Runt of the litter not being fed

[maxysmummy]

this is runty, he's not being fed. (or doesnt look like it to me...)

can i feed him myself? should i? if so, what do i do?

(p.s his body looks really short in this pic, his back is just curled over, he looks physically normal except smaller and wrinkly)

 

[maxysmummy]

so we just fed him a little stuff we got from the vet... he didnt seem to want to drink too much of it.

does he look underfed?

 

[iluvdutchrabbbits90]

I would just hold mom on the floor,just let her relax like she is standing. And just let him go under and and he will nurse. This is what i do with runts, or first time mom's who, arnt sure what to do.

 

[maxysmummy]

omg thankyou so much!!! its working already... should we just give runty nursing time separately every day?

how long do the babies nurse for?

i think he just cant compete with his siblings for the teats. whenever we look into the nest he is on the outside of the huddle trying to crawl back in...

 

[maxysmummy]

seriously icant thank you enough, i was so worried about runty he was so skinnyy and shrivvled. now mama is licking llews face while she feeds runty form underneath.

he's still quite wrinkly but he's got a lil ping pong belly now... will the wrinkles go away when he's fully fed or will it take a while for them to go down?

 

[Flash Gordon]

is momma cleaning the runt?.if ur making sure that the runt is getting food from mommma and shes not cleaning him .,then u gotta help him go to the bathroom...lukewarm soft washcloth and lightly rub over the genitals and he should go potty for ya...ur basically replacing mommas tongue for the warm washcloth.

 

[maxysmummy]

mum is licking him dw

i don't think it's a matter of her abandoning him or anything i seriously just think he struggles to fight for a nipple when mama is feeding his 3 older siblings! hopefully we will only have to do "runty" feedings for a few more days.

so cute though watching him suckle on her and wiggle around like the bald hairless thing he is

rabbit nipples are so odd!

 

[maxysmummy]

the baby rabbits are getting quite vocal, is this normal?

 

[pamnock]

Baby bunnies can be quite vocal, especially around dinner time. (If you touch the nest, they will often start popping about and squeaking loudly.)

As long as they appear healthy, I wouldn't worry.

 

[iluvdutchrabbbits90]

Yup some of my lionheads seem to have big litters,so their is always one or 2 that need feeding alone. I would do that 2-3 times a day to catch him up.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

good to hear things are on the right track.

 

[maxysmummy]

Runty is a lot less developed than his siblings... (funny how one auto assumes a gender for them so young). While they have grown a thin layer of down, runty remains hairless. Although we fill his belly up on mamas teats, he still remains wrinkled. I'm hoping it's just because he is the runt.

I've grown so attached to the lil dude, I hope he is ok

It's funny this experience has made me not only totally understand breeders

But also totally not understand how they do it.

Such an incredible experience but thinking of losing a litter or a doe or even one baby would be heart breaking :'(