay and straw like crazy and still on limited pellets.

Her urine is really stinky!!! The first few days it was the color of gritty chocolate milk, now it's has more clarity and less grit. Other than her own biology, is there any reason why her urine is so pungent??

What do ya'll think would be a good weight for her to be at?

JMHO, -increasing water intake will help, with sludgy urine, [greens have a lot of water also] if your rabbit is loosing weight it tends to make the urine more sludgy.- as mentioned above Apple Cider vinegar will help water intake as well as clean her out a little, feeding dandelion, and plantain [plantago major] with her greens, will also improve sludgy urine. A little sludgy urine is not a big deal,-- but- stinky , or very sludgy, is more of an indication something needs to be done. again, JMHO

 

[EnglishSpot]

She has been on the ACV for two days now and her urine is MUCH less sludgy and stinky! She's peeing a nice yellow color with some cloudiness rather than the chocolate milk brown of the first day I had her. The Cell-Sorb in the pan does help manage the rest of the odor. I check and refill her water twice a day (just to get the straw out of it, if anything) and she's been drinking about 3 cups of water a day.

I had her out yesterday for about 30 minutes and while she remembers how to hop, she's so fat she looks like a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad. Poor girl! She's lost about a fifth of a lb since last week on her current diet and activity levels.

Michaels4gardens, I don't have access to plantain and dandelion right now--everything is under a foot of snow. I'm going to wander down to the West Side Market and see what the herb stands have available. Any other grocery store available greens you think would be okay for her?

 

[JenerationX]

I love her color. She's a beautiful rabbit.

 

[michaels4gardens]

-Michaels4gardens, I don't have access to plantain and dandelion right now--everything is under a foot of snow. I'm going to wander down to the West Side Market and see what the herb stands have available. Any other grocery store available greens you think would be okay for her?-

if---- you want to try some, -frontier herb, and san francisco herb, have both, -- get cut and sifted, [not ground,] as the ground is dusty and will cause respiratory problems.