Baby born with no eye or nest box eye?

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equipix

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A little back story on this first.

About 6 years ago, my neighbor had a few of his hutch rabbits get loose and move in under my feed shed. After about a year, they had babies. I thought I had caught all the males and had them neutered, but apparently, I missed one. Needless to say, we have had many generations of bunnies born under this shed and in the barn. All the bunnies are semi-domesticated. On occasion, I have been able to pick them up when they were juveniles and can get within 2 feet of the adults. They are well fed, watered and seem very happy.

Yesterday, two new babies appeared. They are in the horse stalls and wander about. One was smaller than the other and looked like it's eyes had not opened yet, but he was cruising about and starting to eat hay. On closer inspection (he let me pick him up) it appears he only has one eye. The "missing eye" is not gunky, it just has hair there and does not appear to cause him stress. I also noticed two other things, he doesn't seem to have very good hearing...he's not very reactive to noises and a very loud diesel truck started up right next to the barn and he didn't even flinch (it's the first time he would have heard this sound) and when he moves around, he looks like a wobbly kangaroo, almost like he has balance issues. He does not appear to have head tilt. Strangely, he seems quite content, happy to be held and is foraging for food.

I'm questioning whether I should bring him in and raise him as a pet. If I leave him outside without good eyesight or hearing, he will be picked off by a dog, hawk or owl. The rabbits are generally safe from the dogs as the dogs are kept away from the shed with pig fence, but the rabbits are free to come and go as they choose. I don't mind raising him as a pet and letting him with my other rabbits once I know he doesn't have anything contagious, but I wonder if he has other health issues. Any thoughts?
 
My guess would be that these are genetic abnormalities. If these rabbits have dwarf in them at all it could be related to the dwarfing gene. There is a genetic abnormality called max factor that can cause eye issues, as well as problems with their limbs which could account for the unsteadiness. If no dwarf genetics, it could just be some other genetic issue. To me it doesn't sound at all connected to a contagious illness like e. cuniculi, which would be a cause of wry neck.

You're right that the little bun probably wouldn't last very long given his disabilities. And bringing him in would certainly be a kind thing to do and help prolong his lifespan. But given that he does seem to have some genetic issues, you should just be prepared with the possibility that he still might not live very long, and that he could also develop complex health problems that will require ongoing vet care. Though it's also possible he could live a good long life and be perfectly healthy otherwise.

Having disabilities, you will also need to consider his quality of life and make sure his disabilities aren't causing significant distress or pain. If the little bun is doing well despite his disabilities, and seems happy and is thriving, then I would agree that bringing him in and caring for him seems like the best thing. If you do decide to take care of him, if he is still very young I would wait til he looks to be about 6 weeks old or til you are certain he has been weaned by mom, just so he is still getting nursed and mom's milk and helpful antibodies for as long as possible. Though also provided you feel he will be ok and safe while you wait for him to be old enough to separate from the others. If you do have to wait til he is old enough to separate, it would be good to still handle him as often as possible just so that he stays socialized with people, which will make his transition to being inside easier.

I too would be inclined to bring him in and have him as a house bun. It certainly would provide him with a better life since his disabilities are bound to put him at risk from predators, as well as give him issues being in a warren with other rabbits that might see him as being vulnerable. If you do decide to take him in and you would like to post photos and give an update, I would love to hear and see how he is doing in his new home.
 
Honestly, if it were me I would not raise the rabbit with my other [healthy] existing rabbits. I think the likelihood of there being other severe health problems are high, as is the probability of transfer of disease. Even with quarantining, there are risks. If the rabbit appears to be unable to survive in the present situation, I would humanely euthanize if it were me personally.
 
Thanks for the responses and good advice. I wasn't set up to bring him in right away, so I decided to leave him with his mother a little longer as he wasn't in any real distress. I'd like to say that I could give a real update, but I haven't seen him or his siblings for a few days. I'm not sure if they are keeping quiet or if something has happened to them. Even all the adults are laying low. I will post a further update if anything occurs. I hope he makes it, but mother nature makes the rules.
 

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