What to do with runt *Indii*

[ButtonsPalace]

I have a little teeny runt names Indii we have not lost any babies yet but we have two babies a bit smaller than all the rest with Indii being absolutely teeny she is the length of the rest of their bodies *Not including head (when they are not stretched out she is about the length of the body of the rest)* Is there anything I can do like remove other babies over a certain time period so she could maybe get more from mum?

 

[Easy Ears]

What breed do you raise? Could it possibly be a peanut? You could try flipping the doe over, and hand nursing the babies, that way you can regulate how much each one gets, and have the runt get more.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

I think either NZ's or a NZ/Chin mutt there should not be any dwarfism in them and she seems to be doing great I may bring mum in and hand feed her
This is the best I could do to show size difference
<br /><br /> -- Tue May 19, 2015 7:02 pm -- <br /><br /> Update baby would not eat when offered teat! I had momma on her back and baby showed no interest

 

[Celice]

remember, rabbits only eat when mom is ready for them to eat not when the kits want. It looks thin but it may live because of it's age, but I doubt it. runts don't tend to live long even if they get to adulthood.

Also, just a little advice. ty not to name or get attached to kits this age anything can happen to them and this way you won't feel as bad if one or two dies.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

The names were just one of those we need a way to keep them apart things I am very attached but I know the risks it's a rabbit I don't expect them all to live I am surprised she has lived this long!

 

[Celice]

well, you can try bottle feeding it. I think there is a thread about it on here somewhere.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

I have kinda thought about that but I am really afraid I might end up getting some in its little nose and it suffocating. It's very small compared to the others but it seems to be eating or I would think it would be dead

 

[katiebear]

I have a runt one like that,also meat mutts, I used to cull but it is hard emotionally to kill a baby..so I have been letting nature take its course. The last runt I had made it and is now in the grow out cage waiting for freezer camp. He is only a bit smaller than his siblings. .when they start on pellets they grow fast. It won't be used for breeding..and probably shouldn't be petted out..you don't know if it has any defects. ..the last one I processed looked good inside. So it is your call on what is best for your herd...

 

[Miss M]

I know Celice said it looks thin, but it actually looks to me like it has a nice full tummy?

As long as it's getting fed, even though it's not growing as much, I'd just wait and see. :clover:

 

[ButtonsPalace]

Well she is MUCH smaller than all the rest looks like she could be the peanut if it were a dwarf rabbit she is so small but she seems so be holding in there she has made it 9 days now and is still alive. That reminds me I looked it up and it said 5-10 days till they open their eyes mine still haven't but it also said that at 12 days I should rub a wash cloth over their eyes to get them to open

 

[LPH_NY]

I had one runt in my litter of 11 (born 15 days ago) that was half the size of the biggest littermate that has almost caught up without any intervention. In my other litter of 9, the three chinchilla colored kits were all tiny compared to the rest (born 14 days ago) and they have almost caught up without intervention. In previous litters, there have always been tiny runts, and I haven't lost any of them, nor have I intervened. They take longer to fully grow out, but by 4 weeks, it's always been hard to tell who was half-sized at birth.

One thing I've noticed... in 3 litters by 2 does where there were chinchilla colored kits, the chinchillas were ALWAYS runty compared to the other colors. I don't know if this is something other people have noticed or had experience with, but it's been my experience. They catch up eventually, but start out wicked tiny.

If it's not baggy-skinned or lethargic, it will probably do just fine, having made it this long.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

Well I have two other runts and they look a bit smaller than the rest but not like the runt who is drastically smaller the black and white babies though are HUGE!

 

[TF3]

I had excellent results with flipping and trancing my doe for this her first (and mine) litter of 10-- for the first 10 days someone was always skinny, but never the same one more than once.

 

[Easy Ears]

I agree with Miss M. That baby looks fed to me. And if it wasn't nursing when you had the mom held down, I'm guessing it got fed. That is, if it is pretty active and all...did it seem to weak to nurse?

How many babies are in this litter?

 

[ButtonsPalace]

5 but she doesn't seem very active so I used the hand raising kits formula and gave her a bit of it and she seemed to liven up immediately

 

[Easy Ears]

Well mothers milk is the best, so try that when you can...
Glad she's doing well.

 

[Bandits Bunny Farm]

My mini rex doe just had 10 kits on Friday, and there is a runt (not a peanut, I have Mini Rex's but I have never encountered a peanut in the year and a half I've been doing this. I think my doe is a false dwarf). They're only 2 days old right now, but they are all healthy. I am holding out hope for them, as this is my largest litter yet.

I would just wait and see with yours. I can't bring myself to kill a baby, so I just let nature take it's course.

 

[ButtonsPalace]

That's what i am doing. I mean I want her to live and grow up to be a healthy happy baby. My boyfriend's mom is good with reading energies and such *don't judge everyone has their own way of living and such* and she said that her energy says she is a happy healthy baby.. She is a bit small I honestly kinda feel like she might possibly be a dwarf I don't know if that is possible or not but I mean she looks like it

 

[macksmom98]

I have very limited experience, but we had a runt that was 1/2 the size of it's larger sister. It bothered me a lot to see the size difference, but she kept growing and has filled out quite nicely since starting solid food......and that belly does look full to me. Also, when I had started to control feed (where I brought the runt to the mother), I did it in the evening time and early morning, when they usually eat anyway. The baby got a full feeding without interruption by siblings and I was able to watch and see the length of feeding and also that there was milk around the kits mouth. Best of luck-I hope your little guy pulls thru!