Peanut??? This isn't supposed to happen in this breed...

[alforddm]

Ok this kit and a couple of others are in a litter of 10. This is the result of a father to daughter pairing with the sire's dam possibly being the source. The sire's sire was bred extensively to his daughters so it would be highly unlikely he is the source.

So does this kit look like a peanut and does this doe look like a dwarf? This doe hoovers right around the 8lb minimum weight for Rex.

 

[akane]

I'm not sure if it's a true peanut and plain runts that occasionally just happen may have development issues without a specific gene responsible. If someone used mini rex at some point to recover the rex coat the dwarf gene has been introduced to mini rex so it's not impossible. I haven't found dwarf genes behave at all as simply as many often quote. Half the time they don't even seem to act like a clear single gene pair but whether that is just modifiers I don't know. I never got definite dwarf or peanuts from 2 tiny rabbits and crossing my 2lb bucks to mini rex does generally showed the ND body type to be quite weak. Even though some offspring had to get a dwarf gene they pretty much were all the same size and overall commercial body type with fairly typical heads instead.

 

[SableSteel]

It's not a peanut. It might be a runt or have some other problems, but it does not have the characteristic short, pointed ears of a peanut; the ears look pretty normal.

 

[Havana]

I have a litter of 5 Havana babies and all are doing well except for the runt. He/she is skin and bones! They all have their eyes open and I have been supplementing the runt with kmr as that's all I have available right now. Does anyone have any suggestions as he seems to be starving? Thanks in advance! I'm not sure if this is the best place for this question, but please help!

 

[SableSteel]

You might want to make a new thread, Havana. My rule of thumb is that if they live past 5 days, then they can digest food and grow so it has a better chance than a younger baby that wasn't looking great. Id stop supplementing with kmr (its very different from rabbit milk - when I hand raise I use goat milk mixed with heavy whipping cream and powdered kmr - rabbit milk is richer than kitten) and instead hold the mother down on your lap or a couch or something and allow the runt extra nursing time under her. If it's warm where you live, you can try turning the nestbox on its side, so that the baby can search out the mother for additional feeding. Once they lose the motivation to eat or search out milk; that usually means they're beyond saving.

 

[shazza]

i have a doe that has very large litters and if i don't have another to foster for whatever reason, i usually end up taking the kits away overnight and bringing them back in the morning, putting only the smallest ones in first and letting them have a few minutes of free reign at the milk bar before letting everyone else have a turn. i'll check and make sure their bellies are full so i know they got enough to eat before the bigger piggies come in and bully them out. so far it works pretty well.

 

[Havana]

Thanks! I have tried giving it extra nursing time, but I don't think it gets anything when I hold the doe on her back. Do you think I could take the chunky babies out for a night and then try to see if that helps him? He is not lathargic at all, and gets out of the box and lot probably looking for food...