Rabbit ideal weight: check it with your hands, track it on the scales

The UK veterinary charity PDSA offers a simple three-level chart, based on what you can see and feel under your hand. It works for every breed, because the ideal weight varies but the right shape does not:

1: too thin

Wasted muscles, hollow rump; ribs, spine and hips sticking out, feeling sharp.

2: ideal weight

You can feel the ribs, spine and hips without seeing them; the rump is flat and the belly doesn’t sag.

3: obese

Thick layers of fat, rounded rump; you can no longer feel the ribs or other bones.

A healthy rabbit generally has no visible waist: don’t look for one as you would on a dog.

• Base of the tailGently pinch where the tail meets the spine: there should be no roll of fat.
• RibsRun your flat hands along their sides: the skin should slide freely over ribs that are easy to feel.
• Spine and hipsAlong the back, they should be easy to feel under the skin, without sticking out.
• BellyIt should tuck in, not sag.

Keep your rabbit on all four feet, well supported: according to the PDSA, you should never turn a rabbit onto their back, which is very stressful for them.

• Weigh yourself holding your rabbit snugly against you, then without them, and work out the difference.
• For a small rabbit this method isn’t precise enough: your vet can weigh them on suitable scales.
• Weigh them and note the result at least once a month, as the Scottish Government’s pet rabbit welfare guidance recommends.
• Weight loss can reveal a dental problem or another illness: it is the trend that counts.

An overweight rabbit can no longer turn round to clean their bottom: according to the PDSA, they are at risk of flystrike, when flies lay eggs in soiled fur. Excess weight also contributes to arthritis and heart problems, and wears away the fur under the back feet until the skin becomes sore.

The causes are often the same: too many pellets, muesli-style mixes, too many treats, and not enough space to move.

• Start with your vet: they will rule out illness and set a target. Many practices run weight clinics.
• Keep hay unlimited: you never ration a rabbit’s hay.
• Weigh the pellets and cut out sugary treats.
• Give them space and chances to move every day: exercise matters as much as diet.
• Aim for slow weight loss: according to the PDSA, losing weight too quickly can cause liver problems.

Log every weigh-in in MyArk: the chart shows everyone in the household whether the weight is stable, or whether a diet is bringing it down gently, and the latest weigh-in is to hand at the vet’s.

• A weight chart for each pet, over time
• A weigh-in reminder, for example every month
• Meals logged by the whole household: no more double treats
• An up-to-date weight for the vet and for dosing a treatment