failure to thrive?

[owlsfriend]

All the kits look good....but I weighed them last sunday and this sunday....five of the seven had gained 2 oz. this week. But the largest last week has stalled with a 0.4 oz increase. And the runt (who was gaining at the same rate as the others) has stalled wit a 0.4 oz gain...

They are now three weeks old and out of the nest box whenever they want....and eating a bit of pellets and rolled oats besides mother's milk. I have seen the runt sneaking extra mom-feedings all by herself....anything I can do to help?

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

All the kits look good....but I weighed them last sunday and this sunday....five of the seven had gained 2 oz. this week. But the largest last week has stalled with a 0.4 oz increase. And the runt (who was gaining at the same rate as the others) has stalled wit a 0.4 oz gain...

They are now three weeks old and out of the nest box whenever they want....and eating a bit of pellets and rolled oats besides mother's milk. I have seen the runt sneaking extra mom-feedings all by herself....anything I can do to help?

Just let Momma handle the weaning of the kits-- your runty will make up for lost time in that manner--- as the bigger kits eat more solids, the smaller one will get more milk-- feed the kits from large 'dishes; that provide plenty of room for place settings-- this helps avoind having the less aggressive kits from being pushed away from the feed.

 

[owlsfriend]

Weighed the litter again last night, the runt is making expected gains. I think there may have been some issues with a lot of exercise and exploring when they discovered "the world outside the box" making it difficult for the kits to concentrate on gaining weight.

 

[Marinea]

I hope your kits continue to do well, Owlsfriend. I would keep an eye on the runt, especially when they are fully weaned.

On the plus side, there are a lot of stories here about the runts doing fantastic, so I'll be hoping that happens for yours as well.

 

[AnnClaire]

Owlsfriend,

Yes, as the babies get going, both with moving around and eating pellets, they will also drop off the amount and frequency of nursing. This can cause a temporary drop in weight, but you should see a steady gain as they begin to metabolize the pellets more efficiently.