i have a silver fox rabbit for 4 month now but is still so small like a baby rabbit.why is it growing so slow

Question

i don't know what is wrong.there is always food in the cage and even when i'm with him, i feed it.it seem like he is not growing at all.i don't know if i'm doing something wrong. i feed him pellet, hay,dry furits, fresh veggies and fresh grasses..

i had read it online that a silver fox rabbit is suppose to grow to 9-12 lb. Medium size rabbit...but

mine is not growing as fast as other rabbit that i know...

Answer 1

Have you ever considered it could be a miniature rabbit?

Answer 2

I know people will at times give too many treats and the bunnies don't get the nutrition they need to grow properly. By reading what you are feeding I think that would be the most likely problem. Your bunnys should be getting mainly a good quality rabbit pellet about 14 percent protein. It needs to be fresh too. Very often pet foods are in warehouse or on shelves too long and they lose some of their food value. Rabbit food is best used within 3 months of milling. Longer than that and the vitamin A starts to drop drastically. You may be able to get fresher food from a livestock feed dealer. If they will let you, buy just a small amount at a time so you can use it before it starts losing its value. Like i said the main part of the diet needs to be the good quality rabbit pellet the other things should be given as treats. If you change the eating habits of your bunny do it gradually over a few weeks to prevent tummy problems.
Also possible is that the bunny could need to be wormed, or that it could be a dwarf breed that is the color of the silver fox rabbit, or a cross of a silver fox and a dwarf breed of rabbit.
I included 2 websites you can see rabbit breeds on and where my knowledge comes from. Good luck and I'm glad to meet another person that loves bunnies.

Answer 3

How old is the rabbit? Rabbits normally won't reach full adult weight until about 8-12 months old. That partially depends on the rabbit.

Also are you sure it's a Silver Fox and not some Marten variety of Netherland Dwarf?

Also, I'd recommend not feeding the fruits, fresh veggies, and fresh grasses. That could be part of the problem. Those could be causing your rabbit to have diahrrea and if it does have that it is not going to gain weight. The pellets are what give your rabbit the proper nutritional balance that it needs. Stick to just the pellets and water and maybe a small half handful of timothy hay. Also, don't feed your rabbit a show formula feed it doesn't have the protein your rabbit needs to grow. Show formula feeds are meant to maintain a coat after the rabbit has been brought to a prime coat by lowering the protein and increasing the fiber.

If your rabbit is not growing like it should take a feel over the rabbit's back. If it is sick or not eating properly when you run your hand over the back the backbone will feel all rough and the back will not feel smooth like it should. Also check it's rear end and cage to see if you see any soft or loose stool in either place (signs of diahrrea).

Lastly, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to treat your rabbit for coccidiosis, using liquid amprolium to treat for it. The powder form that gets added to water doesn't work for rabbits. The particulates are too large to get absorbed into the rabbit's system. Sulfaquinoxiline could also be used treat coccidiosis, but if it is given too long or in too large of a dose it could damage the rabbit's kidneys or liver. Also, it would probably be a good idea to treat your rabbit a week or two later for parasites by giving it a shot of Ivomectin. Both coccidiosis treatment with amprolium and parasite treatment with Ivomectin are good preventative treatments for rabbits to help keep them healthy.

PS - I was reading what filmmaker wrote after I submitted mine. Filmmaker for the most part gave good advice, but 14% is wrong as far as protein. That is much too low of a percentage of protein. Doc Reed who was the expert on rabbit nutrition for many years recommended 16% protein. I use Heinold's 17-17 which has a 17% protein then I add a small amount of timothy hay which slightly increases the fiber and reduces the protein. I'd recommend about 16-17% protein for your feed except if you are trying to maintain a rabbit that already has a good coat of fur, then switch to that brand of feed's show formula to help hold the coat of fur. Protein helps produce new hair follicles. If too many hair follicles are pushed out on that good coat of fur your rabbit will start loosing that good coat of fur, that is why rabbit breeders lower that protein temporarily. Once the rabbit looses its show coat, go back to the regular ration of rabbit feed. It will help bring a good new coat of fur in quicker. Show feeds were only meant to maintain a coat, not to grow rabbits on. Show feeds have normally around 15% protein. Filmmaker recommend 14% which is even under that and that is defnitely not enough to get your rabbit to grow well on. It needs that 16-17% protein to help build muscle, especially if your rabbit is growing or milking babies.