Yes, and the reasons differ from those for a dainty house breed. New Zealand rabbits are large, muscular animals originally developed as a meat breed, and they grow quickly in their first months before settling into a substantial adult frame. That size is exactly why a log helps: healthy growth, creeping heaviness, and foot strain all look similar from across the room, but on paper they separate cleanly.
Weighing a rabbit who outgrows the kitchen scale
Start by choosing equipment that fits the animal: a baby scale, a luggage scale with a sturdy box, or weighing yourself holding the rabbit and subtracting, used the same way every time. Young New Zealand rabbits should show a steady upward curve, so weekly entries during growth are genuinely informative rather than obsessive. Once growth levels off, the log's job changes: an adult whose line keeps climbing is telling you pellets or treats have outpaced exercise. Record the method beside early entries so that a later scale change does not create a phantom jump in the chart.
Feet, joints, and the notes size makes important
Weight in a heavy breed lands on the hocks. Add a weekly foot check to the log: look for thinning fur, pink or sore patches on the heels, and note the flooring your rabbit spends time on — wire or hard surfaces plus extra weight is an unkind combination for this breed. Record willingness to move, too. A New Zealand who used to cross the pen for greens but now waits to be served may be uncomfortable rather than lazy, and a dated log shows when that reluctance began. Appetite and droppings still belong on the page; a large rabbit produces plenty of both, so a clear drop stands out if you have yesterday's entry to compare.
Food records for a famously good appetite
New Zealand rabbits enjoy eating, which makes food notes especially valuable. Log pellet amounts honestly, including top-ups and treats from other family members — in multi-person households the log often reveals that the rabbit has been fed twice because nobody wrote the first feeding down. Note hay type and how much of the pile disappears, since hay remains the gut's engine even in a breed that would happily live on pellets alone. Greens rotations and any loose droppings that followed them belong on the same line. During the growth months, add a weekly length-and-girth impression as well — stretched out fully at rest, filling more of the pen's corner mat, outgrowing a hide that fitted last month — because a young New Zealand rabbit should be visibly building frame, and a growth stall hidden inside a simple weight plateau is easier to defend at the vet when your notes describe size as well as mass.
Acting on what a big rabbit's log shows
Use monthly reviews to adjust one thing at a time: more floor time if the adult curve climbs, softer resting surfaces if hock notes repeat, a vet discussion if movement changes or appetite falls away. A large rabbit who stops eating or produces no droppings needs prompt veterinary care, as with any rabbit. Because different people may handle a rabbit of this size, KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps the growth chart, foot notes, and visit history in a single shared packet, so every handler and clinician works from the same figures.