Vit A Problems?

[Whipple]

I posted on facebook about a newborn kit that looked like a beluga. It might be a Vit A issue, too much or too little, not sure.
I give a cup of pellets a day, and they get hayr cubes roughly every other day.
Any ideas?

BTW, never had this issue before, but we did have a couple does who would not produce. Otherwise healthy.

 

[MaggieJ]

I am wondering why you think it may be a Vitamin A problem, Whipple. My rabbits get a lot of Vitamin A due to the greens they are fed. I've never seen anything like that. Not saying you are wrong... just looking for more information.

 

[Whipple]

Because the kit looks like it has Hydrocephalus, which is caused by maternal vit a deficiency. I also have other kits that are bloated, but just tummies. They seem to be ok but I dont know what to do.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Yes that is a cause of hydrocephalus but it isn't the only cause. A minor defect in the reabsorption of csf can cause it too. A glitch in the fetal formation of the ventricles can cause it too. I just googled it and found over a dozen known causes of the condition, as well as admission that some cases are simply idiopathic.

Rabbits are so fragile, there's so much that can go wrong in the fetal stages anyways...sometimes, this just.......happens. It is unfortunate but there it is.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

If ALL of the kits had the same condition, I would suspect a nutrient deficiency- but only one, it could be due to the myriad of causes Kyle mentioned.

I have had three kits with weird facial features. One had a cleft palate, one had only one nostril, and one had nostrils that appeared closed.

With all of the cell division that goes on during fetal development, it is a miracle that most animals and humans are born "normal" or relatively so.

 

[Whipple]

Thanks. I was really worried. One other kit of hers died and was crazy bloated. A cat got it before I could check it out. But I did get the others to pee a couple times and it was milky colored. Now its normal. I aided two more kits for her to foster, n it seems to have helped the other who were a bit bloatish.