What's the best diet for my overweight bunny to help it lose weight?

Hello, I would completely stop the pellets for Flopsy, hay & water only. Increasing exercise is very important, too. This may mean feeding the 2 rabbits separately, but there can be so many health problems associated with an obese rabbit, that it is important to try & get some weight off of him. Make sure that you are very careful with the treats he gets. He should only receive good greens, no fruit or high-calorie rabbit treats. Get a good food scale where you can weigh Flopsy weekly & monitor his progress. As he reaches a more normal weight, you can begin to add a few pellets back into his diet. Good luck & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

In my experience the most common reason rabbits gain weight is due to over feeding pellets. Rabbits only need about 1/4 cup or less of pellets a day. If you are feeding more than this, I would suggest slowly decreasing the amount over several weeks. Bunnies should always have very slow diet changes to avoid gastrointestinal problems. Thanks for using Pet coach and I hope this was helpful!

Pellets can predispose a rabbit to obesity. They may not provide the amount of fiber needed to maintain a healthy gut. You don't need to feed just produce. Ellie should be fed as much timothy hay, oat hay or similar grasses as she wants to eat. These grasses are relatively inexpensive. You can feed alfalfa until she is about 7 months old then discontinue feeding it. Supplement the diet with a cup or two of fresh, dark, leafy greens and vegetables daily. Up to 1/4 cup of commercial pellets can be offered daily.

You don't want Bunny to lose weight too quickly, it should be a gradual process. A safe rate is 1-2% of her current body weight per week. You might want to feed her a weight loss food, and you can ask your vet if that would be suitable for her. I really like toys that cats can amuse themselves with, such as the Catit Senses Play Circuit. That may be something she would really like. Her herpes won't have anything to do with this. I would cut out treats all together as well. I hope this helps!

Concentrated foods such as fruits and certain vegetables are the main causes of rabbits gaining too much weight. They can also get fat by eating too many treats and certain types of pelleted feed. Rabbits should be eating mostly grass and hay. Other foods should be fed in moderation. For more information about rabbit diet, please read the short article at the link below: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/rabbits-feeding I hope that helps and all is well with Egg.

For an adult rabbit the percentages should be 85-90% hay ( timothy, grass hay, oat hay and so on) up to 10% veggies and up to 5% fruits (no more than 1 oz. per 3 lbs. body weight). The rest can be given in pellets.

It's correct that fiber is very important for rabbits. This is because they have a digestive system that is made for a high-fiber diet and can get a great deal of nutrients from fiber. For this reason, it's actually best to feed a pelleted diet that is high in fiber like Oxbow. Fruits and vegetables should be considered treats and limited and no more than 10% of their diet. High quality hay (timothy or brome are good choices) should be offered all the time. Grass and dark leafy greens should also be offered regularly. There is a lot of information about how to feed a rabbit out there and it can be difficult to know what's correct and what's not. Below is a link to a some good information that should answer all of your questions. I hope that helps and all is well with your bunnies.