3 Week Old Kit Failure to Thrive

[Tuptup2023]

Hello everyone!
I don’t really know how to approach this situation since this is my first time with baby bunnies.

My lionhead doe mated with my lionhead buck and they had a litter of 6 kits. When they were born, all the kits looked normal and around the same size. They remained the same size up until a week ago when one of them was clearly malnourished. I’ve been feeding it KMR since (advise of vet) but it seems to remain the same size and never gain weight. I did try to have private feedings with mom but the baby won’t suckle. When it walks, it falls over and usually ends up rolling onto its back unable to get up. It almost looks like he has splayed legs but then when it hunches, it can “drag” its body around its nest with its upper body. Generally, it moves around a lot so it has a lot of energy but it just seems like a failure to thrive…even its fur looks different and it has sparse hair on its neck and upper chest.
Any advise or recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[Tuptup2023]

Here are some videos.

 

[JBun]

It could have a genetic problem, or it could be a milk allergy, or an internal parasite issue. It's really just a guessing game at that young of an age. I would continue to hand feed it. If you think it could be a milk allergy, there's always trying a different milk formula.

If the kit manages to survive to be a bit older and still isn't thriving, the only time I know of someone turning that around, is treating with fenbendazole liquid dewormer for a possible parasite cause. I know of two different rabbits that this successfully corrected whatever was causing the 'failure to thrive', and the kits didn't have growth issues after that.

If you have further concerns, it's usually best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet. Though I'm not sure there's anything they could do either, until the kit was older.

https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/

 

[Tuptup2023]

It could have a genetic problem, or it could be a milk allergy, or an internal parasite issue. It's really just a guessing game at that young of an age. I would continue to hand feed it. If you think it could be a milk allergy, there's always trying a different milk formula.

If the kit manages to survive to be a bit older and still isn't thriving, the only time I know of someone turning that around, is treating with fenbendazole liquid dewormer for a possible parasite cause. I know of two different rabbits that this successfully corrected whatever was causing the 'failure to thrive', and the kits didn't have growth issues after that.

If you have further concerns, it's usually best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet. Though I'm not sure there's anything they could do either, until the kit was older.

https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/

Thank you! I will try a different formula. Should I worry about the other kits if this one has a parasitic infection?

 

[JBun]

If the other kits are growing normally and have no signs of any problems, I wouldn't worry. It could be this kit just didn't start out with a strong immune system, or there's a genetic issue that you likely can't do anything about besides try your best to help the kit.

 

[majorv]

Sometimes it’s best to let nature take its course. Failure to thrive usually ends in death, or health issues that don’t give it a good quality of life. JMO after 8 years of breeding & showing rabbits.