Obesity in Rabbits (Causes and Prevention)

Obesity is not just a condition that affects us, humans, it can affect animals too and our pet rabbits are no exception. In fact, rabbits seem to be quite prone to the condition as they are quite often spoiled by their owners. This willingness to spoil our rabbits, often combined with a lack of education on our part as owners to understand the correct foods to feed our bunnies means that it’s easy to find ourselves with an overweight, unhealthy and lethargic pet!

Rabbits put on weight when given too many high-carb foods and sugary treats. Although an active rabbit may still burn off enough calories to avoid becoming obese, when a rabbit has a poor diet and insufficient space to exercise (and burn off excess calories) obesity can be the result.

Rabbit obesity causes

Of course, while overeating and lack of exercise is the main cause of rabbit obesity, the underlying cause of obesity is often us owners. Contrary to what pet stores would have us believe a rabbit is an advanced pet with very specific needs and requirements. Unlike more ‘exotic’ and less common pets (e.g. reptiles) rabbits have a low buying price and this means that a lot of people fall in love with the idea of a rabbit without looking at the realities of rabbit ownership.

Some new owners will take time to learn about rabbits in order to be able to give their pet a healthy lifestyle (we would assume you fall into this category if you are taking time to read this). Others don’t even consider the complex dietary (and exercise requirement) and unknowingly spoil their bunnies with all manner of unhealthy treats.

Store bought treats are made to appeal to owners, not rabbits. They are usually in brightly coloured packaging designed to catch the eye and persuade us to part with our hard earned cash! These treats contain high amounts of sugar and are very bad for a rabbit.

Along with treats, even pellets, fruits and some types of vegetables fed in excess can lead to a rabbit becoming overweight – carrots contain a very high amount of sugar! It’s easy to see how important it is to know the foods rabbits should and shouldn’t be eating.

Aside from dietary requirements and an owner’s responsibility for feeding the right foods, a rabbit also needs to be given enough room to exercise. In the wild, a rabbit enjoys large open spaces in which to burn off energy and while most of us don’t have the luxury of unlimited space, domesticated rabbits need access to an exercise area with a minimum size of around 12 square feet in order to keep fit.

Rabbits have a sweet tooth (and can’t be trusted not to eat excessive amounts of food (or treats) if you keep providing them) so it’s up to you to us to feed them a healthy and nutritious diet. We also determine the amount of exercise our bunnies get by the amount of space we provide them to play. Cooping them up in a tiny hutch with barely enough room to stretch out will make it more or less impossible for them to live an active lifestyle. The main point is that we owners bear the responsibility for keeping the animal healthy.

How long does it take for a rabbit to become obese?

Of course, this depends on the exercise amount and calorie excess described. Although rabbits sleep about 8 hours a day they are generally very active while awake, especially at dawn and dusk. A rabbit with sufficient space can burn off calorie excess even with a poor diet, however, a rabbit fed a relatively good diet given nowhere to run and play will put on weight. Excess food coupled with no space to exercise is a combination that will see your rabbit put on a lot of weight in as little as a month or two. This can inevitably lead to all sorts of possible health issues.

How to identify an obese rabbit

Obesity is common in companion animals including rabbits however it can be difficult to see a rabbit’s body condition, especially in longer-haired breeds. A guideline of telling if any particular rabbit species may be overweight can be the use of the expected ‘normal’ body sizes and weight ranges of each species. These standards are used for judging purposes, and an obese rabbit will have more body fat than is healthy for its particular species.

Although not entirely accurate due to the wide variety of different rabbit weights and sizes (particularly with mixed breeds) body condition scoring can still be a useful technique in monitoring your pet’s condition. With bunnies, feeling of the ribs, pelvis, and spine, and assigning (and recording) a score for future reference is a good way to monitor and keep track of your rabbit’s weight.

Ribs are an easy area to assess and can be felt just behind the elbows with a greater pressure needing to be applied to feel them if the rabbit is fat (ribs will of course feel sharper in a skinnier rabbit).

Competition officials will also use body condition scoring to judge certain physical attributes. Scores are usually between 1 and 5 with 3 being the ideal. A score of 3 means being able to feel the rabbit’s ribs without them appearing too pronounced to the naked eye (which would indicate the rabbit is underweight). If you cannot see or feel the ribs of the rabbit or you have to push to feel them, the rabbit is overweight.

You can use the table below to asses your own rabbits current and future body condition.

Health issues relating to obesity

Just as in humans obesity is associated with many health issues which can be potentially life-threatening. The most commonly known issues in rabbits are GI stasis and flystrike.

GI stasis (or ileus) is one of the most common rabbit issues and although obesity by itself may not cause a rabbit to stop eating and develop this problem, weight gain and excess fat will definitely have a negative effect on a rabbit’s digestive system and recovery ability.

Flystrike (or Myiasis) is another common condition that often affects overweight bunnies. Bunnies often sit in their own poop which isn’t a problem as rabbits are very clean animals that clean themselves and their companions if they have any.

The problem with overweight bunnies is that they are unable to reach to clean themselves meaning they are more prone to having poop stuck to them which can attract flies. When a fly lands, it lays eggs that very quickly turn into maggots especially if you aren’t regularly checking and cleaning your rabbit.

If left unnoticed these can become wounds as maggots burrow into the rabbit’s skin and internal organs. This is not only distressing for you as an owner but also agony for the poor rabbit.

Another issue often associated with a rabbits weight as it’s particularly common in bigger bunnies is sore hocks (Pododermatitis). It starts as an inflammation on the hocks of the feet and quickly becomes very painful, eventually affecting a bunnies ability to walk.

While there are other causes of this problem, such as rough or wired flooring, a sedentary lifestyle and the extra pressure caused by excess weight can aggravate this painful condition.

How to stop a rabbit from becoming fat or obese

None of us like to see our pets get sick and the best way to prevent obesity in rabbits is to keep their diet simple and allow them plenty of room to exercise. Rabbits really do not need high carbohydrate sugary treats and a natural diet of good grass/timothy hay should form the main part of their dietary intake.

Fruits although tasty also contain a lot of sugar and should be considered a treat food. Root vegetables like carrots & beetroot also fall into the treat category. A very small amount of pellets (about half an eggcup) along with two cups of leafy greens per day will fill any vitamin gaps. Both treats and pellets should be fed sparingly.

Combine this healthy diet with exercise by ensuring that your rabbit has access to a run or a room in your house filled with entertaining toys and things to do. A 24/7 play area or room is the best and will reduce the likelihood of your bunny becoming under-exercised however a couple of hours of supervised playtime in a garden or large run will also suffice.

For unfamiliar surroundings, consider using a harness to supervise your pet and deter predators. Secure playpens in the home such as those used for dogs and cats can also be useful and can stop your pet from getting into mischief (or destroying your furniture).

We hope you find this short article helpful, remember a healthy lifestyle is important for both us and our bunnies and our pets and they rely on us to keep them in tip-top condition!