How quickly do rabbits gain weight and what feed helps them grow?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is important to make sure that there is no other reason for Egg to be losing or not gaining weight such as issues with his teeth or chronic hair balls. He should be eating mostly a pellet diet that you can find in pet stores as well as free access to hay. As far as additional treats, there are various treats sold in stores. Fruits and veggies should be offered in small amounts. You can try carrots, green beans, green leafy veggies, apples, pineapples, and bananas. I recommend staying away from fruits with seeds. I hope this helps!

His diet should be made by 85-90% of good quality hay, 5-10 % of greens and 5 % of pellets. Hay should be timothy, oat hay or other grass hays. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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!

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.

Thanks for your question about your new pets! I would recommend finding out what they are being fed now so you don’t switch their food over too quickly. I recommend feeding young rabbits free choice alfalfa hay until 6-9 months old and then transitioning them to a grass based hay, such as Timothy. I also recommend 1-2 tablespoons of pellets per bunny per day until they are full grown. Again, alfalfa based until 6-9 months old and then transition to Timothy pellets. Once full grown, you can give 1 tablespoon per 5 lbs of rabbit. You can also offer greens on a daily basis, but start slowly so they don’t get diarrhea. Leaf lettuce, cilantro, radicchio, and parsley are good options. They don’t require any supplements but the non-fruit based Oxbow treats are a great choice. I don’t recommend feeding fruit to rabbits as it can upset their tummies. For decreasing stress, make sure they have a place to hide and that their environment is quiet for them while they are adjusting. I hope this helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.

It's actually quite normal to feel some bones on a rabbit with a normal body condition, so I would check the body condition using the link below as a guide: https://research.unc.edu/files/2012/11/Body-Condition-Scoring-Rabbit.pdf If she is a body condition of one, then it's best to have Lulu evaluated by a vet, because it's possible that she has a medical condition that is causing her to be thin. If it's in-fact due to a lack of nutrition, then I recommend feeding a diet of free-choice Oxbow pellets, high-quality hay and grass. It will also be good to feed fruits and vegetables about twice a day. When she gets to a more normal body condition, the fruits and vegetables should be no more than 10% of her diet and the diet should be mostly grass and hay. Diet changes with Rabbits should be gradual. Changing the diet too quickly can alter the normal gut flora significantly and cause major problems. If she has a lack of appetite or loose stools at any time, then I recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. I hope that helps and Lulu gets better soon.