Peanut Help ASAP

[Legacygirl]

I just check the litter today. They are threedays old. There are five total. Three of them arefine. Two of them are peanuts. What do I do with the peanuts?Do I save them or do I need to get rid of them? The two cannot move like the other threes, they keep falling on theirback. Help. I love animals, I do not have the heartto euthnize.

 

[aurora369]

Just leave them be. If they are truly peanuts, they will pass on their own.

But who knows there is always a small chance that they will make it.

My advice would be to treat them the same as the others and if they make it, then they make it.

--Dawn

 

[pamnock]

I take them and put them in thefreezer. Without fur, they quickly succumb tohypothermia. I think it is more humane than letting themslowly die of massive organ failure.

And . . . After sticking my hand in the nestbox into a peanut that haddied and had maggots in it, I'll never leave them in there again.

Also, they can pose a bacterial infection risk to the other bunnies.

Pam

 

[gentle giants]

How do they pose an infection risk to theothers? Do you mean if they die and you don't catch it, or is theresomething else that I don't know about? I am pretty careful aboutchecking my kits every day. I do a thorough nestbox check and a headcount after birth, and a head count twice a day when I feed. I can'tstand to euthanize either, I am always afraid I might make a mistake,and euthanize one that isn't a peanut but just a runt. I tend to justlet them go on their own too, although I did have one live to fourweeks old once. He never got any bigger than a hamster.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

I agree with Pam and also put them in the freezer. They go quickly and

I think it is more humane than dehydration and starving to death.

Roger

 

[pamnock]

gentle giants wrote:

How do they pose an infection risk to the others?

They are more prone to bacterial infections because they are soweak. These infections can spread to other kits.Dead peanuts will also attract flies immediately, posing a risk of flystrike to the other kits.

Pam

 

[TinysMom]

Pam,

Thanks for sharing about this. In the past I used to try and let thekids live - and I actually do give them a day or so to see if theyr'etruly a runt or a peanut...

...but after hearing one cry and cry when it couldn't nurse....after about 5 minutes, I did what you do.

I cried all that afternoon and evening but I knew the little one wasn't suffering anymore.

Peg

 

[Legacygirl]

This is getting confusing. Anyway theupdate of the two lop babies. They are doing fine now, I handfed them earlier and their belly are nice and plump. So theyare pulling through more. So I am going to handfeed themtwice a day, let the mom take care the remaining threes. Iwill keep you all update.

 

[pamnock]

As mentioned earlier, very small babies are notnecessarily peanuts. The difference is generally very evidentwithin 2 days. The peanuts also have domed heads, very smallears and under-developed hindquarters.

Pam

 

[gentle giants]

I think I have a couple of pics of peanuts. Onelived to be about three-four weeks old, it's shown in comparison with alittermate. I'll try and post the newborn one in another post, I don'thave them in my photobucket yet.....


Edit: Couldn't find the pic of the newborn peanut, must have deleted it. Sorry.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

Legacygirl, what breed are the parents?

Sharon

 

[Legacygirl]

The dad is a purebred Holland and the mom is a purebred mini

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

If the mother is a purebred Mini Lop then yourbabies can't be peanuts. Genetically, a peanut is a doubledwarf, getting a dwarf gene from each of the parents. Since your doe isa Mini Lop, she can't carry the dwarfing gene.