Runt or peanut?

[Jrnguyen]

New bunny mom here. We recently acquired 2 rabbits, a doe and a buck. Turns out the doe was already 3 weeks pregnant when we got her... Surprise! She had 5 kits on July 4, so 3 days old now. I'm wondering if this baby is just a runt or a peanut. We've been trying to supplement feedings but he just doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. He's strong as can be though and really seems to be holding his own with his siblings (aside from feedings of course). Mom doesn't seem even remotely interested in feeding him either. We're just trying to decide if we should continue hoping the little guy grows or start preparing our goodbyes .

 

[TadsMinion]

Are these dwarf breed rabbits? Peanuts are ones with a double dwarfing gene and it is usually 98% fatal. If the kit is eliminating waste then it is most likely a runt, peanuts usually have incomplete digestive/urinary systems. Three or four days is usually the maximum time they survive. I hope it is just a small one and good luck with your rabbits.

 

[CLovesDucks]

I have no experience with rabbits but I hope all of your babies end up okay. Sending lots of love to them!

 

[Jrnguyen]

Are these dwarf breed rabbits? Peanuts are ones with a double dwarfing gene and it is usually 98% fatal. If the kit is eliminating waste then it is most likely a runt, peanuts usually have incomplete digestive/urinary systems. Three or four days is usually the maximum time they survive. I hope it is just a small one and good luck with your rabbits.

They are mini Rex. We're not sure if he's eliminated any waste.. is there a way to stimulate him to do so? We started weighing him on the kitchen scale tonight during one of his supplemental feeds. Mom has been feeding them early in the morning so we are going to weigh him again after and just cross our fingers that he's gained something.

 

[TadsMinion]

Use a cotton ball moistened with warm water or soft cloth and gently rub it's belly/hind end should do the trick( or dress for work/town, they always pee on you then!). Does the kit seem shaped like a hook , as in the hind end is curled to it's belly? That is one way to tell if it is a peanut. We showed and raised mini rex for years and there was one lady who saved a peanut and would bring her to shows, it was so tiny and adorable but it did look like any animal/human with a type of dwarfism. It did require special care but it lived for years.

 

[cassie]

I should stay out of this, but I raised livestock for many many years. I learned some hard lessons along the way. Here are two that took a long time to get through my head. One, not all babies of whatever species are going to make it no matter what you do. They may have congenital defects or whatever. Two, poor doers are poor doers. They almost never thrive. I'm not saying you shouldn't try, but in my experience the chances of this baby ever growing up to he a healthy rabbit are slim and none. On the other hand, I could be wrong. Good luck. I mean that.

 

[Bunnylady]

From what I can see in your pictures, that one doesn't look like a typical "peanut." A friend of mine dubbed peanuts "camel babies," because the head shape reminded her of a camel. Your little one's head doesn't seem to be that kind of odd shape, and the back feet appear proportional - a shrunken, underdeveloped back end is a classic sign of two copies of the dwarfing gene.

But, just because it isn't a double dwarf doesn't mean a pass for a long and healthy life. Some runts are perfectly normal in every way, they just didn't get a fair share while in the uterus. Once born, if they get fed enough, they can develop normally. But others are small because there is an indefinite "something wrong with them," and it may not be something they can live with for long. I'm not saying you should kill this kit, just be prepared for the possibility that you may do your utmost, and lose it anyway . . . or have an animal that is undersized and somehow not-quite-right for its entire life.

 

[Jrnguyen]

Update:
Well we did end up with a little peanut. He hung on for several days, but began to deteriorate around day 5 and we lost him on day 7 .
Thankfully, though, we have 4 healthy, chunky little babies growing like weeds!
Here are my adorable little balls of fluff:

 

[MochaDuck]

Update:
Well we did end up with a little peanut. He hung on for several days, but began to deteriorate around day 5 and we lost him on day 7 .
Thankfully, though, we have 4 healthy, chunky little babies growing like weeds!
Here are my adorable little balls of fluff:

Sorry to hear about your little guy