what would you do? One fat baby, one skinny baby ( urgent?)

[mommaofmany]

My doe had two kits,

One is a good 1/2 in longer then the other, but the little one does not look like the pictures of peanuts I have seen.

The big one is super wiggly and I am worried that it is using the other smaller one to reach momma because the little one does not look like it has eaten, the belly is all wrinkly and the big one's belly looks like a frog belly lol.


Does that sound even possible? How/can I help?

 

[Bad Habit]

You might need a helper for this.

Take your doe out, and flip her on her back. Restrain her hind feet(I put my arm across them and push them down), and put the smaller baby on the belly, directing it to a nipple. I always keep one hand on the baby, in case the doe freaks out, so I can pull it out of the way(usually the hand belonging to the arm that's pushing the hind feet down.) Let the smaller baby get a few feeds in this way, and it should catch up in a few days.

The other option is to remove the larger kit from the nest, and put it somewhere warm and safe until you've seen the other kit get fed, then put the bigger kit back for a feeding, and repeat until they're about equal. This only works if your rabbits are somewhere warm(I can't remember where you keep your rabbits, sorry), so the kits don't chill and die.

Peanuts only come from dwarf rabbits, and will have wee little guinea pig like ears, and very slender, underdeveloped hind quarters. They will also have a domed head.

 

[mommaofmany]

Momma is not happy with us but maybe if I give her a treat afterward she will come to be okay with it and us. Thanks BH. (someone had suggested it was a peanut in a previous post)

 

[TwoAcreDream]

Just give it a good try. If you save it, that's great.
If not, you will learn something from the experience.
Wrap mom in a towel partially. Or put on a pair of thick gloves.

 

[Bad Habit]

Yeah, I kinda remembered she wasn't particularly friendly.

You could use another doe, if you have one nursing. or try taking the big kit out every other feeding, since you don't have to control the doe. If the kit doesn't seem fed after 12 hrs, I'd put the larger back in and definitely try flipping the doe - it might be that the little one is a fader and won't make it regardless what you do.

I've only ever bred does who can be handled well enough to flip if I have to. I don't put up with mean rabbits. They don't have to like me, but no boxing or biting when I reach in the cage, and you have to flip to have your nails done and teeth and genitals checked.

 

[dayna]

I try to help out a little bit, but depending on what you are breeding for you might not WANT to save this small kit.

If this was MY doe..

I would let nature take it's course on the smaller one. I would wean the fatter kit as quickly as possible with as much handling as possible and cull the doe.

 

[JDWest]

I would let nature take it's course on the smaller one. I would wean the fatter kit as quickly as possible with as much handling as possible and cull the doe.

:yeahthat:

 

[mommaofmany]

Once we get her out of her cage she isn't quite as mean, and once she was on her back she mostly just closed her eyes.

Man oh man, that baby nursed off one nipple and then searched for another! My husband was kind of displeased that it peed while he was holding momma lol!

But I sure do love seeing that tight full belly <3