Nasal Deformity

[caroline]

I had a litter born yesterday that had 2 kits with deformed noses.
In the one whose nose was the most deformed the nasal openings were closed and the kit could only breath through its mouth [see photo]. I elected to dispatch that one.
The other affected kit can breathe [don't have photo that shows this one's nose yet]
but it's nose looks like a pig snout, instead of having the normal hare-lip.
Has anyone seen this before. I assume that it's a genetic defect but don't really know much about it. While many of my rabbits are related in varying degrees, this litter is not as line bred as many of my others, so it's interesting to have something like this show up.

 

[3mina]

I had one show up last year, it was gone when I found it. My rabbits aren't tightly bred so that has nothing to do with the deformity cropping up.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Honestly, there's so many steps in fetal development that have to happen just so, I'm honestly shocked that MORE newborns aren't horribly deformed, does that make sense?

I think it just sort of...happens from time to time. Some hormone or chemical trigger for some level of development hits at the wrong time or isn't strong enough or is TOO strong, and bam, deformity.

 

[3mina]

That makes perfect sense Kyle