Reddit reviews Ancol Small Animal Treat Ball
We found 3 Reddit comments about Ancol Small Animal Treat Ball. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Add chopped fruit and veg to the treat ball and adjust opening to control flow of treatsIdeal for rabbits, hamster and guinea pigsKeep your small furry friend occupied for hours with this small treat ballWith is bright colours and pattern they will love playing with this toyA great boredom buster
I have a 9 or 10 y.o. who is partially disabled so is also losing weight despite having free reign over our living room.
Our vet cautioned us against feeding too much sugary fruit. Even though these foods are higher in calories, the sugar will upset the natural bacteria balance in their guts. Our vet suggested doubling the pellets but not unlimited. Also, she suggested briefly using pellets designed for young rabbits (Oxbow makes an excellent high quality one) because they have more calories. This should only be for the short term, however.
Don't forget unlimited hay... with older rabbits (Though 7 is not toooooo old) sometimes they respond better to Orchard Grass (Again, Oxbow) because it is safe and healthy for unlimited use, but it's softer and sweeter tasting (apparently, I have not personally tasted it haha)
Exercising the bun will help too - to rebuild atrophied muscles. This thing Treat Ball is an insanely popular toy for our 2 rabbits. Fill it with Oxbow pellets and when they push it w/ their noses a few fall out at a time. They catch on quick and it really motivates movement. This will help build muscle mass, which is what you want.
I got mine one of these to put pellets in and he LOVES IT. I also sometimes put pellets in a box that has shredded paper bits in it so he has to "dig" for them.
How much dry food is she being fed? The problem with rabbits is that they like to act like they are starving even after you give them a full meal - it's important not to give them pellets whenever they 'seem' hungry. Providing they have an unlimited supply of hay, they will never go hungry, and hay won't make them fat. She only needs about an eggcup full of pellets per day along with a handful of fresh greens (avoid sugary root vegetable and fruits). Some vets even advise to cut out pellets completely for very overweight rabbits, however this should only be done if advised by your vet. If the weight won't budge I would talk to a rabbit-savvy vet and try to figure out some sort of diet plan.
Unfortunately lazy rabbits may need an extra nudge to get moving! One thing you can do is make her work for her food - rather than giving it in a bowl, make her work for it by scattering it around the room or put it in a treat ball. You can also make her environment more stimulating to make her want to move around more - provide new things like cardboard boxes, tunnels, boxes filled with hay that she can dig through, etc.