kit stiff rigid but still alive

[cjgibson2009]

My doe had 7 babies, one was stillborn but other than that no losses. Once the babies reached 2 weeks old we have lost 3 in 2 days. This morning i went to feed and check water and one of the kits was still and rigid but was still alive and struggling to breath. What couldve caused this? Is there anything i can do?

 

[katiebear]

I don't know if it will help but I would bring it in, put it on a hot water bottle or low heating pad and stroke it, like you would a puppy.to keep it breathing.Inspect the area around the cages.. do you have spiders? how about wasps or hornets? A sting can kill a little one.. inspect his whole body for welts or hot spots too ...I hope he makes it..

 

[Zass]

This morning i went to feed and check water and one of the kits was still and rigid but was still alive and struggling to breath. What couldve caused this? Is there anything i can do?

When people notice this, it's usually too late to save the kit. I'm sorry.

For babies this time of year, the first things I would check wold be
1, the does teats, to make sure everything is alright there, no mastitis.
2, water quality/availability, sometimes bottles get blocked or malfunction.
3, the sun or heat exposure of the babies.

 

[Miss M]

We had a kit some time back that went rigid like this. I'm pretty sure it was having seizures. It seemingly went back to normal, but then did it again later that day or the next day, and died. It wasn't hot, and there was nothing else wrong. It was maybe a week old.

 

[cjgibson2009]

Well this morning i found 2 more kits dead. I expect the other to die today. They look well nourished and i didnt see any signs of diarrhea. Im guessing they got sick. Im going to thourougky sanitize the hutch.they were so healthy until they got out of the nest box. What am i doing wrong? How can i prevent them from getting sick?

 

[Preitler]

So they died after leaving the nestbox and started to eat solids? What do you feed, can there be something wrong with that (mold, toxic plants etc.)?

Is this your first litter?

 

[cjgibson2009]

yes this is my first litter. the mother gets unlimited amounts of hay, I feed her greens (no lettuce) but have been careful to not let the babies get any of the greens because I have read that kits eating greens can lead to loose stools. I also thought it couldn't be a coincidence that they were fine up until leaving the nest box. my other rabbits are eating the hay also and are having no problems. i'm just at a total loss as to whats going on. any insight would be appreciated. raising rabbits is something that I really want to do and I have been researching for over a year.

 

[Preitler]

Well, not exactly, greens are no problem if they are available all the time from the start, it's the most natural starter food possible (wild rabbits are not that different to domestics). When they start to nibble they will grow the right bacteria to digest that. Problem is when you give a kit who is used to other solid food suddenly greens - that you have to introduce very slowly. But I don't think that's the problem here.

Make sure the hay isn't moldy, no bad smell etc.. This time of the year it may be pretty old and if there was some bad storage condition it might be spoiled. Possible the bigger rabbits can tolerate more of this or eat less or no hay when they get greens too.

I'm no expert on rabbit deseases, but I've never heard of one with symptoms like that.

Hm, like Zass said, mastitis could be a problem, and the timing just coincidence, check the doe.

 

[Dood]

What "greens" are you feeding

Have you ruled out mastitis?

Have you ruled out heat stroke?

Where are you located - there are different diseases in the UK, Europe and Pacifica that our mostly North American based members don't have experience with

 

[cjgibson2009]

The last kit just died. No heat stroke its like 75 degrees. As for greens. Mama eats kale spinach and some clover or plantain. This kit appeared malnourished and on inspection of the mother her milk had completely dried up. She was a first time mother so im not sure if that had anything to do with it. I feel so stupid because i didnt notice before. I know supplementimg almost never works but i wouldve tried. I will take this time in between littrrsto read and learn more and hope for better luck next litter.
.

 

[Preitler]

Ah, sorry.

Well, it was a first time.

Actually, supplementing does work. There are many threads here and a really great sticky:

formula-feeding-baby-bunnies-pics-vids-t3691.html

Did this with one runt a few weeks ago, even without the right ingredients (condensed goat milk is hard to come by over here).

 

[cjgibson2009]

Thank you. Ill definetly read up on it. Ill make sure to keep a better on it next litter and supplement if need be. Thank you all for not judging me.

 

[Zass]

You won't be judged here!! It's pretty clear you had the best intentions for your babies.
There is definitely a learning curve that comes with rabbits, and there is not a single member on here who has raised more than a few litters and hasn't lost babies(or adults) to something unpredictable.

I actually lost a litter this year in a similar fashion, and right around the same age.
It turned out that the doe didn't have an active case of mastitis, no inflammation or swelling, but she had small puss filled abscesses on two teats making nursing painful or difficult for her.

 

[katiebear]

Thank you all for not judging me.

We are here to help..judging others is not helpful in any way.Everyone here has had "mystery" illnesses and deaths. That is why we are here...to help, to comfort and to keep each other going when times get rough :encourage: .Once the confusion and hurt heal up a bit try again. There are some things you can add to her diet to boost milk production..BOSS,and parsley come to mind. I know there is more. Research all the care and kindling posts. There is a wealth of information there. And never be afraid to ask anything..if you need an answer someone here will bust their buns to find it. We are so sorry for the loss of your little ones Do not forget you are among friends here... :group-hug2:

 

[cjgibson2009]

Thank you all so much! I will definetely be here to stay and learn and hopsfully be sucessful

 

[Miss M]

I'm so sorry you lost them all!

Like everybody has said, rabbits have a bit of a steep learning curve. For some, like us, everything is hunky-dory when they first start out -- no problems at all... BUT the learning curve will hit eventually, and we've had plenty of issues since then with which we've needed help. For others, all the problems seem to hit up front... it has discouraged some newbies to the point at which they've nearly given up... BUT eventually, it all comes together and smooths out.

It is true that for newborn bunnies, just a couple days old or less, it is very hard to raise them on formula with no help from their mother. After that point, though, it is much easier, though it does take a rather large time investment.

Whatever comes your way, the awesome members on here will do their best to help you work through!

Welcome to RabbitTalk! :welcomewagon: