Newborn Won't Pee Despite Stimulation

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Rabbi3

Rabbi3

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I have a relatively newborn baby rabbit (guessing two days old) who was abandoned by his mother in my front yard in the baking sun.

Good news, I've been feeding him and he's passed the 24 hour mark in my care. :)

Bad news, he hasn't peed (from what I can tell) in 24 hours. :( To make matters worse, when I try to stimulate him nothing comes out and I spend well over 5min trying to make him urinate / poop after feeding.

The most he's peed is a pinhead drop after 2min of stimulation. Should I take him to the vet? Any tips would be helpful!

PS: He cleans himself like an adult here and there, so maybe he's stimulated himself when I'm not looking?

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LumLumPop said:
Aww how darling!

I'm sorry,newborn animals aren't my forte
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He is adorable, his name is Potter! (After Beatrix Potter) If you know anyone who's keen on newborn health problems would you mind sending them to this thread? I don't want to loose the poor fellow. :(
 
Rabbi3 said:
He is adorable, his name is Potter! (After Beatrix Potter) If you know anyone who's keen on newborn health problems would you mind sending them to this thread? I don't want to loose the poor fellow. :(
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Oh most certainly! I'll do everything I can! I'll look up and see if I can find any answers!
 
Hey guys, wanted to give you a little update on Potter.

I fed him this morning and he took most of his kitten / acidophilus formula quite well though he still doesn't suckle. I checked his skin and he's still pretty hydrated though I believe he could do a bit better if he would suckle.

Despite the above positives, I've still not managed to make him urinate or poop and I'm starting to get a little worried because at 2pm today he will be marking 48 hours in which he's done neither. :(

I'm going to call some vets and wildlife centers to see what I should do. If I can't get him to poop or pee, I may have to go out of my way to take him to a wildlife center, which I would rather do if that means he will be properly rehabilitated.
 
It's possible that when you found him he was dehydrated and that may be why he's not peeing much yet. If his belly isn't looking abnormally swollen and bloated(not the normal fully milk belly), he's probably doing ok. I don't know where you are located, but getting him to a rehabber will give him the greatest chance of survival. So if you can find one near you, that would probably be the best thing to do.
 
JBun said:
It's possible that when you found him he was dehydrated and that may be why he's not peeing much yet. If his belly isn't looking abnormally swollen and bloated(not the normal fully milk belly), he's probably doing ok. I don't know where you are located, but getting him to a rehabber will give him the greatest chance of survival. So if you can find one near you, that would probably be the best thing to do.
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When I fed him this morning (post 24 hours) he didn't look as bloated as when I found him and I checked his belly area after feeding and I saw a decent looking milky patch so I'm presuming he took his formula well today.

I tried to make him pee about a minute or so after feeding to no success. But maybe I should try again when I get home prior to feeding?

He has the same boisterous energy level as when I originally found him and he cleans himself when left to his own devices, which is why I presumed that maybe he stimulated himself at some point. I also checked his skin by lifting and it goes down with relative ease so he appears to be hydrated. He also has the same healthy pink hue as when I initially found him.


I'll keep monitoring him and provide updates with pics of his condition when I get off my shift. I'm at work and so I've not been able to check on him for the past 4-5 hours.

Thanks for the input, JBun!
 
I second taking him to a rehabber. Just make sure they actually care for baby rabbits and check in on him after if you can, as I've heard some just use them as food since they're so hard to take care of (don't know how true that is).

I had a baby domestic rabbit a few years ago with the same situation - ate fine but wasn't going. He seemed totally fine but then the situation suddenly went downhill VERY very quickly. Baby wild rabbit are even more difficult to care for, and I wouldn't want to see someone repeat what I went through :(
 
He's more than 2 days old with a body full of hair like that. He looks to be more like a week old. If that's the case then he may be stimulating himself to go. As long as he's taking the formula and appears okay then I wouldn't worry too much about it. I agree about trying to get him to a rehabber. It's hard enough trying to hand raise newborn domestic rabbits, even harder for wild ones.
 
Watermelons said:
Please take this rabbit to a wildlife rehabber.
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There aren't any rehabbers near where I live and almost all of them close by the time I get off shift. found one that's very far away that's open somewhat later but they're not picking up.

If going to a wildlife center were a feasible option, considering my schedule and distance, it's the first place I would have gone.
 
majorv said:
He's more than 2 days old with a body full of hair like that. He looks to be more like a week old. If that's the case then he may be stimulating himself to go. As long as he's taking the formula and appears okay then I wouldn't worry too much about it. I agree about trying to get him to a rehabber. It's hard enough trying to hand raise newborn domestic rabbits, even harder for wild ones.
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Yea, he's kept a pretty consistent weight, hydration level, coat, and he's very active. He's entering 48 hours in my care and all of this has been pretty consistent.

I've cared for other newborn animals, but not rabbits, and I know they're a lot more delicate than say: rats, cats, or other mammals, which is why I'm keeping a very close eye on him.

If I could take him to a rehabilitation center I would, but I'd have to take off work and right now we're booked. :( And the ones that are somewhat near me are a good drive away and would close by the time I get there, I'm trying to get ahold of the one atm who's open a little later, until then I'll have to keep out for him.

Speaking of age and bodily functions, how frequently do they poop? I've not seen any poop (or pee for that matter) in his bedding. (which are soft old cloths) I'll look around it better tonight to see if this is absolutely the case for both poop and pee as he moves a lot.
 
Are you sure he was abandoned? Was he found in his nest? Cotton tails only feed 2x a day, he might be dehydrated but his mother might come by to feed him to make him better.
 
RabbitGirl101 said:
Are you sure he was abandoned? Was he found in his nest? Cotton tails only feed 2x a day, he might be dehydrated but his mother might come by to feed him to make him better.
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He was found in my front yard where there's nothing but open spaces with very short grass. More specifically he was found under a tree with the sun sunning down on him through the shade. I looked all through the bushes in my front yard and couldn't find a nest.
 
majorv said:
The poop is going to be pretty tiny. Have you tried smelling the cloths he's laying on for any signs that he peed?
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I haven't been smelling the cloths or looking at them very closely honestly, as I thought the poop and pee would be quite obvious. I'll be sure to do that first when I get back home. :)
 
I came home to lots of healthy, brown, and compact poop and pee! He looks a little dehydrated, but that's an easier fix than a constipated bunny!
 
Rabbi3 said:
I came home to lots of healthy, brown, and compact poop and pee! He looks a little dehydrated, but that's an easier fix than a constipated bunny!
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Yay! I'm happy he is coming 'round:)

Rabbi3 said:
He was found in my front yard where there's nothing but open spaces with very short grass. More specifically he was found under a tree with the sun sunning down on him through the shade. I looked all through the bushes in my front yard and couldn't find a nest.
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Him that is odd maybe he crawled out of the nest on an adventure, good thing you found him! :)
Rabbi3 said:
I haven't been smelling the cloths or looking at them very closely honestly, as I thought the poop and pee would be quite obvious. I'll be sure to do that first when I get back home. :)
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I remember seeing my rabbits newborns droppings for the first time the poops were soo tiny!
 
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