Needing advice about a runt.

[bunny love]

Hi everyone. I have a question. I have a litter of French lop kits and one of the kits is super small, like 1/3 the size of the others. I thought it was just a runt but it's tiny. It almost looks like a dwarf, but that's not possible right? It was pretty thin so I was supplementing it with formula, but it got diarrhea, so I stopped. The diarrhea is gone now and it seems to be doing o.k. it's 2 and a half weeks old and I haven't seen it eat hay or oats or drink water. It's strange too because it was born pink so I assumed it was a red eyed white then it's eyes opened and they are blue and now only the top of it's tail is grey and the rest of the bunny is solid white :? I really want it to make it, so should I start supplementing formula again now that the diarrhea is gone? Any advice would be appreciated. And would this baby be Vienna marked?

 

[MaggieJ]

What formula did you use?

If it caused diarrhea before, it might again and it doesn't sound like the kit could withstand another bout of it. I'd offer kitchen oatmeal (the old-fashioned, large-flake kind) as well as the other feed you give them. It is easily digested and most rabbits like it. You could try offering it with water mixed in, but also offer it dry. The wet food should not be left from day to day because it will spoil. A jar lid makes a good dish for this and can be discarded later.

The lawn weed plantain (Plantago major and related species) is the safest first green for little bunnies. It will help regulate the poops. Make sure it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

 

[ladysown]

NO, don't supplement with formula. You can pull the bigger kits out for a feeding so it has more chance to get to the nipple and stay on. Do that a few times and it will do him some good.

Sounds like he'll be a pointed. Cool.

As long as he's growing at the same rate as the rest, thin or not he'll be doing just fine. And if he doesn't.... and I KNOW I KNOW.. we want to save them all, but seriously... runts are runts for a reason. Either they have a genetic issue, a lack of will to fight and grow, or a health issue we don't know about. Fighting to keep the weak ones does NOT help our hobby in the long run.

 

[bunny love]

Thanks for the replys. The formula that I gave it was goats milk but I added heavy cream and I should have realized that cows milk gives many animals diarrhea . It only had the diarrhea for a day and I gave it a little water from the bottle several times throughour the day and the next day it was gone. It's not supper skinny just really little compared to it's siblings. I have grown quite fond of the little bugger. But lady'sown you are right it is the way it is for a reason. This doe of mine had back to back litters. The first litter was 12. The second litter was 15. All 15 were tiny when they were born i have wondered if they even received colostrum the first few days since she was still nursing the older litter when they were born and 10 of the fifteen died within the first few days and of the 5 left only one looks normal size for a french lop of almost 3 weeks old. A few things this doe has tough me 1) fences need to be at least 4 feet tall. 2) does have a will of their own and will go to great lengths to get what they want. And 3. Rabbits are a lot of work, but totally worth it. <br /><br /> __________ Tue Aug 28, 2018 6:38 pm __________ <br /><br /> Thanks for the replys. The formula that I gave it was goats milk but I added heavy cream and I should have realized that cows milk gives many animals diarrhea . It only had the diarrhea for a day and I gave it a little water from the bottle several times throughour the day and the next day it was gone. It's not supper skinny just really little compared to it's siblings. I have grown quite fond of the little bugger. But lady'sown you are right it is the way it is for a reason. This doe of mine had back to back litters. The first litter was 12. The second litter was 15. All 15 were tiny when they were born i have wondered if they even received colostrum the first few days since she was still nursing the older litter when they were born and 10 of the fifteen died within the first few days and of the 5 left only one looks normal size for a french lop of almost 3 weeks old. A few things this doe has tough me 1) fences need to be at least 4 feet tall. 2) does have a will of their own and will go to great lengths to get what they want. And 3. Rabbits are a lot of work, but totally worth it.