Rabbit help

[Rin]

I already tried posting this on BYH but it doesn't seem much if any rabbit owners there cruise the illnesses section. It's been hours. No response.

Yesterday, I discovered my Lop, dead on the bottom of her cage in my bedroom and in a panic rushed to check on my outside rabbits. My doe NZW is not only 100% but eating and pooping and peeing like a champ.

The buck however, didn't even seem to be breathing when I found him. I gently shook his side and he started breathing again and I slid his cage out and brought him inside. Upon closer inspection it seems he hadn't been eating at all or pooping and since bringing him in he wee'd a very little bit. I gave him water with a dropper and he seemed to perk up a little. I then felt his body and he seemed very bony. So I tried feeding him warmed 2% milk. He perked up even more. This morning he finally hopped off the top of his hide for his milk. Sniffed his food and then his water but wont take either. Still no poop.

I suspect he wasn't weaned before I got him. I'm new to rabbits and wasn't aware of how young he was when I brought him home. He's 4 weeks now I think. Am I handling this correctly? Is there anything else I should be doing for him? Is it possible he overheated? It's not cold at all here right now. I'm just generally baffled right now. I don't want to lose him. He is very sweet

I forgot to mention the Lop showed absolutely no signs of illness. I even held her in my lap and stroked her that very morning and when i put her back in she zoomed about like she always did. No sign of pain or weakness.

He's peeing normally today... still no poop. Is it possible he has backup? How do I help a constipated bunny? Could be gas... should I give him gasx just in case? :< What do I do?​

 

[storminstaffs]

if he's only 4 weeks he should still be with his mother, how old was the female lop?

I'd get some milk formula, he could have bloat

 

[ack123]

Probably from stress from being weaned early. How long have you had these rabbits. Take them back and get your money back if you got them from a breeder. Otherwise, your second best bet may to be to try consulting a rabbit savvy vet.

 

[Bunnylady]

I was so-o-o hoping that I was wrong, but I saw this coming:

I will exert extreme self control and not comment on the fact that someone apparently sold you three-week-old NZ's.

(That was copied from the thread where you posted pics of your new bunnies, a few days ago.)

I know that people that breed meat rabbits routinely wean at 3 weeks, and usually get away with it. Weaning is a major stress, but to remove a rabbit from all the sights and smells, etc. that it has ever known, and put it into a completely new environment is an enormously greater one!

Enough lecturing, you didn't know. I would buy some puppy formula from a pet shop, give it to him with an eyedropper or syringe. He will probably stand and take it from you, you shouldn't even have to hold him for this (less chance of it going down wrong, that way!) Cows' milk as we drink it isn't the best thing for bunnies, I wouldn't continue with that. I have made emergency formula from condensed milk and corn syrup, but the prepared formulas are way better.

One of my favorite baby foods is plain dry rolled oats. Calf Manna, a pelleted milk replacer, is good too, but he needs to be eating! Every calorie you can get into him counts at this point, as does every drop of fluids.

I'm really terribly sorry that this has happened to you and your bunnies. This is the reason that many breeders won't sell bunnies less than 8 weeks old, and some areas even prohibit it by law. If you knew how many times someone has told me "I bought a bunny for the kids at Easter, but it died. . . ."

 

[Rin]

Quote:
She was... I think... 7weeks? I was giving him 2% milk because it was suggested on an online site as the safest substitute for rabbit milk. They even went as far as to say that some organization told them to put a specific formula there - only for people to complain that formula killed their rabbits so he switched the information back and left it.

Probably from stress from being weaned early. How long have you had these rabbits. Take them back and get your money back if you got them from a breeder. Otherwise, your second best bet may to be to try consulting a rabbit savvy vet.

The dead one was somewhat of a rescue. The family didn't want her anymore after the family easter photos. The sick one was purchased however with the female who is doing wonderfully. I think she was a week older than he was though. She eats all her food and sucks down the water like nobodies business. No vets out here that know rabbits and honestly even though its only been a week I'm already attached to him so dumping him back where he was going to get sold off anyway isn't an option. I'd rather at least /try/ especially when he's clearly willing to fight for me.

I would buy some puppy formula from a pet shop, give it to him with an eyedropper or syringe. He will probably stand and take it from you, you shouldn't even have to hold him for this (less chance of it going down wrong, that way!) Cows' milk as we drink it isn't the best thing for bunnies, I wouldn't continue with that. I have made emergency formula from condensed milk and corn syrup, but the prepared formulas are way better.

One of my favorite baby foods is plain dry rolled oats. Calf Manna, a pelleted milk replacer, is good too, but he needs to be eating! Every calorie you can get into him counts at this point, as does every drop of fluids.

I'm really terribly sorry that this has happened to you and your bunnies. This is the reason that many breeders won't sell bunnies less than 8 weeks old, and some areas even prohibit it by law. If you knew how many times someone has told me "I bought a bunny for the kids at Easter, but it died. . . ."

He takes the 2% just like this. I only started feeding him this last night and hes showing much more improvement. I guess that website was wrong so will get pup formula first thing in the morning instead when the hardware store opens. I know for a fact they have kitten and puppy milk there, even little animal bottles but I think I'll stick with this dropper - it curves at the tip so he gets to have it in his mouth properly. He just tries to grab it with his teeth and keeps trying to steal it from me. Oddly after every feeding he goes over to sniff his pellets with intent then his water but doesn't actually consume either. I tried dripping a drop of milk on his water bottle ball bearing but he wont touch it so that just resulted in me having to change it. Is there any way to encourage him to eat his pellets? The first day or so he DID eat them and drank from the bottle AND went gaga for his Timothy hay. How do I get him to eat them again? He wont do more than lick them and walk away right now but bum rushes the front of the cage when he sees me coming with a cup of milk and that dropper.​

 

[Rin]

Actually, are you sure about puppy formula? I tried to look it up and most say kitten - saying in bold not to use puppy milk replacer?

 

[Rin]

He finally pooped! It's diarrhea, but it's still poop!

Edit: It's not really diarrhea but slightly looser than it should be. It's rather thick and I had to gently massage it out of his tail with a warm wash rag. He also made a pellet but its really moist for a pellet. Afterward I offered him fresh hay and he took a nibble!

EDIT EDIT: He wont take water from the dropper. He keeps expecting it to be milk and refuses it when he realizes it isn't

 

[ack123]

If you get puppy formula see if you can get esbilac goats milk. Its safer for the babies and some pretty good stuff.

The reason why I suggested taking them back is that its not ethical to sell a rabbit so young. It may have sounded like a bad option, but in most cases its the best thing to do. Don't buy from that person again. Sounds like they took advantage of you since you are a new owner.

 

[storminstaffs]

i think kitten formula would be better, are you housing the babies rabbits together, that would be better for them if you know its nothing that can be passed on though

babies rabbits can stay till around 10 weeks old - most breeders don't even let there babies go till this age

 

[Rin]

Quote:
Ooooohhh that may be why he suddenly stopped eating when he was when I first got him home. I separated him from the doe after keeping them together for a few days. Even with their cages side by side - he was alone. I'll put him back in with the female.

He's pooped a lot last night, it varies from mushy to poop pellets. The only problem is she is eating and drinking and pooping fine - how will I know if he is too? I saw him nibble his food this morning and then a little hay but not much to write home about. He keeps begging for milk and I'm trying to stick to just 30cc's of it at night but he beeeegggs for it. Checking online they claim too much milk and too many feedings will kill them, no more than two and no more than 30ccs at his age a day. Accurate?