Help! Baby bunnies dying

[mybunbunbabies]

I have two New Zealand rabbits and the mom just gave birth 12 days ago to 3 beautiful babies. Just yesterday my favorite one opened his eyes. That morning they were nursing and it was so strong. By the afternoon it couldn't even sit on its feet and was too weak to nurse and by night it was dead. I was shocked and devastated and couldn't think of any reason why, but I figured the other two are healthy, maybe i hadn't seen warning signs with this one. Today, I noticed another baby. He was nursing well in morning and running around with out falling! Very healthy. But later he was scratching at his eyes, I was happy to see tho several minutes later his eyes were open! Beautiful red little eyes. I had just cleaned their nest out that morning before he opened his eyes. By afternoon, he was lethargic. And I'm afraid he will die tonight also! And what about my last little bun tomorrow! I live in a third world country so there are no vets I can visit. I dont want to lose my little last one. What is going on?? It is really hot here but the mom isn't even panting, and the temperature outside is under 100. They are in a room with a fan. Something else that is strange. I had a rabbit in America and I wasn't allergic. But it may be coincidence, but when I started holding the mom of these babies, I broke out in a full body rash.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Check and make sure that milk is flowing. It may be that she is all clogged up. I would give her some oats, it will help with her milk supply. I would bring them inside or give them a cold water bottle. Do they have fleas or mites?

 

[mybunbunbabies]

Check and make sure that milk is flowing. It may be that she is all clogged up. I would give her some oats, it will help with her milk supply. I would bring them inside or give them a cold water bottle. Do they have fleas or mites?

Ok, I was just googling now bc my Indian friend brought me scabies medication for my itch ( something I had seen before in kids, but did not really a rash yet), and sure enough the mom rabbit has scabies. I didn't recognize it because...I've never seen it before in rabbits nor have I seen her scratching. Would that be enough to kill the babies? And it's so strange, they didn't lose energy to nurse till their eyes opened. I will check for milk.

 

[mybunbunbabies]

The mother has good milk flow. I even put the baby on the nipple that had milk and it wouldn't drink. It nursed less than usual. I will try again later I guess.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

The babies are dying from scabies. You need to treat this rabbit and the babies now! They will all die if not treated. MediRabbit

 

[mybunbunbabies]

I'll definitely treat the mom as soon as shops open tomorrow and the baby if it survives.

 

[JBun]

No, the babies are not necessarily dying from scabies, unless you can visially see that they have a severe infestation, but even then it's not likely to cause them to go from acting fine to dying later that day. I would not treat the baby. They are much too young to be getting the medication needed to treat scabies. Babies should be at least 8 weeks old if they need to be treated, unless in very specific circumstances where treatment is necessary and essential for them to survive.

Just treating the mom is going to cause the medication to pass through the milk to the babies to some extent, which at this age isn't a good thing but if it's necessary for the mom to be treated now then that's unavoidable.

I would suspect the baby may have died because the mom either has mastitis and passed the infection through her milk, or they are possibly being exposed to some sort of toxin in their environment now that they are out of the nest and moving around. I would check the mom's nipples for any redness or if they are hard and showing signs of mastitis. Then I would carefully check their environment for any possibility of toxins, and also check their food/ the mom's food for any signs of mold. If the mom has mastitis, the remaining babies will have to be removed from being with the mom and will need to be very carefully hand fed, and the mom will need the proper antibiotic treatment.

 

[mybunbunbabies]

No, the babies are not necessarily dying from scabies, unless you can visially see that they have a severe infestation, but even then it's not likely to cause them to go from acting fine to dying later that day. I would not treat the baby. They are much too young to be getting the medication needed to treat scabies. Babies should be at least 8 weeks old if they need to be treated, unless in very specific circumstances where treatment is necessary and essential for them to survive.

Just treating the mom is going to cause the medication to pass through the milk to the babies to some extent, which at this age isn't a good thing but if it's necessary for the mom to be treated now then that's unavoidable.

I would suspect the baby may have died because the mom either has mastitis and passed the infection through her milk, or they are possibly being exposed to some sort of toxin in their environment now that they are out of the nest and moving around. I would check the mom's nipples for any redness or if they are hard and showing signs of mastitis. Then I would carefully check their environment for any possibility of toxins, and also check their food/ the mom's food for any signs of mold. If the mom has mastitis, the remaining babies will have to be removed from being with the mom and will need to be very carefully hand fed, and the mom will need the proper antibiotic treatment.

As far as I can tell the remaining baby doesn't have a severe case, just itches occasionally at its ear and above it's eye. I did put aloe on it's itchy areas bc aloe is supposed to work and you're right, I dont know how the babies will react to the medicine. I read the link the other person posted and i guess scabies can cause anemia? That seems to be the only thing that makes sense because they eat fine then lose energy in a matter of hours.

I have checked the mom, the nipples are a very light pink and don't look red or swollen or hard and she is producing milk. There are no toxins in the environment and I keep their area clean, her food and water are also clean. Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll keep trying to keep this baby alive, and tomorrow I will get medicine for the mom.