10-day old kits-yellow messy poop?

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caroline

caroline

Rex Breeder
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So I have a litter of kits that is "messy." I noticed it when they were just a few days old. Most litters have fat dry kits in them. This litter has FAT sticky kits. their hairs looks like they use Brylcream :(

Not sure if this mom doesn't clean up the kits and the other moms do but I do know that most kit poop seems to be black and tiny pellets. These kits are sticky [some all over their little bodies] like yellow toothpaste and their bedding has been noticeably wetter than the other litters.

Several times I have used a wet cloth to wipe each kit and dried them before returning to the nest. I cleaned out the damp bedding and replaced. Today I decided to give them a whole NEW nest box with dry clean hay. Not sure any of this is helping. They are growing and are actually VERY fat whenever I check them but they just don't seem "normal" to me.

I'd appreciate any others' experiences with this. I'm guessing they have an overload of cocci or something. Have others treated kits this young for "sticky yellow poop" and had healthy results?
 
I have only seen yellow poop in newborn rabbits and it only lasted a day or two before going to the normal black.

If they seem healthy then I wouldn't worry. Perhaps weigh them a couple times a week just to be sure they are gaining.
 
I haven't ever seen that either. :?

Maybe you could give them some probiotic paste and/or a little dab of canned pureed pumpkin? Canned pumpkin (not pie filling) helps to firm stools in dogs, and I know some of our members have used it with rabbits.
 
Well they don't seem any worse this AM. It seems like the new nest box and bedding were a good Idea. A couple of the kits have VERY red swollen perinea. I cleaned it off again and they peed on me :) I always consider rabbit pee a good luck charm!

I don't know about the pumpkin. They are barely opening their eyes and not eating anything but momma's milk. Maybe I could use a medicine dropper and try a few drops of water kefir. That's just sugar, water and culture that I brew for myself.
 
Maybe you could try the pumpkin on just one kit and see what happens... knowing your litter sizes, you probably have, what? Fifteen kits? :p
 
The kits are no worse this morning. I cleaned the butts of those who needed it again and put some golden seal ointment on the sore red areas. Never used it on rabbits before but it has been really healing for humans' and dogs' sores so decided I'd give it a try. I also used a dropper to give water kefir to all but the two fattest, cleanest kits [there are 8 total]. So we'll see how they do.

It sure would be nice if they make it. There are colors I've never had before: chocolate otter, broken lilac otter and a blue otter. There are also chocolate, broken blue, broken black otter, and black otter. I already sold the sire so I sure would like them to survive :!:
 
I am having the same issue as @caroline. My baby is about 2-3 weeks and is having the same thing. Yellow mushy poop and some diarrhea keeps pasting his butt up. I have cleaned it a few times but don't know if this is ok or not. Other than this he seems to be just fine. How did your kits turn out?
 
Tinytailsrabbits said:
I am having the same issue as @caroline. My baby is about 2-3 weeks and is having the same thing. Yellow mushy poop and some diarrhea keeps pasting his butt up. I have cleaned it a few times but don't know if this is ok or not. Other than this he seems to be just fine. How did your kits turn out?
Click to expand...
The only other thing I can think of is that the mom is getting quite friendly to the buck in the cage next to them. Is there any chance she is making hormones and that is what is causing this? Idk if this has anything to do with this I just figured I would add it just in case it is.
 
ladysown said:
are you sure that momma isn't peeing on them? But mushy yellow poop isn't a good thing... I"m trying to recall the name of the drug... you use if for staph infections. Does momma have any mastitis?
Click to expand...
No she is not peeing on him. I don’t want to use any drugs because he is so young. I don’t know how to know if she has mastitis or not. She only had one baby this time though so that is a possibility.
 
what is mom eating? I think she is friendly with the buck because her hormones kicked in but don't think it has anything to do with the kits issues. Changing their bedding once is ok but I do think the kits gain immunities from mom's occasional poo in the nest. But something is definitely wrong. Hope you can figure it out and report back. Good luck to ya.
 
In some animals they get the runs from overeating. Could it be they drink to much milk?
 
so you have a singleton kit? If so, remove it for one feeding per day OR limit the amount of time it has to drink. OR foster some kits so it has some competition.
 
There are safe plants that you can feed to correct poopy-butt. The lawn weed plantain and also the leaves of raspberry, blackberry or strawberry. Sometimes this is caused by too quick a transition from momma's milk to pellets. I suggest giving only grass hay, small amounts of oatmeal, and a few leaves of any of those plants for a few days.

Depending where you are, it may be too late in the year for the berry leaves, but you should be able to still find plantain. (Plantago major or similar species.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major
Once the problem is gone, slowly reintroduce the pellets and anything else you are feeding them. Make sure they always have accessible fresh water.

Good luck!
 
Thank you guys! In answer to “what are they eating” I used to have them on producers pride but noticed they were all getting diarrhea so about 8 months ago I changed to a local feed mill and have not had any problems since. They also get Timothy hay from my local hay producer. I like to give my rabbits the best to eat.

I can’t foster any kits because the litter that is the same age is only 2. I have to get ready for school so I will finish replying later.
 

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