Where did this infant rabbit come from?

[Rabbits by Accident]

We rescued 10 rabbits. One poor Little Doe had was pregnant and we didn't know it. Within 2 days, she got aggressive with her hutchmates so I moved her to her own cage. She ended up kindling that afternoon.

Three days later we found an infant rabbit being thrown around by our chickens. It appears younger than hers because it is virtually hairless.

The next morning (today) another rabbit began preparing to kindle.

So here's my actual question, I don't think that it was the second rabbit's baby because that cage is more secure and I don't see how a kit could fall to the ground. The first cage had bars far enough apart that a baby could actually fall out if it got out of the kindling box. But the baby seems too young to be the first rabbit's.

Do rabbits ever have an additional kit after the initial kindling? Because that's the only explanation I can think of.

Or, conversely do rabbits ever have a kit without nesting and then have the rest of the litter a few days later? This seems unlikely especially since that cage is pretty rabbit proof.

We put it in with the first one's babies and hope that it will survive, but probably the chickens pecked it pretty bad.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Also it seems smaller, but that might be if it didn't get fed for a day. Or maybe a wild rabbit but it seems too big to be a wild rabbit. I may not be able to tell when it gets hair because some of ours look like wild rabbits LOL

Thanks for any help you can provide or information you can add.

Liz

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

One last note. I hope last LOL. I just checked on it it is still alive, although it wasn't in the same place as the original babies. It was in the nest but off to the side and it was still alive and seemed fed.

 

[a7736100]

Maybe it had a lower body temperature so the other kits kicked it away to be more comfortable.

 

[golden rabbitry]

I'd just place it back in. Depending apon the breed, it could just be a runt or peanut, thus looking younger. It really depends on how much older the first litter is considering that the babies are hairless the first 3 or so days since it takes time to actually see it. Keep us updated!

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Okay, here is another update and a couple photos. The poor little thing seems to be doing fine. He holds his own with his kinfolk. You can see here he is snuggled up on the largest kit in the litter and a normal sized one is next to him and he is very small compared to either one of them.

He doesn't appear to be too damaged from those awful feathered dinosaurs I swear they would eat us if they could get their mouths around our legs LOL nothing is safe in this yard.

He also seems to be getting a little more hair. I'm not sure if you can see in this photo but one ear and the top of his head got pecked pretty badly.

Does he look like he could be a runt? He just seems very small to me.

Thanks for the comments!

Liz

 

[Cosima]

That is a huge size difference.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Another view. We found him when the original kits were 3 days old. I thought he looked younger but I thought perhaps it was because he didn't get fed because he had fallen out of the cage. The cage had bars that were too far apart on the floor.


So the first kits were born on Tuesday. We found the orphan on Friday. Sunday (today) another doe had kits. I thought maybe it was a premature birth from the this doe, but that cage is pretty baby proof. I'm pretty sure a baby could not fall out of it. They definitely could fall out of the first one. That has been remedied. All these litters were unexpected LOL so I wasn't exactly prepared.

Does he look so small that he could be a wild rabbit that the chickens caught and dragged over there. Although it looks like he might have white fur and when it comes in I might have the answer to that question anyway LOL.

How long can a newborn kit go without eating? They grow so fast that if he didn't get fed for a day he might be that much smaller. I doubt he could have been out in the yard more than a day because we have dogs and chickens and they would have gotten to him.

Liz

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

given the size difference and the amount of fur (or lack there of) it seems like it may have been from the second doe. ive had kits slop through 1" X 1" bars with room to spare so he could have slipped out of the cage.

 

[Cosima]

Does he look so small that he could be a wild rabbit that the chickens caught and dragged over there. Although it looks like he might have white fur and when it comes in I might have the answer to that question anyway LOL.

he is not a wild rabbit because wild rabbits are chestnut and white is recessive.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

given the size difference and the amount of fur (or lack there of) it seems like it may have been from the second doe. ive had kits slop through 1" X 1" bars with room to spare so he could have slipped out of the cage.

But she didn't actually Kindle until today and we found him on Friday. Does this happen that they have one more than a day before they have the rest?

Thanks,
Liz

 

[Cosima]

But she didn't actually Kindle until today and we found him on Friday. Does this happen that they have one more than a day before they have the rest?

Thanks,
Liz

Not that I know of

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

he is not a wild rabbit because wild rabbits are chestnut and white is recessive.

Well yes if it turns out he's white, I have at least that much answer, but I am not sure he's white. Can you tell from the photo?

Thanks,
Liz

 

[Cosima]

Ether he is white or he is orange maybe send a picture where he is out of the nest so he is is not in shadows.

 

[KelleyBee]

He’s so wee and sweet and fortunate. Maybe he should be moved to a litter of kits nearer his size?

 

[ThunderHill]

But she didn't actually Kindle until today and we found him on Friday. Does this happen that they have one more than a day before they have the rest?

Thanks,
Liz

I've had one instance where a doe kindled two on the wire a day early with no nest building, then built her nest beautifully and kindled several more the next day. So I guess it can happen.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Thanks, you may be right! The second doe kindled the next day. She has 9 or 10 in there I can't count very well LOL. I have no idea how a baby would have gotten out of that cage though because it's pretty rabbit-proof I think. It's one of the cages made from wire shelving with the close bars.

She has a very large box in there, because again I wasn't really ready for this rabbit explosion. I'm going to start a new thread on this next question but I'll just put it out here too. She is a large TAMUK rabbit and has 9 to 11 kits that she has divided into two nests within this large box. Should I consolidate them into one nest or will she feed them both?

Thanks,
Liz

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

But she didn't actually Kindle until today and we found him on Friday. Does this happen that they have one more than a day before they have the rest?

Thanks,
Liz

it has happened to me a few time were they will pop out one a day or two before the rest

 

[golden rabbitry]

Ididn't read through all the replies so sorry if this is redundant but that's a peanut. Huge forehead, small pointed ears that are set back, bulging eyes. And if it ain't a peanut, it's just super small and possibly a fader

 

[Cosima]

Is there a problem with a peanut