Is this baby sick?

[HRB]

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Description: Dutch

Age: 12 days

Sex: still unknown

Concise Summary of the Rabbit's Condition:

My rabbits gave birth to a kit 12 days ago, there was initially 6 of them, but two died. I tried feeding cats milk but it still didn't make it.... However while the other four initially looked healthy, one of them is starting to look unwell. While the other 3 are getting bigger and fluffier, and their eyes are open, this one is much small, the fur looks wet and matted and it's shaking. It's also the only one that doesn't remain inside the nest, since it was the most active kit I didn't think there was anything wrong with it, that it was just smaller, but I'm not so sure anymore. And I checked it's stomach, the mother has been feeding it. It also still moves around.

I would take it to the vet but currently I am very sick myself and the medicine makes my hand shake, so driving is a problem.

Picture:


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[tonyshuman]

I will post this in the Rabbitry where people who have more experience with babies are more commonly around.

I would try to dry the baby off and keep it warm, even if it will not stay in the nest. If you are sitting around at home on the couch due to being sick, maybe you could keep it in your lap so that it gets warmth from your body. It is very important for it to stay warm and dry. The mother rabbit only feeds them 2 or so times a day, so you can put the baby back with mom a few times a day for her to feed the baby and stimulate it to pee/poop. If she is not grooming it, it will not pee or poo, as they do not have control over those bodily functions at that age. A way to get around this is to use a q-tip dipped in warm water to gently touch the genital area.

I can't tell from the pic or description if the baby is unwell. It looks dehydrated for sure, so maybe you could syringe feed it some water. It could be a "fader," a bunny that makes it for a few days but just isn't right internally and won't live to adulthood. There are a number of things that can cause this and the fact that it sounds like it's far behind its siblings developmentally makes me think it has some genetic defect that isn't immediately obvious.

Definitely keep the baby warm, hydrated, stimulate to pee/poo, and give supplemental food and water if necessary. Kitten milk replacer is fine.

 

[HRB]

Well I'm not sure if it's a fader or not, because I had two other rabbits that died and this one seem to last for 2 weeks already and is only now starting to seem sick.

I managed to get someone to drive me to the vet, and the doctor said that it's because the babies fight over food and little Enma-kun just didn't manage to get enough during feeding time. He suggested I leave it alone with the mother for a while so that it gets the milk first but so far i don't think it's working. Usagi-chan keeps stepping over her kid and ignoring him. I know rabbits ignore their kids in the presence of people but it doesn't look like she's fed him at all even when I'm not around. She probably fed him along with the rest though, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted this long. But not when it's just the two of them.

I can't seem to get her to just feed Enma. And if I leave her with Enma in the cage alone for too long, I'm afraid the others won't get milk.

I'm feeding Enma milk replacer, but I'm told without the mother's milk it still might not survive. Also it doesn't seem to want to eat at all... even when the mother was on top of it it's not sucking.

 

[mistyjr]

Maybe an Peanut or an fader, poor baby!

 

[HRB]

Can it still be a fader after two weeks? I thought the faders died off already.

Well I'm trying my best to feed it. He won't eat anything, not even when the mother is right above him.

 

[CCWelch]

You can have a fader up to about 8 weeks when they completely wean. It is possible that because it won't stay in the nest that it has gotten chilled which will cause it to shake.That will also cause it not to eat. The babies body temperature is warmer than our own so if it feels cool to you it is chilled and you need to get it dry and warm.
Try an electric heating pad on the lowest setting and wrap the baby in a washcloth or towels and then put it on the heating pad.keep it plenty warm for a few hours and then it will likely want to nurse.

Usually when they climb out of the nest it is because they are cold and looking for their brothers and sisters or there is something wrong with them.

 

[HRB]

Oh thank you.