Obesity

Obesity, like so many rabbit disorders, is the result of poor management . Rabbits shut up for long periods in a confined space are most at risk. They need far more freedom to exercise, and possibly a small adjustment to their diet: more greenstuffs, and less high calorie foods such as grains, balanced food pellets and bread.

The largest breeds tend to develop a dewlap under the chin. The does are most prone to this, and although the dewlap may look ominously like a goitre, it is in fact a roll of fatty tissue. A small one is to be expected in breeds as large as the New Zealand White and the Flemish Giant. Smaller breeds should maintain their neat build throughout life.