TINY kit question (picture)

[Kimchilla]

We have a litter of kits about one week old. One kit I have been feeding by syringe, it is TINY. About 1/3 the size of its litter mates. It cannot really get around, if I set it on the table it just flops on its side and has a hard time getting back upright onto its sternum. It wouldn't have much, if any, chance to eat when mom feeds them, it just gets trampled to the bottom of the pile and doesn't have the ability to pop up and latch on like the others, even if it was the only kit she fed. It does have a sucking reflex and wants to eat, but lacks the strength and coordination to hold itself up to feed.
It does however have plenty of fight to live, as far as its able, and takes syringe feeding fairly well. It hates cat milk replacer so I'm doing some replacer, some goat milk and hoping thats OK. I do not know if it will make it, so far it is but its quite thin, and was wondering if anyone has seen one SO small pull through?

We just had another litter with a runt who just needed some help to make it. But this one was a much different situation.

Mom is a Rex, dad is a Mini Rex

 

[JBun]

Since mini rex carry the dwarf gene, it could be a peanut. If so then it won't survive much longer. They usually don't live much longer than a week. But I can't tell from that photo if yours is a peanut or not. Peanuts will have smaller than normal pointy ears, a dome shaped head, and deformed hind legs.

If it's just small because it's a runt due to some other genetic issue, then continuing to supplement it may help it survive. Rabbit milk is high in fat, protein, and nutrients, and goat milk doesn't come close to replacing these needed nutrients. So if you don't already add supplemental nutrients to the goat milk, I would suggest doing so. I would add plain heavy cream(no added sugar, not whipped) and a powdered protein supplement to help boost the fat and protein content of the formula. This should help the kit keep weight on and grow better.

I had an eight week old runt that was at least half the size of it's siblings. She came to me bony with wasting along the back and hindquarters, and had a pot belly. I changed her diet and gradually she lost the pot belly and started putting on weight. She caught up in size to the other rabbits that I had of the same breed, and actually ended up being on the bigger end for her breed size. She's 9 now and has been healthy her whole life. So starting out small doesn't mean they can't pull through, or even catch up in size.

 

[Kimchilla]

Thanks!

I wasn't aware the bun could be a peanut with just one mini parent.
I've tried to hold mom and place the kit on a teat, it gets all excited but doesn't seem to figure out how to nurse.

Heavy cream like, cow cream from the grocery store?
Would you mix the cream and protein powder with goats milk or with the cat milk replacer?

It is thin. I do not think that its a peanut (based on pictures that I can find, but I have no experience with one). But it is small and weak enough to not be able to crawl around well.

 

[zuppa]

I would rather remove fat kits from the nest so he had no competition and he'd eat his mama#'s naturally excellent unique milk. Or even would feed him individually on his mother's belly (make sure you do it before she nursed other kits so she has plenty of milk)
See video of how to do it

 

[Kimchilla]

I would rather that also and I have tried this several times. He gets very excited but doesn't stay on the nipple to get any milk. Between that and my doe who grunts and starts breathing heavily, it just hasn't gone well.

As far as removing the siblings, I think that he would freeze. And if he didn't, I still do not think he can jump up to latch on and nurse.

 

[zuppa]

I would rather that also and I have tried this several times. He gets very excited but doesn't stay on the nipple to get any milk. Between that and my doe who grunts and starts breathing heavily, it just hasn't gone well.

As far as removing the siblings, I think that he would freeze. And if he didn't, I still do not think he can jump up to latch on and nurse.

Well it should work, maybe you just overthinking a bit, maybe just stop thinking and try, of course I don't know your setup and all the circumstances but what I know for sure, rabbit's milk is best thing in the whole world you can offer to a weak baby and one-two feedings can change things dramatically, basically weak babies would start growing fast and getting much stronger so can compete with their siblings just after a few extra feedings. You can remove fattest kits from the nest for every other feeding they will be fine. I don't know how many kits you have there, if you leave one or two weakest this little one won't be cold since they will warm each other still. Anyways your rabbits and you decide, of course you know better what to do.

 

[zuppa]

Make sure if you try that mama has full load of milk, so no point in feeding manually after she just nursed, do it before her nursing time

 

[JBun]

Thanks!

I wasn't aware the bun could be a peanut with just one mini parent.
I've tried to hold mom and place the kit on a teat, it gets all excited but doesn't seem to figure out how to nurse.

Heavy cream like, cow cream from the grocery store?
Would you mix the cream and protein powder with goats milk or with the cat milk replacer?

It is thin. I do not think that its a peanut (based on pictures that I can find, but I have no experience with one). But it is small and weak enough to not be able to crawl around well.


View attachment 54389

Yeah, that doesn't appear to be a peanut to me either. So it's going to be some other genetic issue going on causing the failure to thrive. With supplemental care it could possibly survive. It's always worth a try.

Yes, cow's milk heavy cream from the store. And for the powdered protein, something non sweetened, maybe even powdered kmr mixed with the goats milk would work. Just something to add a bit more protein. The ratio would usually be 3 parts water, 1 part powdered kmr(or other powdered milk replacer), 1 part heavy cream. But since you would be using goats milk instead of water, maybe a little less kmr and cream. So that's what I would try.

This is info for hand raising baby cottontails, but it also has the milk formula info.
https://vetspace.2ndchance.info/eve...to-care-for-orphaned-wild-cottontail-bunnies/
Of course the baby nursing from mom is much preferred like zuppa mentioned. Especially since hand feeding kits poses a high risk of aspiration occurring, but if nursing off mom doesn't seem to be working out for this kit then all that's left to try is hand feeding.

 

[Kimchilla]

Thank-you. Zuppa - Yes of course nursing from mom is what would be best, I agree. I know what you mean about one or two meals from mom making a big difference. Its just that this kit doesn't latch on and nurse from its mom.
I am not over thinking it nor am I not trying it, it just isn't working. The kit just mills around looking and never stops to nurse. Whether I ignore it and give it time or place its nose in the right spot myself. I've tried sticking it under mom, on moms belly and holding it in the right spot under mom while someone holds mom. It then wears out and needs to nap without having nursed. And again, if I take all of the other kits, this one still isn't able to jump up and nurse, with or without competition, so taking them doesn't make sense in this case. I would like to feed the kit using mom, but there isn't much I can do about it. I am continuing to try to offer that to him, hoping one of these times he'll get it.

JBun thanks, I will try the added cream and see if that helps. As far as aspiration this little kit and I have really figured out a system, I'll put a little bubble of milk on the end of the syringe and it grabs it. Slow going but not as risky as sticking it in his mouth and slowly plunging. I have no idea how much to feed it, and of course half of the milk ends up on the kit. But its been a few days and hes still here so thats a good sign.

 

[JBun]

I think in the link above it has some general feeding amount guidelines. This link below has some info on that too. Basically you feed enough til they aren't eagerly suckling. How often to feed depends on the formula content. A formula richer in protein and fat will stay with the kit longer, so less feedings are needed. A leaner formula like plain goats milk, will require more frequent feedings.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html