I'm worried about the runt

[squidpop]

Lulu's babies are 14 days old and she had 6. The smallest one is 116gms and the second smallest is 145gms and the others are 165gms to 185gms. Theres a 2 ounce difference from smallest to largest. I made a kangaroo pouch (the pouch is for protection because Lulu doesn't like being flipped and will kick) and put the kangaroo pouch on the mom Lulu and put the baby in the pouch and I can hear him sucking to get milk but when I finish his tummy never seems fat.

 

[ladysown]

Honestly.... as long as the kit is growing I would just let him be.
It's better to let them take their chances than to baby them along.

 

[Disney]

Flipping the doe over never worked for me, they never let milk out, probably because of distress.
They will hold it back and only let it flow when they intend to feed them.
I've tried to sneak a baby under her belly while stroking and petting her with my other hand to distract her, but also without succes.

Using a syringe would be your best option i think, but i had a hard time with that.
It's very messy when you try to feed them and i never knew if she actually got something in.
Don't have a scale, but you do

 

[jessie15273]

You could remove the biggest 3, and let her feed the smallest 3 for one day, then put them back in. I personally wouldnt do anything.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

I have a really runty runt in a litter of 9. I took the largest 5 out for a feeding last night and this morning he finally had a fat tummy. Tonight I took out the 5 fullest tummies (not all the same 5) in hopes he will get a good feeding again. He is still active, but looks really runty. I am hoping a few good meals will help him along until I can supplement him or he can hang on his own.

 

[squidpop]

I think I am going to hold the biggest back tonight to let smaller ones get a better feed.
Disney-- Its hard to believe the doe can actually control her flow of milk but I also think they do that. When I make her nurse the kit on my lap I hear all sorts of sucking sounds but afterwards when I check the kit he still seems skinny like he made all that effort and got nothing. Yesterday when I got up in the morning the runt had climbed out of the nest box and when I walked in Lulu was feeding all of them except the runt- so I think he missed getting fed yesterday. I think tonight I am going to take out the biggest two in the nest- (but that seems so mean)- the biggest two are really very big and they are the only ones that seem full when you pick them up- So I do think they are getting all the milk. In the photo the runt is sitting in between the biggest one and one of the medium sized ones.

 

[Prisma]

I know its sad and worries, and I'm guilty of trying to save too, but some do not make it for a reason. If they are weak babies, more often than not they will be weak adults. I try not to try to do a whole lot of extras to save them because of that. We might not ever know exactly, but not every kit born is going to live and its some thing to come to terms with when dealing with rabbits.

 

[squidpop]

I know, I definitely am one of those people who Doesn't "let well enough alone" which sometimes makes things worse.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I breed primarily for meat, and usually have quite a few does in production at the same time, so I do not go to any great lengths to try to save weak kits.

In my experience, the runty ones usually don't do very well anyway, so I just let nature "take its course", and then feed the dead kits to my cats or dogs.

In my situation, it would probably be best to be more proactive and cull the runty kits so the more vigorous ones get even more milk, but I still have the mindset that wants to give most every critter a fighting chance... and I find it very difficult to terminally cull little kits.

However, whether you are breeding for pets, show, or meat, perpetuating those weak individuals is not a good idea. Nobody wants to purchase a pet only to have it die in the first months or years- so the most logical approach is to cull the weak, hard as it may be.

 

[squidpop]

That makes sense but I've gotten all attached to him and want him to live. I think my mind set might not be the best for breeding rabbits, I actually started out wanting to feed culls to my dogs because I love the idea of how healthy it would be for them to eat rabbit and it would save so much on dog food. But now that I have rabbits I want them all to live and be happy. With the runt, its kind of like rooting for the underdog, he's also the cutest one because he's so small and his color.

 

[Disney]

I know how you feel squid, i do the same.
I breed for hobby and not for meat so there is no option of culling in my mind.
Just saving the little one would be my drive, and like you i get attached and emotional with them.

As difficult as it is, i would take the the biggers ones away for the next feed and only leave a few of the smallest. The bigger ones can hold out half a day so you shouldn't be too worried about them.

I had a runty kit last year, i went to the pharmacy to get something for dehydrated babies, tried to syringe it to the baby but he wouldn't take it.
It still died the next day, i even cried about it.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

My runt had a nice full belly again and already looks much bigger than he did 2 days ago. I probably won't pull the bigger ones out again because I don't want any of them to miss too many meals. Hopefully he will be strong enough now to get in there and fight for his fair share. I did try flipping her for him to just get an extra meal, but had the same results you did, a lot of effort for a still empty belly.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Some members here have found that the runty ones do catch up to the others, so it depends on your lines too.

Your runt actually looks to be in good condition- it is not "failing to thrive"- so it is probably one that will do well.

 

[CarsLops]

One of my best bucks (I raise mini lops for show) was a runt. I was sure that he wouldn't live. He'd be full in the morning, but by mid-day it was like he hadn't been fed at all. It seemed that he was digesting the milk too fast or something. I'm too much of a softy and held the doe against me and let him nurse an extra time a day. By day 10 he didn't need the extra feeding and today he is strong and healthy.

Maybe if you try holding her so she's not on her back and having someone else hold the kit under her so he doesn't fall, she'll let him nurse. I know how easy it is to get attached to the "underdog."

 

[squidpop]

I think the runt is going to be ok now- I figured out what time the doe feeds them and finally got to watch this morning- he got in first to nurse and then finished before the others looking fat and chirpy - his tummy seems rounder and fatter now.

When I weighed him May 12 he was 114 grams, the next day he was 116 grams and now I just weighed him and he's 162 grams- so that's really good. inkbunny:

 

[Miss M]

I'm guilty of supplementing the runts with homemade formula. And they usually end up the same size as their siblings. And, in spite of being very fond of them and cheering for them when they were tiny, we still send them to freezer camp.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

I think the runt is going to be ok now- I figured out what time the doe feeds them and finally got to watch this morning- he got in first to nurse and then finished before the others looking fat and chirpy - his tummy seems rounder and fatter now.

When I weighed him May 12 he was 114 grams, the next day he was 116 grams and now I just weighed him and he's 162 grams- so that's really good. inkbunny:

That's great. So glad he made it. I was wondering how he was doing. After 2 nights of pulling half of the others and letting my runt get a good full belly, he is now energetic enough to get in there and fight for his meals himself and always has a fat belly now.

__________ Wed May 15, 2013 7:37 am __________

I'm guilty of supplementing the runts with homemade formula. And they usually end up the same size as their siblings. And, in spite of being very fond of them and cheering for them when they were tiny, we still send them to freezer camp.

I don't mind helping a runt along, either, because to me that is just one more meal in my freezer. I am not worried about them as pets or breeding stock, so I see no reason not to help them along.