Hand feeding newborn kits

[Nymphadora]

BAHAHAHA! :lol: Hats off to Twilla for a spectacular dive into the warm water pot! I think she's noticed where you keep all the food hidden away and wanted to beat her siblings to it.

They are so itty bitty! But I agree with shazza, they're still growing and it's probably just because they were bottle-fed instead of having mother's milk. So maybe they'll always be a little on the small side, but maybe they'll hit a growth spurt when they start eating pellets, etc..

I think it's adorable that your professor is going to get one. And that he let you bring them to class! Not sure how vulnerable the little ones are to germs at this stage, still, but I would've loved to pet some baby buns after a quiz!

 

[2CrazyFools]

hey, they're alive and thriving! it was likely the hand-rearing that caused them to be small. they may grow full size, they may not, but i can guarantee once they are weaned onto pellets they'll have a huge growth spurt and really start to pack on the weight. i wouldn't worry about it too much! even if they turn out small they can still be good producers for whoever buys them, since the small size it's not genetic

They are so itty bitty! But I agree with shazza, they're still growing and it's probably just because they were bottle-fed instead of having mother's milk. So maybe they'll always be a little on the small side, but maybe they'll hit a growth spurt when they start eating pellets, etc..

That's a very good point, neither parent is/was small and it makes sense that it would be the difference of formula vs. momma's milk that would cause them to grow at a slower rate. I hope they catch up once they start eating solid food and to be honest I think they are eating the oatmeal that has been scattered on the floor, but I'll have to check when I clean out the box in a few days.

If Twilla ends up being a male we may trade her/him out for his daddy.... but I'm pretty partial to pops too. Not sure what we'll end up doing.

BAHAHAHA! :lol: Hats off to Twilla for a spectacular dive into the warm water pot! I think she's noticed where you keep all the food hidden away and wanted to beat her siblings to it.

She has followed the smell wafting from the bottle and tried to climb into the pot before, lol, but she's never succeeded in dunking herself until now. At least it was really warm water and not like, a cold chilling effect. Unfortunately that was in the beginning of feeding time and the end of the formula, so instead of waiting until the next day to mix up more I had to put the kits back away and go make more for dinner. Silly goose.

I think it's adorable that your professor is going to get one. And that he let you bring them to class! Not sure how vulnerable the little ones are to germs at this stage, still, but I would've loved to pet some baby buns after a quiz!

The only people who got to pet the kits (besides me) were the professor and his wife after they used hand sanitizer. My classmates got to look at them and take pictures with their phones, lol, but at that point I was the only one handling them. Not sure how susceptible they are either, but you never know.

I'm pretty jazzed my professor is taking one, he's definitely my favorite teacher from high school, through college and university combined. He convinced his wife by telling her that if they didn't take one, I was going to eat it :lol: So they are "saving it's life."

-- Fri Apr 07, 2017 4:13 pm --

We had a picnic lunch today on the grass They were very happy to chow down in the chickweed -though I don't think much if any actually got eaten. They would move from one piece and it'd still be intact, though well 'worn' by their teeth. Cuties.

Twilla was being insanely cute periscoping for the camera, lol. You can see the scar under her chin where she had a gash from momma's foot shortly after being born. First three pictures are of Twilla, then you have Squeak and the other blonde kit, and the final picture is of the smaller blonde. She's succeeded in cleaning herself up the most of the kits.



You can really see the scar tissue in this shot.

Pipsqueak thinking about hopping up onto my lap & little blonde chowing down on some chickweed.

Little fuzzy blonde.


Speaking of "cleaning," they have quite a bit of formula flakes on their fur and I'd really like to clean them up better, any suggestions? I do the damp cloth after feeding but that doesn't seem to be cutting it.

Also, upon closer inspection of the little black kits someone guessed they would be gold tipped steel or something like that and I'm starting to see the gold tipping on their little heads! Don't know how y'all do it but.... you hit the nail on the head.

 

[shazza]

when we did kittens we would use the sensitive skin wet wipes with good success. they pretty much just kinda. stay a bit messy all the time though unless you actually give them a bath in water. they should be starting to groom themselves soon though so it shouldn't be a big deal!

 

[FourRingCircus]

Oh the cuteness! You have done an amazing job with them, and are so patient! I don't think my movements would have been so calm and controlled if I had one leap off of my lap into a pot of water, spilling all the formula as well . I would love a rabbit that is that friendly! I only have one that might stand a chance of coming to my lap like that. So neat to see

 

[2CrazyFools]

when we did kittens we would use the sensitive skin wet wipes with good success. they pretty much just kinda. stay a bit messy all the time though unless you actually give them a bath in water. they should be starting to groom themselves soon though so it shouldn't be a big deal!

Yeah, they are definitely grooming themselves at this point, they just haven't caught up to the amount of formula that is in their fur thanks to their siblings wiping their mouths off on each other's body. :lol: The sensitive skin wipes are a good idea! I'll have to look for that next time I'm grocery shopping, it's for babies and kids right?

I decided to use a toothbrush and see if I could groom them a little bit with that but I couldn't for the life of me find any of those 'soft' bristle ones that the dentist always gives us so I had to go with one of my own firm bristle toothbrushes. It definitely tugged on the fur a bit so I used as soft a touch as I could so as to not hurt the kits and well, I guess it was soft enough because they all fell asleep on my lap while I groomed them :in_love: Pipsqueak was stretched out across my lap and the others were snuggled up next to her. I'll probably run to the dollar store and pick up a soft bristle so I'm not worried as much about the coarseness of it. It worked pretty well though! They certainly look better today.

Oh the cuteness! You have done an amazing job with them, and are so patient! I don't think my movements would have been so calm and controlled if I had one leap off of my lap into a pot of water, spilling all the formula as well . I would love a rabbit that is that friendly! I only have one that might stand a chance of coming to my lap like that. So neat to see

Thanks a ton FourRingCircus! My husband was like, "Now don't you go getting attached to them if you're planning on eating them." and I'm all like, "Dude. Pshhh. I'm not getting attached." Meanwhile my phone background is of Twilla standing on her hind legs gazing at me.... #GuiltyAsCharged. #DefinitelyNotGoingToEatThem. #AttachedAsAllGetOut. They are too adorable, it still takes me about an hour to feed them......... 20 minutes for them to eat, 40 minutes for me to play with them. :roll:

I've got one other rabbit that will climb into my lap and that's Jeri, the weird curly coated bun I ended up keeping. She's a diva though, sometimes lets you pick her up, other times will scratch the daylights out of you. She's not scared or timid, just decides, "Yeah. No." She's the most cat-like of any rabbit I've owned, like a big white cottenball kittycat. I think these kits will be much more happy to be handled and picked up the amount they are in my hands, lol. Heck, they climb into my hands themselves sometimes and just sit there. "Yes, this is good thanks."

I'm taking them to the neighbor's house down the way for lunch today, they have two pre-teen girls who would just love to help so I'm going to buy some lemonade off them and we're going to sit in their yard and feed the kits. (Hand sanitizer for sure, lol, little girls are cleaner than little boys but...)

-- Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:53 pm --

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTrEbqd-bVA&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Babies running out to say hello, and then a little while later they were all super curious about the camera and got up close and personal :lol:

They are definitely eating solid food now, I'll bring in a little chickweed, dandelion or mulberry leaf and they got nuts for it. I also have a small water bottle set up on their cage inside the house and they have been drinking from it. Well, the littlest blondie has at least. Not sure about the rest and I know Pippin prefers to drink out of the jar lid so not sure if she's taken to drinking from the bottle yet or not.

-- Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:26 am --



We had a bit of a scare last night with Pipsqueak, I guess she inhaled some of the formula and was having trouble breathing. I initially noticed because she was breathing much harder than the rest and not moving around about halfway through the feeding, when I listened closely I heard the sound of fluid catching each time she would inhale/exhale. She COULD breath and definitely was but it was still very concerning paired with the way she was just sitting there. I had done the baby heimlich maneuver when they were teenie tiny once when there was an obstruction but didn't know if I should try it with a larger kit and she WAS breathing so I just sort of crossed my fingers and prayed that she would cough it up soon. I checked on her an hour later and the sound was gone, and she was breathing much easier, though still not bouncing about like normal. Worry eased a bit and I went to sleep praying that she would be even better by morning and thank god, she was. Back to her normal self, fighting for the milk dropper. :bounce:

I'm going to put metal screen down in Clover's old cage and transfer the kits out there when the weather is nice during the daytime. I feel at this point in their lives they need more space to be active and the fresh air would be helpful as well. They just have such tiny feet it would be so hard for them to move around on the 1/2"x1" floor.

1 month old last Thursday and still so small. Gaston has overtaken Twilla in weight, they keep flipflopping for title of "biggest kit." I compared weights to previous litters and they are 1/3rd the size of normal.

Twilla – 5oz (+1.5oz)
Honey Buttered Biscuit – 4.2oz (+1oz)
Pipsqueak – 3.9oz (+1oz)
Gaston – 5.2oz (+1.8oz)

They are eating solid food now and I am needing to keep adding oats and pellets to their cage. They also love mulberry leaves, chickweed, and dandelion.

Oh.. so I just sexed them and good news! Twilla IS a doe so I don't need to rename her But uh... Gaston needs a new name. :? Both of them are very much little ladies and Honey Buttered Biscuit? Male. Bah. Pipsqueak I also suspect is a male but it was hard to tell because of his/her fur down there and s/he was quite wiggly. Strange though, I wouldn't have expected the two largest to be does and the two smallest to be bucks.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsJ1IjQWtFA&lc=z13edzu5apv0f34tm232sz2ofsvyftpd3[/youtube]

 

[Nymphadora]

That last video... :in_love:

They sure are friendly little love-bugs, huh?

 

[2CrazyFools]

5 weeks old today and Lady Gaston has definitely pulled in the lead as far as weight goes, her and Twilla were neck and neck for awhile but it looks like the winner of the weight game is Lady Gaston. (I sexed them again yesterday and they are still two girls, one boy and Pip is unknown.)

Twilla – 8.5oz (+3.5oz)
Louie - 6.7oz (+2.5oz)
Pipsqueak -AKA Piper/Pip/Squeaker/PipPipHooray – 7oz (+3.1oz)
Lady Gaston – 9.1oz (+3.9oz)


[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g0gjBrwpYI[/youtube]
Haha! This is the first time they've seen the tripod set up and they were mighty... suspicious of it! Until the food comes out of course. I think it's going straight to their ears, Twilla and Lady Gaston's ears are just shooting out!

Starting to wean them off the formula now, they are eating grass, mulberry leaves, dandelion leaves, and chickweed. As well as pellets and rolled oats. Their least favorite food so far is definitely the pellets...

That last video... :in_love:

They sure are friendly little love-bugs, huh?

Goodness they sure are! My shelved litters have always been incredibly tolerant of me, "Oh yeah, that's the person who takes us to Momma. She's cool." but these little guys downright adore me. The feeling is mutual :lol:

I let them out for a few hours in the overgrown rabbit tractor and they race around through the trees (AKA grass) and have a blast while munching on things.

Piper with Lady Gaston in the back


Twilla keeping one eye on the camera and the other on her food, lol.


"Let us out!.. or come in?"

 

[MaggieJ]

Nice to see them doing so well! :goodjob: I'm enjoying following their adventures.

 

[Nymphadora]

Nice to see them doing so well! :goodjob: I'm enjoying following their adventures.

:yeahthat:

They seem to just disappear in the long grass! Little babes...

 

[2CrazyFools]

I prepped the kit's outdoor cage yesterday by laying down some screen material so their tiny little feetsies wouldn't fall through the 1"x1/2" floor and today I popped them out there for some exercise! I'm going to keep them inside in the carrier during the night (bring them in for dinner) and then after breakfast in the morning out they go into the cage if the weather is nice. (I have a short video of their first few minutes in the new cage, and D'artagnan makes a guest appearance.)

I started weaning them off (slowly, because apparently I'm a velcro mom) and at 5 weeks old they only get 2x a day feeding, breakfast and dinner. Lunch is now rolled oats / pellets / dandelion / mulberry leaves. Once they are 6 weeks old they will only get once a day feeding at breakfast, and at 7 weeks I'll start start increasing the water content until by the end of the week it'll just be water in the dropper. They have gained 2 oz each in the last three days! Woohoo!

---

Now for the lightly concerning part. Red / orange pee? I DON'T think it's blood and I think it's simply plant pigments because of the greens they've been eating, but I thought I would show y'all more seasoned rabbit caretakers some pictures to make sure I'm not brushing off something serious. It was there when I opened the cage to feed them (not sure how long) and I didn't take these pictures until about 30 minutes later once the kits were full and racing around the guest bedroom.

Oh, and I'd like to note that no one is acting strangely or different than usual, very bouncy with big appetites! They have all gained about the same 2oz in the last three days, obviously Twilla and Lady G a tiny bit more than 2oz but that's to be expected. Greedy gobblers.

On a white background with and without flash: (I removed a few of the other pictures since no-one freaked out on me saying, "That's totally blood!!!" I'm assuming y'all don't disagree with my own assessment.")





-- Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:31 pm --



Pips scared me today while they were out in the exercise pen, at first I thought he was sunbathing but it really looked like he had lost motor capacity of his legs! So just to make sure I picked him up and my heart caught in my throat... he was limp. I mean really limp, sure his eyes were open and his head wasn't floppy but the rest of his body was a dead weight! I started to freak out thinking it might be heat stroke or something because he was totally relaxed in my hands, so I left the exercise pen at a decent pace to take him somewhere cooler and before I had gone, eh, 6 steps Pip realized I was taking him away! So he hopped up out of my hands onto my shoulders and tried to climb down my back. "Let me down crazy lady!" :shock:

So yeah, Pip was just sunbathing, enjoying life when his favorite two-legger came up and picked him up. "My life is in good hands, plus I'm sleepy so I'll just stay relaxed, she'll put me in her lap or something silly.... wait. Where are we going?! Let me DOWN." Goodness. How foolhardy of me. :roll: Here's a video after I put him in some shade and cool earth of the exercise pen. Yes. He immediately went back to the sun and spread out like a crazy fellow.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKd_gdqhzc[/youtube]

Here's some cute pics of the buns today, NOT giving me a heart attack, lol.
PipSqueak


Louie sticking his tiny tongue out at me (he's upset I'm out of dandelion leaves)


Fuzzy fat Lady G


Twilla looking adorable as usual. :in_love:


And lastly Louie trying to RIP UP MY PANTS. :evil:

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbits often pee red. Scary, eh? But you're right it is caused by diet and isn't a matter for concern. Incidentally, rabbits can pee in a rainbow of colours: red, orange, yellow, green(ish), blue and purple. I suspect that last two are caused by eating wild grapes. I've been amazed by the stains in the snow out back when the only tracks there belong to the wild cottontails.

You sure are having fun with those lil guys and gals!

Pips! :lilbunny: No more scaring Crazy like that! :nono:

(I think Pips is practicing for the "Dead Rabbit" thread.)

 

[Nymphadora]

Pips! :lilbunny: No more scaring Crazy like that! :nono:

(I think Pips is practicing for the "Dead Rabbit" thread.)

I agree with Maggie! No more scaring mama like that Pips! :lol:

He sure looked happy and content spreading out in the sunshine though... and your pictures capture their personalities so well, Crazy! Especially Louie trying to take a chunk out of your jeans... :twisted:

 

[shazza]

louie is just trying to help you be stylish! don't you know that destroyed jeans are still in? he's doing you a favour - now you don't have to spend $100 on a pair that just LOOKS like a rabbit ate it!

 

[2CrazyFools]

Rabbits often pee red. Scary, eh? But you're right it is caused by diet and isn't a matter for concern. Incidentally, rabbits can pee in a rainbow of colours: red, orange, yellow, green(ish), blue and purple. I suspect that last two are caused by eating wild grapes. I've been amazed by the stains in the snow out back when the only tracks there belong to the wild cottontails.

Blue and purple!? That's crazy! Yeah, D'artagnan often has orange pee, I only notice because he likes to spray it all over the exercise yard fence when he's out... Boys. :roll:

(I think Pips is practicing for the "Dead Rabbit" thread.)

I think you're right. Though he doesn't need to practice, he's a natural! To be honest I had a dream I went to check on the buns and he was actually dead. Woke me right up and I rushed downstairs. Nope, alive and hungry for breakfast!

and your pictures capture their personalities so well, Crazy! Especially Louie trying to take a chunk out of your jeans...

louie is just trying to help you be stylish! don't you know that destroyed jeans are still in? he's doing you a favour - now you don't have to spend $100 on a pair that just LOOKS like a rabbit ate it!

Thanks guys! Louie very often starts doing this, not sure what his deal is with denim... but I'm not sure how he knows the destroyed jean look is hot right now. I'm just glad he isn't big enough to do real damage yet, as those are actually my favorite pair of pants!

 

[Miss M]

There is nothing like coming home and finding what appears to be a crime scene inside your rabbitry. A buck spraying red urine decorates the place like some chainsaw massacre. O.O

 

[2CrazyFools]

There is nothing like coming home and finding what appears to be a crime scene inside your rabbitry. A buck spraying red urine decorates the place like some chainsaw massacre. O.O

Hahaha, right?! One day he had sprayed all over his box and I did a double take, "Are you bleeding? Oh, no... just red pee again."

---

So Louie has a sore on his leg I noticed yesterday and it doesn't look any worse today so I'm just keeping an eye on it, but was curious if anyone has any suggestions as to helping it heal? Anything topical I would think would get licked off, and thankfully I've got PLENTY of penicillin on hand if it does get infected. Do you think I should give him a (very) small shot as a precaution?


Also, some more pictures because they are cute as buttons....

"I'm pretty sure I can jump up there..."


Oh and everyone gained from 3oz to 5.5oz last week and Louie has overtaken Pips in weight, Pips is now the smallest at 10oz and Lady G. is still gaining the most weight each week and is sitting .6 oz heavier than Della Rose at 13.6 oz.

I think the best idea would be to keep Lady G. instead of Della Rose because not only has Lady G. generally always been the biggest she's also the most docile and laid back. Della Rose is certainly sweet and adorable, but I can tell she's going to have herself a little attitude just like Poker Alice has right now, lol. Not sure if I want TWO diva queens in my meat mutt line but even with the attitudes, they are really sweet does. It's not a bad attitude like Cercei had with the bucks, or like Naevia had with people (y'all never met her, she passed about a year ago) but more like a "I'm a spoiled brat, but I still love you Ma." :lol: I just really like Della Rose's smutty fawn coat, and it's not like she's ever been that far behind in weight, always one of the top two largest kits from the very beginning.

But man is Lady G. going to make someone really happy, I think she got her mother's personality 100% and that's an ideal personality for a doe to have.

---

Ah. Well. I know I picture spam you guys with these kits but I simply cannot help it! I'm sorry. But yeah, here's some more pictures...

I do not know why but apparently I am super tasty. My skin is downright delicious and my pants are way too addicting for these bunnies to resist chewing on.


"Where should I take a nap? Lets see... it needs to be in the sun to warm my little belly... AHA! Momma's lap. Puuuurrrrrrrfect." *Cue flop* "Rub my belly too? Excellent."

 

[Nymphadora]

Ah. Well. I know I picture spam you guys with these kits but I simply cannot help it! I'm sorry. But yeah, here's some more pictures...

Never apologize for your wonderful pictures! DH recognizes when I tell him about Alice and Della Rose by now (although he still knows them by "Jeri" and "Twilla"). I may have been excitedly giving him updates on your buns because I get so happy every time you post progress... :roll:

I do not know why but apparently I am super tasty. My skin is downright delicious and my pants are way too addicting for these bunnies to resist chewing on.
...
"Where should I take a nap? Lets see... it needs to be in the sun to warm my little belly... AHA! Momma's lap. Puuuurrrrrrrfect." *Cue flop* "Rub my belly too? Excellent."

Cuteness overload!!! :in_love:
:mbounce:

How do you get any work done at home, Crazy? I'd be following these little guys around with a camera all day long... dishes? Who needs 'em. Laundry? Maybe tomorrow... :rotfl:

 

[2CrazyFools]

Never apologize for your wonderful pictures! DH recognizes when I tell him about Alice and Della Rose by now (although he still knows them by "Jeri" and "Twilla"). I may have been excitedly giving him updates on your buns because I get so happy every time you post progress... :roll:

Girl, I still occasionally call Della Rose by her previous name, though "Della" is pretty close in sound to "Twilla" so she often hears just Della since it's an easy switch. Poker Alice's name has actually been easier! I was never fond of the name Jeri for her and Alice just seemed to slip right in place.

How do you get any work done at home, Crazy? I'd be following these little guys around with a camera all day long... dishes? Who needs 'em. Laundry? Maybe tomorrow... :rotfl:

I admit, I really, really need to do my laundry In fact, I should put a load in right now! My husband's clothes I've been staying on top of but my own has just been piling up. I've also got 5 big exams in the next two weeks that I'm trying to study for, plus 3 quizzes, a 5 page summery of Delta functions, Impulse forcing and Convolutions, and an "extra" question in the test center from a test a few months ago.
:explode:

But these little guys make for a very welcomed break. Here's a video to show you what I mean. Spring weather, birds chirping, and bunnies in my lap. Life is good, even if these next few weeks are heavy. There are silver linings everywhere. :in_love:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWobxV7BqQM[/youtube]

You can briefly see Louie's sore on his leg at about 1:07 into the video. Poor Della still has the clumpiest coat! Though it is lessening and they are slowly falling out. Today the other three are almost clump free! I'm almost thinking about taking a small set of scissors (swiss army knife) to her and clipping out the clumps... naturally when she's asleep on my lap, lol. I love how they are really finally starting to look like little rabbits and not just like greasy hairballs :lol:

 

[Nymphadora]

I was never fond of the name Jeri for her and Alice just seemed to slip right in place.

I really like Alice, it's a cute name. And Poker Alice just fits her.

Spring weather, birds chirping, and bunnies in my lap. Life is good, even if these next few weeks are heavy. There are silver linings everywhere. :in_love:

So jealous!!! :bow:
Everyone looks so happy and sleepy in the video... so sweet!


I don't envy you the :explanation: though. Best of luck with the quizzes and assignments! :good-luck:

 

[2CrazyFools]

So a few days ago Della Rose ripped her poor little tummy skin open, it was really a decent gash (about dime sized) but she didn't seem to notice poor dear. Racing around like loon.. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I figured out that she ripped it open on the hay feeder that was sitting in their cage, she must have climbed up about a foot and a half on the wall and then gotten snagged when she leapt back down. I removed it promptly. So I put some Neosporin on it and then tried not to worry that night and decided if she even hinted at being sickly the next day I would give her a shot of Penicillin, I'm not messing around with infection and my little baby girl. Luckily when I woke it was completely closed up with a scab bordering where the flap detached and she was 100% the same as usual. Now it's been a few days and no change in her energy. Also, Louie's little sore on his leg is just about gone, I think the scab is still hanging on by some fur but that's it.

So now that the bad news / good news is out of the way... look at Pippin!!! He no longer looks sad and pitiful! Pips is growing up on me and really looks like young buck Lady G. is still 1/3rd larger than him though, lol. 7 weeks old already! I'm not ready for them to leave me guys.... what if it's not a great home?


Oh, and of course photogenic Della Rose, always eager for the paparazzi. It's funny, she's the kit that loves the camera the most, and now she's the ONLY ONE that still has clumps in her fur. The rest of the kits are clean and fuzzy and do they want their pictures taken? "Go away clicky box."