Help For Baby Runt Please

[xHeatherx]

Hi everyone,

2 weeks ago today my rabbit had 4 kittens 3 are doing great but the runts not diong well at all. I dont think he/she is getting enough milk from mom because hes so small hes getting pushed out. His eyes arnt open yet where as the others are open, i was wondering wether there is any milk i could feed him with? I have tried yesterday to get him to feed off mom al;one but he just hasnt got the energy to drink.

any help will be really really helpful

thanks so much for any help

Heather

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

You can syringe feed him KMR (liquid kind). You can get that at a pet store. Just make sure you are careful as you don't want him to aspirate it. What breed are the babies? It could be that the baby is not a runt but a double dwarf. This happens in breeds that carry the dwarfing gene.

Good luck.....Sharon

 

[aurora369]

I would supplement the little one with some pedialyte to get him hydrated and give him a bit of energy. Keep trying him with mom because mom is his best bet.

Take all the other babies out of the nest and put mom in the nest over top of the little one. He should start feeding on his own from beneath her.

What kind of rabbits are they? If they are dwarves, it is possible that you have peanut. A peanut is a baby that has recieved two dwarfing genes from the parents, and it is a lethal combination. Peanuts are normally pinched in the hind quarters and have very small ears.

Could you post some pictures of mom and babies? You'll need to use an online photo hosting site like Photobucket.

--Dawn

 

[TinysMom]

First of all, the heartbreaking part is - not every rabbit can and will make it through weaning age. I just lost one yesterday and while I saw it coming a day ahead of time (it appeared to have pneumonia or something)- it was still tough. My little one was less than a month old.

If he is too weak to drink - the odds are good he's past being able to be saved....but we can always try.

There are two things you can do.

a. Get some kitten milk replacer and try to give the baby some with an eye dropper or maybe even a q-tip. I drop a drop on their lips (or "paint" their lips with the qtip) to get them to drink. I've found that using a syringe often sends the fluid into their lungs and they die.

b. Put mama in a box or basket with some of her favorite treats...some nice hay...etc. and then put baby in under her. Many times I'll hold mama (lightly) in the box by having my hand on top of her and offering her treats...while we try to get her milk to let down so the baby can nurse. Most of my does have learned that if I'm doing this - we WILL stay in the box for at least 10-15 minutes to give the baby a chance at nursing.

Something else you can try to do is to flip the doe on her back and have someone else put the baby on top of mama's tummy - on a nipple - to nurse. This doesn't work well for me as mama will frequently kick or fight me. This is why putting them in the box seems to work so well - they are on ground and don't feel so threatened or "exposed".

I'm sorry if I sound discouraging - because I really do know the heartbreak of losing a baby. Its just - I don't want you kicking yourself if you can't save the baby....because if it is too weak to nurse - odds are good it is too far gone to save. But we always keep trying here....

Peg

 

[bluebird]

im sorry hes not doing well.there are several breeds that carry the dwarfing gene mini rex,jeresey woolies,Holland lops etc.they sometimes have peanut (runt) babies that die.not all runts are peanuts.bluebird

 

[xHeatherx]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for getting back to me i was pretty desperate. Sadly the little one did not make it, there lops x with a dwarf (long story). I realised sometimes lops are small but its not just there size its whats on the inside too. My mom told me that his insides might not have developed proply and thats why he couldnt suckle. i dont know weather thats what happend but i didnt want to drown the little guy.

Thanks again for all your helpl

Heather

 

[Flashy]

I'm so sorry that you lost this little guy.

It sounds like he might have been a peanut, as the others have said, and that can mean all sorts of problems. Peanuts are not expected to survive very long at all.

Please don't feel this was anything you did.

How are the rest of the litter doing?