Rabbit help

[Bunnylady]

On reflection, I think it is kitten formula that you want. My bad - it's been, like, 15 years since I had to do this (I've learned to breed does in groups!) I knew it was one, not the other, wouldn't you know I'd get 'em backwards!

I've heard of people giving Ensure to rabbits that aren't eating. It sounds like his digestive system is moving again, maybe he'll show a little more interest in solid foods. I agree that it will be harder to tell whether he's eating if he's in with the doe, but having her to snuggle with may help to reduce his stress. Can you weigh him on something that measures in fairly small increments? At his age, he should be gaining at least a couple of ounces per day.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
It's fine, that's why I double checked in google. Sometimes people simply get facts slightly off. I need to double check for this reason and not take anyones word as final. You still helped even if you meant kitten vs puppy since you got me to double-triple check sources.

That helps! He currently weighs... 15.31oz according to this scale.

I'll bring her in and place her in his cage then

See if that helps any. Anything that helps I'm willing to try.

 

[Rin]

Woa she looks WAY bigger than him now. She was only slightly bigger when I put them out and now seeing them together again she seems almost twice his size and he keeps acting like he wants to nurse off her.

Like sticking his face under her or trying to snuggle her belly.

 

[Rin]

He's refusing the kitten milk but is begging me for the 2%. I'll save it and try again tonight when he'll be way more willing to reason with me.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

No, NO straight cows milk AT ALL. You will have bloat on your hands if you do and faster than you can blink.

KMR only, Kitten Milk Replacer. Don't use any of the rabbit book or rabbit website promoted home made forumlas. I have only ever lost buns doing this, they bloat and they bloat fast on anything containing cows milk.

Does his skin tent when you pull it up at the back of his neck? If so he is dehydrated.

You need to listen to his belly, what do you hear? You should hear gurgling, often. Not just one here and there. If you hear nothing you're looking at GI Stasis which is really hard to pull them through but not impossible. I cannot believe someone sold you a kit that young

Your lop doe, how old was she? To me, these two don't seem related. Your lop could have had anything wrong with her from Pasturella, to having a heart attack, the possibilites are nearly endless without having any symptoms to go on or anything.

Have you changed feed recently? What are you feeding? What brand and type?

If you think it might be bloat of some kind (a healthy rabbit belly should feel like bread dough, a bloated one will be hard and distended with air) you can give human baby gas drops (Mylicon, etc) at a rate of up to one whole dropper per hour, there is no real medicine in this, it is a ingredient that makes small gas bubbles blob together into larger easier to pass ones.

If you don't hear anything going on in his belly, dose with gas drops and massage the belly until you start to hear gurgling and he should pass gas and may poo.

 

[Rin]

Quote:
Tummy is loud, gurgling a lot with a persistent thumping sound which may be his heart but I gave him some of the Mylicon last night already to be sure since up until then he hadn't pooped at ALL. Is it safe to give it as a precaution or can it cause more harm than good that way? As for feed he's on Nutrina pellets and Kaytee timothy hay. Same as the female who is 100%, came from the same place, just seemed to be a week older than him. Honestly I think his problem didn't even start until I split him and the doe up into their own cages.

It hadn't occurred to me that doing so would hurt him but he's now eating from the feeder every time I pass the cage. Though he stops to try and hit me up for more milk but when he realizes he isn't he hobbles over to snuggle her. He's finally moved away from sitting on the same spot since putting her in. I have fairly high hopes now he might just pull through as for dehydration I can't really tell? I pull on his scruff and the fur just looks like fur to me? I can't tell if it's peaked or not, granted he wont hold still for me at all. So I've had to make various attempts at this only to just sorta give up. I've just been assuming he is since his pee was spotty and I have yet to see him touch his water.

 

[ack123]

Get him on some alfalfa hay. First cutting if you can get it. Give him all he wants. If he eats it it will help get his digestive system in order. Id also watch the nutrena. Its full of corn which isn't good for rabbits. A friend of mine lost most o fher herd to it last year. That isn't saying you shouldn't feed it, but just watch it, and be careful with it. switch to something that is non corn based when they are healthy enough.

 

[storminstaffs]

i'd try and in courage eating hay and pellets instead of the milk as it might give him bloat - i've never hand raised a kit before and just going of when i used to breed rabbits they started eating properly around 4-5 weeks and i didn't see them get milk off there mam around this time, i separated them at 8 weeks but they still had they brothers and sisters till 12 weeks and then went to new homes

 

[Rin]

SUCCESS!
He just missed his friend really. Tonight he took three dropper fulls (about 1/7th of a teaspoon) of milk before refusing it so I gave him fresh hay and he and the doe went to town on the hay.

The milk was mostly to bring him back from the brink. He was SO CLOSE to death the other day but today he looks alive, well, and happier. He missed her. Plain and simple. No sign of diarrhea from anyone. Nothing but pellet poops below the cage.

 

[storminstaffs]

Quote:
Thats brilliant, you'll have to slowly separate again around 10 weeks, if you aren't getting the neutered, or you could leave them together till his plums are visible