Fat Rabbits Join Cats And Dogs On The Sofa

There are rabbits lolling around in 600,000 households in the UK - far too many of them, an estimated 30%, (says the Rabbit Welfare Association, RWA), are obese. Now, a UK pet insurer has warned that 25% of its 2007 claims for pet rabbits relate to dietary issues, in particular, obesity ..and downright laziness.

Following our UK Fat Cats.. article last week, Pet healthcare insurance provider Pet Protect, (Domestic & General) got in touch to say that it is not just cats and dogs that are overweight, "our bunnies also need to watch their weight," said the company.

Pet Protect spokeswoman, Ruth Cottam, told us:

"Pets are heading the way of their human owners and pet obesity is of great concern since it is linked to many other conditions. I hope the current interest in the topic will help promote responsible pet ownership and make people think twice before spoiling their rabbits with cookies, cake and chocolate. It really is terribly bad for them and must be cut out.

"Fat rabbits are usually lazy too which makes the whole situation worse and so a combination of a healthy diet with plenty of exercise is recommended, just as for humans".

Pet Protect is one of the few pet insurance providers that offer cover to rabbits and it is urging new owners to feed their rabbits a high fibre diet based on fresh hay or grass with additional vegetables and fruit, such as carrots, celery, greens and apples (without stems and seeds). The suggested amount is at least three different kinds of fruit and vegetable per day.