Poop matted to butt in a 4 wk old, and mom is mounting him

[mommaofmany]

Okay, so Snickers was flipped over today and I noticed a BIG mat of poop, but a quick glance told me that it was purely fur, the genitals did not look red and angry at all.
There were pellets stuck to the matted poop, so I wonder if a poop was a bit soft, he sat in it, it got stuck and the fully formed pellets kept getting stuck to that.

Everything was pure hay green. So Snickers went for a little swim and a few laying back in the sun...(shirt like a bunny burrito) and I got the mat out, his fur is still dirty but there is no mat and I will check him tomorrow again.

Now, when I went out to get him, his mother was completely on top of him, mounting him.


We noticed her cage aggression disappeared about a week ago, now I am wondering if her hormones were causing it, and she is no longer nursing. Which would also (potentially) cause weaning enteritis in Snickers, seeing that he is only 26 days old.

I pulled him out of his momma's cage, and currently have him in a pet carrier in my dining room, because it is the warmest room in my house and his bum is still a little wet. I know he has been eating pellets and oatmeal and hay, so I gave him his own dish and put about 60 % oats and 40% pellets, and a cup of water in there.

Anything else I should do for the time being? Am I wrong for pulling him out? Did I treat his bum properly? Any feedback is appreciated

 

[Zass]

I'd have pulled the kit out too.

never seen a doe mount a kit before.

 

[Miss M]

Your theory about how he ended up with the poop matted in his fur sounds highly possible to me, since his genitals actually seemed fine.

Odd about the doe mounting him, but it isn't unheard of. She may want to be bred again, or maybe her hormones just never settled to a normal level after kindling. Or the change in the way Snickers smelled after his bath may have confused her.

Your treatment sounds reasonable to me... I probably would have tried cutting the mat out, rather than cleaning it out. You are more patient than I am.

Do you still have his nest box? If so, that would help him get back to smelling like himself again, and you may be able to put him back in with his mom.

You're not wrong for pulling him out. You wouldn't have been wrong to try to leave him in. Though she might eventually have hurt him with her size. I think pulling him out was probably the better choice. One of my does mounted a 6-week old kit a few days ago, and when I mentioned it, someone said they had a doe mount a 4-week-old before, so it happens.

Since he's been eating pellets, oats, and hay already, I think he should be okay even if he can't go back. If his poop is soft, cut out the pellets for a couple of days.

 

[mommaofmany]

Thanks guys

He is my lone survivor of my first breeding attempt and I am such a nervous mother lol.

I stuck a stuffed animal in the pet carrier with him so he can cuddle and positioned him right next to a heat register. It fluctuates between 62 and 70 at my house, night vs day, and the house can get drafty so I worry a little, he was still a little damp but I got as little water down into the "downy" like fur as I possibly could.

 

[Miss M]

I totally understand, I'd probably be worrying over him too.

Make sure he isn't getting direct air from the heat register.

The stuffed animal was a great idea. You could give him a warm water bottle in a sock, but he probably doesn't need it.

 

[mommaofmany]

He isn't I also threw a light polar fleece blanket over the carrier, make the carrier a little more burrow like

 

[Miss M]

That sounds good. It should help him feel calm and secure, too.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I'd have pulled the kit out too.

never seen a doe mount a kit before.

I have, I see it all the time. It means one of two things....a) she is DONE nursing and wants the kits gone. or b) she wants to be bred.

 

[Zass]

It's helpful to know that is possible and not too uncommon...just one more thing to be look out for, rabbits really know how to keep us on our toes!

For everyone who answered about it, is it more common with small litters or single kits? Or perhaps smaller breeds? I'm still having a hard time imagining one of my big meat does mounting a kit that small. The poor thing would be squished flat!

Mommaofmany, How's he doing?

 

[Miss M]

I have no idea... my guess is it would vary with the doe, and possibly run in the family.

 

[ladysown]

My protocol with your scenario

1. NO water (it's winter I don't want kits chilled or getting too warm sitting in the house to dry).
2. use a SHARP pair of scissors and just trim all the hair away from the genitals. It's just kits being messy as babies, learning to eat their cecaltrophes, it can be bred out if you are so inclined to do so. Happens in my pure hollands, only with certain doe lines.
3. Mom mounting baby.... it's probably male and ergo momma wants bred. I'd be sticking her in with a buck ASAP.
4. weaning the kit? Easily done at four weeks, it's no mattering if you did.

I've seen the mounting behaviour in all sizes of does, it's most common in my dominant holland lops though.

 

[squidpop]

If he has sticky poos maybe cut back on the pellets and the oats some and encourage more hay eating. Also, if you can find him blackberry leaves to eat a small amount of that might help his digestion.

 

[mommaofmany]

He is doing fine, he is a definitely just a messy boy lol. I have yet worked up the courage to trim him.

He was born inside and now he is in his own cage