Runt Bunny??

[xbabiixangelx]

Generally, she isn't sick, she's pretty healthy. but im still posting in this board coz she seems to have a few problems.

I have this rabbit who was a runt in the litter while here siblingsflourished and all got sold, we kept her as she was still pretty smaland to monitor her growth. its been about 3-4 months and she looks likea 3/4 wk old (dwarf lop btw) about the size of 2 hands, just.

shes pretty wobbly, when she was young she used to fallover a lot andcouldnt get herself up by herself, shes used to getting her self up nowand falls less often but i get worried when she does.

She also has no toenails in in one paw. and when you feel her you feelherspine even though we try to feed her up although it mightbe her mum too as she still lives in the same hutch. despite this, iveseen her eat and drink and she has a healthy appetite.

also, lots of swadust etc. gets stuck on her and i hav to pluck bitsoff her that stick underneath her coz her coat there is fluffly like ababy rabbit. this has made a small bald patch on her, or im not sureits another problem.

please help. im really stumped on her. id really like to keep her coz iluv her to bits (shes my sisters rabbit, she breed rabbits and i helpher feed and that). otherwise, shes a lovely bunny who wont bit anddoesnt ind getting held.

my sister was thinking she might be half a peanut, and she might not be digesting/absorbing some form of nutrient, im not sure.

i know its long but id like a fair idea if this is a common problem before taking to vets. thx.

 

[naturestee]

This is not a common problem, so a vet's advicewould definately be best. In case your sister is wondering,there is no such thing as half a peanut. True dwarfs have onedwarf and one regular size gene, while peanuts have two dwarfgenes. It does sound as though she has other congenitaldefects though. It would definately be a good idea to checkthat out. You'd have to ask the other breeders here, but itmight be best if the buns parents weren't mated together again as itmight result in another problem like this if it is genetic.

Have you tried using something else for bedding? Sawdustisn't very good because it's so dusty. It's much more likelyto stick to fur, which is apparently already a problem, and the dustcan cause eye irritation and respiratory problems. If she'san outdoor bun you can use straw, which is warmer for her in winteranyway. If she's indoors, you really only need litter in thelitter box although you can put newspaper on the bottom of the cage foraccidents.