How Long To Feed Chip

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Chip is VERY skinny and he has to be extra fed because Gaston and Maurice are taking them all. When he moves most of the time I can see his ribs and feel them too.
This picture is from this morning, he's the one at the end of my fingers.
About 40 minutes ago I took Natzumi out and gently put her on her back and placed him on her belly so he could nurse. He nursed for about 7-10 minutes before stopping. I'll be keeping him on there until he stops during extra feedings.
How long do I wait between feedings? An hour? He goes back with the others when he's done
Here is a video I took: Baby Rabbit Feeds On Mama!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I just tried to nurse him again (It's about an hour and 40 minutes since the first time) and he's more pudgy in the belly and I assume he recently ate because he barely had any

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

@MuddyFarms @ladysown @MaggieJ @Rabbits by Accident any ideas?

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I will defer to people with a lot more experience, but I would think twice a day would be enough because that is what their system is set up for. Maybe a couple extra feedings for a day or two until he catches up to his siblings.

I am so glad your mama rabbit is sweet and you can hold her and let him nurse. I am having a similar problem with a rabbit that is mean and attacks me LOL so there is no way I'm going to try to pin her down. I'd have to zip tie her legs.

Good luck! I will watch to see what everyone else suggests and learn with you.

- Liz

 

[ladysown]

I actually don't help kits. In a litter of three, all kits should be able to feed just fine.

I make the assumption that
1. either they will catch up just fine on their own or
2. that something is wrong with the kit and it lacks the will to fight to live

I developed this policy by watching kits when I did use to intervene. Weak kits at birth 98% of the time were dead by the time they were 12 weeks old. Or didn't survive times of stress (moving to a new home for instance).

I'd rather they pass away in the box than later on.

It can be hard to stick to that. But you have to remember that rabbits are prey animals. They should fight to survive. If they don't you have to wonder why.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I will defer to people with a lot more experience, but I would think twice a day would be enough because that is what their system is set up for. Maybe a couple extra feedings for a day or two until he catches up to his siblings.

I am so glad your mama rabbit is sweet and you can hold her and let him nurse. I am having a similar problem with a rabbit that is mean and attacks me LOL so there is no way I'm going to try to pin her down. I'd have to zip tie her legs.

Good luck! I will watch to see what everyone else suggests and learn with you.

- Liz

She is way more sweet than her mother was

He moves slower than the others and acts like he's colder, but he feels as warm as the other two.
Maybe its because he's a different color, But his fur has come in more, which makes me question why he is so skinny

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree with Ladysown about intervention. I can see allowing a dedicated feeding or two on momma just to help a runt over its initial disadvantage, but if it takes more than that it may well be there is something wrong with the kit. A healthy animal has a strong will to survive. I had a runt once who was so tiny I didn't expect him to make it, but he was a fighter and he ended up being the biggest of the litter.

Incidentally, if you breed a rabbit with problems, you chance embedding those problems in your herd. Any kit in less than blooming good health should not be bred as an adult. Let it go for a pet if it survives.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I agree with Ladysown about intervention. I can see allowing a dedicated feeding or two on momma just to help a runt over its initial disadvantage, but if it takes more than that it may well be there is something wrong with the kit. A healthy animal has a strong will to survive. I had a runt once who was so tiny I didn't expect him to make it, but he was a fighter and he ended up being the biggest of the litter.

Incidentally, if you breed a rabbit with problems, you chance embedding those problems in your herd. Any kit in less than blooming good health should not be bred as an adult. Let it go for a pet if it survives.

We aren't really planning on breeding any of them, we have three good show and breeding bucks and two good does

 

[hotzcatz]

Folks who feed baby bunnies usually talk about twice a day feedings.

 

[MuddyFarms]

He looks better in that second picture. In the first one he was in a scrunched up position, not really a great indicator. Did he look fine the first couple days and then started looking like this recently? How is he doing today? Have you needed to get him more feedings since yesterday or was the one feeding enough to get him going again?

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

He looks better in that second picture. In the first one he was in a scrunched up position, not really a great indicator. Did he look fine the first couple days and then started looking like this recently? How is he doing today? Have you needed to get him more feedings since yesterday or was the one feeding enough to get him going again?

Tuesday he look fine just small, Wednesday he looked the same, yesterday he was pretty skinny, and this morning he is more pudgy but still needs feedings
This morning when we fed him we used Cinder (Other mom) because she only has two kits (Who are very fat night I add) so she would have more milk
He drank well and the only problem that we had was he's just maybe not the brightest rabbit so when he lets go of the teat it takes him a little bit to find it again

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Oh and I'm feeding him in the morning and sometime between when I get home and when I go to bed

We're leaving for the show tomorrow so ill feed him tomorrow morning and then when we get back if he needs it

 

[MuddyFarms]

That sounds like a good plan to me. If he is going to make it, I think those twice-daily feedings for a little while should be enough for him to get the extra energy needed to be able to compete again for milk. It sounds like he may already be nursing on his own some, now...

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Here's a video I took a little bit ago of him nursing on Cinder
https://youtube.com/shorts/lnZz7HkqMsg?feature=share

 

[MuddyFarms]

Here's a video I took a little bit ago of him nursing on Cinder
https://youtube.com/shorts/lnZz7HkqMsg?feature=share

I think he is looking good there. Still able to nurse on the mom and doesn't seem weak or super frail...

 

[ladysown]

why don't you just foster him with cinder? Fostering kits is super easy.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

why don't you just foster him with cinder? Fostering kits is super easy.

Because it's not much different from him being with Natzumi

 

[ladysown]

but if cinder has plenty of milk ... you won't need to do any sort of intervention.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I'm putting these here because I'm making something later