New Born Kit

Hi. I just got someone special in my life again. My new kit from a back to back surprise pregnancy. Just 12 hours old.Three kits, two died from fire ant attack (worst day of my life to see them leave the world like this). I just wanted to check on with you guys about the new kit. It looks healthy, but it was dehydrated. I fed it via flip feeding and now I think it's quite fine. Though the skin in the neck area seems to be a bit weird. But I am hoping it's not... I need some advice. I am attaching pictures. Also please see the nose area, what is that black soil like thing? It was there from birth. I tried to clean it with warm water and cotton. But it's so difficult to remove. The baby is pooping a lot but no urine even after stimulation. Please help.

I'm not sure about the neck or the stuff around the nose, but if mom is being good with the baby I would just leave her to take care of it now, provided she is doing a good job of feeding it. About all you can do with new baby bunnies is make sure they are being fed, and peeing and pooping, then the rest is up to nature. I'm sure since the baby is pooping that it will urinate soon as well now that it has nursed.

I cleaned the stuff around the nose successfully. It was soil maybe. I hope it urinates soon. As for now it's pooping a LOT. Not runny but hard and a LOT. As for the doe she is being very restless and was stamping on the kit just like before. So I am keeping them away for a while.

The kit looks fine to me

Has baby peed yet?

majorv said:

The kit looks fine to me

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Yeah. It does look fine but sometimes I am getting second thoughts. The doe is not producing enough milk I think because of the back to back pregnancy. I am trying to foster this baby to another doe in the next 24 hours.

Ivythelionhead said:

Has baby peed yet?

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No. It is pooping though. The doe stimulated and I also helped with warm water and cotton. I feel he's growing weak because he's not getting enough milk. That's why maybe no pee.

Be sure it stays warm, a lone kit can have problems heating the nest. A warm water bottle, wrapped in some cloth, or a heating pad on one side of the nest can help (one side because the kit will crawl to that zone that is most comfortable). It's important that it stays warm for their digestion.

Preitler said:

Be sure it stays warm, a lone kit can have problems heating the nest. A warm water bottle, wrapped in some cloth, or a heating pad on one side of the nest can help (one side because the kit will crawl to that zone that is most comfortable). It's important that it stays warm for their digestion.

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It's summer going on here and you know how bad a summer is in a tropical country :cry1: But yes, the baby is on fire literally. See, everytime I am feeding the tummy is round and looks okay and then in an hour or two it becomes flat. He is literally pooping like there's no tomorrow. Do you think he may have ingested red ants while his siblings (binky free) were attacked? Otherwise I am so worried that I have flip feeded four times today. He may have peed in the cloth and fur when I wasn't looking. I replaced everything. I attached another recent pic taken from a distance. Can he be a peanut/runt?

Relax! I understand you want to do anything possible, but I would give them some rest too. Don't worry too much, if something is going wrong there isn't that much you can do anyway.

You know that rabbit kits are fed only twice per day, and are left alone the rest of the time? That's different to many other animals. Ok, with a single kit some handling and moving now and then (which normally the other kits provide) may help somewhat to keep their bowels moving, but the first days they don't move that much anyway and sleep most of the time. It's a big step that it got something in it's stomach, but the belly doesn't need to be round all the time.

Preitler said:

Relax! I understand you want to do anything possible, but I would give them some rest too. Don't worry too much, if something is going wrong there isn't that much you can do anyway.

You know that rabbit kits are fed only twice per day, and are left alone the rest of the time? That's different to many other animals. Ok, with a single kit some handling and moving now and then (which normally the other kits provide) may help somewhat to keep their bowels moving, but the first days they don't move that much anyway and sleep most of the time. It's a big step that it got something in it's stomach, but the belly doesn't need to be round all the time.

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It PEED. Finally I am like phew! And he's showing normal health also. :wiggle Thank you for all the info. I have raised a surprise litter just a month back. I know the feeding rules. I lost two babies from the present litter and that made me extra worried and protective about the one bun I am left with. So I wanted to be sure about everything bad that could happen.

Hi again guys. It's been 48 hours since birth, but I am still not getting vibes of this baby being okay. I still feel he's dehydrated. He peed though. But he's wrinkly and small. He's a new zealand white and so I feel he cannot be a peanut (?). He has an amazing apetite also. I am feeding him four times but his tummy just won't be round. Here are some latest pics after a feed. Please advise.

You're correct that he wouldn't be a peanut since he isn't a dwarf breed, but it does sound like there could be something going on with him. It could be a digestive problem since he seems to be pooping so much, which is pretty unusual for a newborn baby rabbit to be pooping much at all. Or it could be a genetic factor. Or maybe some of the ants bit him and his body has to get rid of the toxins from the bites. Because baby rabbits are so small and fragile, there really isn't much more you can do for him besides making sure he is getting enough milk from mom. It does sound like he needs the extra feedings.

If he has digestive issues where he is having diarrhea(?), this can make him dehydrated, so he will need to be nursing more often to make up for it. I would just keep doing what you are doing with the extra feedings. You may even want to do it more often when you feel like he's starting to look wrinkly and dehydrated. Hopefully over the next few days this clears up. If the excess pooping stops and he doesn't get dehydrated as quickly, that should be a sign that whatever is going on is clearing up. And the extra nursing shouldn't hurt mom at all since he is the only baby nursing from her.

If those pictures are from right after a feed, his belly doesn't look very full. Usually it looks like they have a ball in their belly after feeding. But even if he isn't getting enough milk per feeding, you are already doing what you need to by making sure he eats more often.

Thank you, JBun. He's pooping normally now. But he peed just once in the whole day of 4 feedings. Also, he has grown fur so soon(within 48 hours). The pictures are after an hour or two after feeding. But even after feeding there's no change in the belly size. It's just the same. I pinched the nape of the neck, it's becoming smooth. So, that means it isn't dehydrated right? Then why is this belly size problem still prevailing?

I don't really know anything about baby bunnies but maybe he/she needs a chance for his/her body to get used to everything.

Honestly, if there is something wrong with his gut then there isn't anything you can do. He will slowly fade. Right now, he looks okay and he is growing hair, so he's absorbing some nutrition. It isn't always true that a kit will have a fat ping pong belly right after feeding. It doesn't necessarily mean they aren't getting enough to drink...as long as it's growing and continues to nurse just watch and wait

I gave him a 15 min feed time and now he looks better. I am now suspecting mother's production of milk.

majorv said:

Honestly, if there is something wrong with his gut then there isn't anything you can do. He will slowly fade. Right now, he looks okay and he is growing hair, so he's absorbing some nutrition. It isn't always true that a kit will have a fat ping pong belly right after feeding. It doesn't necessarily mean they aren't getting enough to drink...as long as it's growing and continues to nurse just watch and wait

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He is growing fur so fast. Like barely 48 hours, he has grown this much fur!