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leopella

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Hello I need some advice my doe died and left two baby’s
They were 7 days old when she died it took a couple of days to get them to drink the formula
by then they were pretty dehydrated so we took them to the vets she gave them fluids and told us to feed them every hour and to bring them back the next day so we did as asked an she was happy with them and to continue doing that
But the smallest of the two isn’t feeding properly now and I’m worried it will get dehydrated again any suggestions
pedialyte has been mentioned on a couple of sites iv been on would anybody know about it
thank you for your time
 
Is the baby mouth breathing or have noisy breathing sounds? Is it bloated, has it been urinating and deficating normally? Have you seen any yellow poop or diarrhea ?
 
good morning
the little one is breathing through its nose and its not noisy, belie isn't bloated its urine was orange only been able to get ether of then to wee once a day tired for more but just wont go and poo is dry and brittle but isn't yellow and started to take a round shape after seeing the vet
 
It's possible it's developed aspiration pneumonia even though it doesn't have noisy breathing yet. This is a frequent risk for hand fed baby rabbits, with a poor prognosis. If you think there is any chance it could have this, contact your vet immediately.

Or it could have developed some stomach upset from being fed formula. If you don't already add a probiotic to the formula, it might be worth asking your vet about. If you're in the UK, you have ones specifically for rabbits, fibreplex which is just the probiotic, and bio lapis which has added vitamins and electrolytes as well. It could also just be sensitive to the type of formula you are feeding, in which case a different formula might work better.

The other possibility is that the kit has some sort of genetic defect, in which case there isn't a whole lot to be done.

It's hard to know without any other specific symptoms to go off of. Baby kits are really vulnerable, especially ones that have to be hand fed.
 
It's possible it's developed aspiration pneumonia even though it doesn't have noisy breathing yet. This is a frequent risk for hand fed baby rabbits, with a poor prognosis. If you think there is any chance it could have this, contact your vet immediately.

Or it could have developed some stomach upset from being fed formula. If you don't already add a probiotic to the formula, it might be worth asking your vet about. If you're in the UK, you have ones specifically for rabbits, fibreplex which is just the probiotic, and bio lapis which has added vitamins and electrolytes as well. It could also just be sensitive to the type of formula you are feeding, in which case a different formula might work better.

The other possibility is that the kit has some sort of genetic defect, in which case there isn't a whole lot to be done.

It's hard to know without any other specific symptoms to go off of. Baby kits are really vulnerable, especially ones that have to be hand fed.
Hi thank you for answering
It's possible it's developed aspiration pneumonia even though it doesn't have noisy breathing yet. This is a frequent risk for hand fed baby rabbits, with a poor prognosis. If you think there is any chance it could have this, contact your vet immediately.

Or it could have developed some stomach upset from being fed formula. If you don't already add a probiotic to the formula, it might be worth asking your vet about. If you're in the UK, you have ones specifically for rabbits, fibreplex which is just the probiotic, and bio lapis which has added vitamins and electrolytes as well. It could also just be sensitive to the type of formula you are feeding, in which case a different formula might work better.

The other possibility is that the kit has some sort of genetic defect, in which case there isn't a whole lot to be done.

It's hard to know without any other specific symptoms to go off of. Baby kits are really vulnerable, especially ones that have to be hand fed.
thank you for replying
We thought they might be cold after reading that it could affect there Appetite and Digestive system If they were so we put a hot water bottle in with them out of tap not kettle making sure they have enough room to move away from it if they get to warm
It seem to have improve both their mood appetite and activity
But I will definitely look into the items mentioned when I go to get more formula in the morning it won’t do them any harm to have it anyway will it so thank you
Do you mind if I pick your mind in the future with worry’s I might have this is the first litter I have ever hand raised and I’m sure I may have more questions in the future if not that’s ok
Thank you for your time
 
Yes it is important they stay warm. Any rabbit that becomes hypothermic won't be inclined to want to eat and could deteriorate. Not sure what your set up is for them or where you keep them, but if you are keeping them outdoors, I would bring them indoors so they have a more controlled climate. They should also have a nest box to nestle in and stay warm. Usually that is lined with soft hay and then has a good layer of moms fur to insulate and protect them if they are cold. With the hot water bottle, other than making sure it's not too hot and they have a cool spot they can go to, it's also important to not leave a cold bottle in there that could cool them down. If you have a snuggle safe, those work well too. The kits just always need to be able to move away from the heat if too hot.

You're always welcome to ask questions, though I would suggest creating a new thread in the appropriate subforum, or use one of your existing threads if it concerns the same topic. Like when discussing how to care for these babies. If you keep it all in one thread if possible, this helps others responding to be able to read back and have more info when replying. And posting as opposed to pm, also means others can answer your questions as well, as I'm not always available to answer questions.
 

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