Help!!! babies born with eyes open

[CeCe]

my girl had her first litter and they don’t look right, they all have eyes open, one has a cleft lip. i had a feeling she was pregnant but i didn’t think she was due, my daughter found them

my other girl had her first litter a few weeks ago with the same male and they are so beautiful, thriving

please help, i don’t know what to do, i feel for my baby girl

 

[JBun]

If they're netherland dwarf rabbits, the birth defect can be from the max factor gene that can cause kits to be born with their eyes open. If they aren't ND but a different breed, then it could be genes on the mom's side or possibly birth defects caused by a nutritional imbalance.

I would apply rabbit safe lubricating eye drops at least twice daily to help keep their eyes protected and prevent them drying out. Something with hyaluronic acid would probably work best to help maintain moisture on the eyes. You'll also want to make sure they aren't having any problems nursing and have full bellies each day. These are just things that I would do, though when in doubt it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

 

[CeCe]

thanks for your reply, they are dwarf lop

i think she’s already rejecting them, she used them as her potty area. i had to clean them up and the area

 

[Preitler]

That can happen, nothing to do with rejecting them. I prefer nestboxes where they can't sit upright, so I think that reduces the chances.

 

[CeCe]

i had a nest box with my last litter, but i didn’t put one in with her because i didn’t think she was due for a few more weeks

 

[SableSteel]

Do you have a better picture of the kits?

The eye and cleft issues are often caused by max factor. Most max factor kits have screwed up back feet (twisted inwared, or missing/extra toes) so if the eye issue kits have that too I'd comfortably say it's max factor. Max factor was originally in netherland dwarf but it has been bred into a few other breeds at this point, unfortunately.

 

[CeCe]

their legs look good