Need Help with Malnourished 3 wk old

[kukupecpec]

Hi there!

A few days after this little girls litter was born she and her brother were dragged out of their nest box accidentally and fell through a loose siding of the cage. They were missing for about 36 hours, missed at least 2 feedings and when found they were mostly buried in the dirt and half the size of their siblings. A couple days ago I found the little boy had passed.

Now I'm worried about my little girl's health. When I come out to check on them she comes running out with everyone else and loves her veggies. But she is SO small compared to the other 4 and her fur looks ratty and rough.

Is there anything I can do to make sure she is getting the nutrition she needs?

 

[squidpop]

You could try flipping the doe- and letting her feed. This works with some does and not others. If you do flip the doe I would do it sitting on the floor incase the doe kicks the baby away- you don't want the baby to go flying. And its best to hold the doe in your lap and have another person put the baby on the nipple and shield it incase the doe kicks. I have tried this myself and with a runt and it did not work because the doe was so upset about being flipped over that she would not release milk- but I did a the same thing with a really laid back mini lop and it worked a charm.

 

[kukupecpec]

I tried that when I first found them but momma won't let any milk down.

 

[whiskylollipop]

I've heard of letting the doe sit in your lap with your legs slightly apart - and hold the baby under your lap so it can reach up to nurse between the gap of your legs.

 

[kukupecpec]

I could definitely try, but she's not very comfortable with people. If that doesn't work, is there anything else o can do for my little girl?

 

[JBun]

With symptoms of a dull coat and retarded growth, as well as the death of her sibling, it's possible she may have a parasite. You could get a fecal test done to try and determine if this is the case. It's also possible that the period of anorexia caused some organ damage, and that this could be the cause of the symptoms.

If she's not nursing, are you hand feeding and what is she being fed each day? Or is she nursing but you just can't do supplemental feedings with the mom?

 

[kukupecpec]

She is growing, just not nearly as much as her healthy siblings. I can definitely get a fecal done though.
She's nursing with her siblings and eats pellets and veggies with the rest of them too. But I'm worried about her because she's still so small and her coat is still not healthy looking.

 

[squidpop]

You said she comes running out to eat her veggies- at 3 weeks most people don't feed fresh veggies- although people have mixed opinions most people only feed very small amounts of veggies starting at 6 weeks—some people say not to introduce veggies until after 8 weeks. Moistened Rolled oats, hay and some crunched up pellets would be better. You could try supplementing with critical care from the vets and kitten milk replacer. You might start weighing her everyday along with another sibling just to see if she is gaining as much weight, roughly, as they are.

 

[kukupecpec]

I researched the veggie thing and there IS a lot of back and forth about it. I decided to feed them how I intended them to continue. Mom and dad are used to their daily veggies, so the little ones start nibbling on them as soon as they are old enough to venture out. Now that they are a little bigger and will chow down on anything fresh, I watch them eat their greens and take them away after a minute so they don't over indulge. I just put the rest up where the babies can't reach so Bugsy and Red can still have them when they would like. This is the first time I've lost a kit after they were old enough to come out of the nest bx on their own, and it was the other one with compromised health. I could definitely understand the veggies causing upset if he had some organ damage from his missing period. But that's why I'm here =) Asking for advice to keep the remaining girl happy and healthy.

Rolled oats are another one people seem to have mixed opinions about. Some people say its great, others say it can back up their digestive system. I also hear a lot about using bananas, but I haven't ever given fruit to my kits.
She's eating her pellets very well, but she doesn't seem interested in water at all. From a regular rabbit water bottle or a crock.

Can oxbow critical care be purchased anywhere other than a vet? We don't have a dedicated rabbit vet here, only a couple take rabbits but they don't carry it.

 

[JBun]

Feeding veggies will have nothing to do with low weight gain, unless a rabbit is getting too many veggies and not enough protein. Now if she is showing signs of mushy poop, then you may not want to be feeding veggies. But since you have been doing it gradually and the bunnies are used to them from mom eating them, as long as there are no signs of mushy poop, continuing to introduce veggies gradually like you are, may not cause any problems for the bunnies. Usually the difficulty encountered when feeding veggies to young rabbits, is people either feed the wrong ones(eg. iceberg lettuce), a rabbit has a particular sensitivity to a veggie, or they introduce too much too fast, before the rabbits cecal flora can adapt to the new food.

I know some people will use oats for their rabbits, but I would be very reluctant to give a young rabbit a high carbohydrate food like that. Baby rabbits don't digest starches and sugars as well as older rabbits, and the sugars can end up in their cecum where they can contribute to the overgrowth of harmful bacteria, which can then lead to dangerous digestive problems for the bunnies. You're better off sticking to hay, pellets, and veggies if they don't seem to be causing any digestive upset.

Supplementing with critical care food mix or kmr is something that could be done if you felt like the little bun wasn't eating well on her own, but it sounds like she is eating just fine, just isn't growing very well. So as long as she has access to hay and pellets to eat during the day, and is eating them really well like her other siblings, as well as nursing fine from mom, then I would suspect that her growth problems have more to do with possible health issues from that period of not eating, than with not getting enough food.

ETA: From what I remember from my babies, they don't really drink much water at that stage, because they are still nursing a lot from mom. But as they gradually start nursing less and eating more dry food, they will start drinking more water. Just keep an eye on what the siblings do. If they are drinking more water(adjusting for their size difference), then she should be drinking more as well.

You can order critical care online. I don't know that you need to be introducing it into the babies diet if she really does seem to be eating well, but ordering some wouldn't be bad, as it's always a good thing to have on hand for sick rabbits. Most rabbits prefer the apple banana flavor. Best to store in the fridge or freezer so it will stay good longer.

 

[kukupecpec]

I mixed a little water in with a few pellets (just a water bottle cap full) and she gulped it right down. She eats bet pellets and veggies just fine, although I haven't seen much interest in hay from her.

So with good eating habits is this something that needs to be seen by a vet for possible internal things? Or just something to watch and make sure she continues eating well and behaving playful and active like she is now?

 

[squidpop]

That's interesting about the veggie - I guess the key is you introduced in small amounts and don't let them over indulge. I think with oats its the same way- I only give a little oats and hide them in the pellets so they can't eat too many.

 

[kukupecpec]

I really like the idea of giving them greens right from the beginning. I try to implement anything I can that mimics their behavior in the wild.

I set Darla up in her own cage worth food and water and a toy filed with hay and she seems great. Eating lots, playing, generally behaving just like a 3 week old bunny should.

 

[kukupecpec]

She's still eating and now drinking from the water bottle well.
I let her nibble a strawberry and a few minutes later she is sort of coughing up drool. It pooled all over her little mouth and dribbled out and then she started cleaning her face and moved on to grooming. She is acting normal but I'm worried about the drool. Is it just the strawberry? Or could this be something bad?

 

[majorv]

I assume she's still nursing from Mom? Given her history, I would be pretty conservative about what I give her to eat, but that's just me. It may be that her digestive system is stunted and may not develop the way a normal kit's would. I think finding some Critical Care, as others suggested, might help supplement her diet. Strawberries contain sugar which probably should be avoided.

 

[kukupecpec]

Critical Care is on order =)
She is also still nursing twice a day, we are keeping her inside so we can keep a super close eye on her, but I bring her out with me when I play with the others and try to hold mom for her to nurse.
She was going crazy over the strawberries, I'm sure she could smell them, so I let her try them. She has only ever had greens before. After the drooling scare I won't be giving her fruit again for a long time, if ever.
Just wanted to see if anyone knew what could cause the drooling. It didn't seem to bother her at all, she just cleaned up.