poorly baby bun

Hi.
I am sorry to make such a long post on my first time but am desperate for any advise at all that will help Sonic.

Our Bunnies (who we thought were both female) had babies four weeks ago. Everything seemed to go well untill Sunday night when we found the first dead baby. We were heartbroken (he was our favourite). On Mon three more died. We went to the vet with the mother, one baby looking o.k., one a bit quiet and one almost dead (one of the three mentioned above).

The vet examined the mother and said that her milk had dried up and that the babies had starved. he said the o.k. looking one (named Alert) should recover. The quiet one (sonic - because he was always fast enough to escape the hutch when we opened the door) might pull through and obviously the nearly dead one wouldnt survive.

He gave us a nutritional drink to syringe into their mouths and some baytril.

Since then Alert had gone (looked fine when i left him for an hour as I was on a course and went in my arms 5mins after I returned. We were upset as he had been having the nutrient drink, eating the pellets we bought from the vet and hay and thought that after two days of eating he had a good chance of not dying of starvation.

Sonic is still alive but is very subdued. He doesnt want the liquid drink but has started to nibble the hay. I have noticed in the last 10 mins that his back legs are very wet and I am not sure if it is his "old boy" but it looks very big and protruting. I don`t recall seeing that before.

Has anyone else come across this problem and do they have any advise.
Obviously we will be returning to the vet.

This has been an awfull couple of days. I can`t believe that our lovely little babies are nearly all gone. We desperately want Sonic to survive. We all love him so much even though we have only had him for 4 weeks.
Any advise will be welcomed.

Thanks,

Sarah.

I unfortuatley have no advice for you, beetween you and your vet you seem to have it covered. Im so sorry to hear about the other baby's but hugs and bunny snuggles to Sonic XX and to you XX

Thanks phill for your reply,

I looks like you have loads of buns looking at your pics. They look lovely.

Sarah

Thank you what are your other buns called?

Hi Phill,
The mummy bun is called flopsy, the dad is Wilbur and the baby is Sonic.
I have just noticed that Wilbur has managed to escape his run. We have fenced his hutch in with mesh fence panels my hubbie made and we have seen him trying to climb them. i can`t believe it but he has managed.

Luckily Flopsy is in her run and not in the garden otherwise we would be having more buns!!!!

Poor old Flopsy will be going to the vet soon to be spayed.

They are lovely bunnies.
Wilbur is very fast and difficult to catch once he is in the garden. It is funny watching my husband chasing him around the garden. Wilbur runs away then stops and looks at you as if he is laughing.

Flopsy is a good girl. Just tap on the door and she goes into bed good as gold.

We are hoping if Sonic survives that he will be a lot tamer as we will be able to handle him more while he/she is young.

How have you got so many? did you just get the bug? They are such an assortment too. I didn`t even know there were so many varieties.

Sarah
Sarah

I have so many cuase i ended up with Three preganant buns! one came preagnant the other two got pregs by a male that came to live with me!!! i could'nt bare to give half the baby's away and kept one or two from each litter then there are a few rescue buns that just came from people who didn't want or had no space for them any more! Two of my girls escaoed 5 weeks ago and one had baby's last monday! so 16 adults and 7 babies all of whom if i can't find homes for will be staying!!! Has Sonic been eating today? And has he pooed atall?

Hiya,

I've no experiance with this but hopefully someone will pop up that does.

You could try cleaning him up alittle underneath with a bit of damp cottonwool just so he doesn't get sore from the urine.

How are you trying to give him the drink? Will he lick it off your fingers or try a little at a time with a small syringe.

Possibly try moistening the pellets with a little of the drink.

Best wishes,
Tam

Hi Phill, I know what you mean. We had people lined up for our bunnies (my best friend was going to have two. She has had bunnies before). We were going to keep two. Snowdrop (the first to go) and Sonic. It would have been nice to keep them all.

Hi Tamsin,
Thanks for your reply. The only way sonic would take any water is from the syringe. She/he has had some. I have crushed a pellet he ate that yesterday but wont touch it today.
I have just read on the net about a kitten milk replacer that bunnies can have. My mother in law went to collect my children from school so i could stay with sonic. she has just rang me from the pet shop to tell me the shop keeper has suggested the same thing. So i will try some of that it might be more tempting.


Sonic is just sitting there with his fluff all puffed up like a puffer fish. I really hope he makes it. it was a real shock that Alert didn`t as he showed no signs of being ill at all until an hour before he went.

Tamsin how many bunnies have you got.

Sarah

Good luck Sarah. Let us know what happens. Have you tried the search function to see if theres more info?

Have you been stimulating the baby so it goes to the toilet? I think you need to rub down there after a feed so they wet themselves (no idea how though).

Cimicat (kitten milk formula) can be used to feed baby rabbits I believe.

Lots of luck - hope the little one makes it!

Caz

Hi all,
We have just given sonic some powdered kitten milk. He only had a bit but I suppose that is better than nothing. He licked it of my hand. He feels cold so we have wrapped him up and my daughter is cuddling him. I have tried stroking him from his front paws down his tummy and over his anus as I read on the net but he didn`t poop or wee.
We will keep trying.

thanks,
Sarah

Thats great that you got some milk down him have you tried sitting ontop of a covered hotwater bottle to keep him warm (still wrapped in the towel of course)

Hi Phill,
thats a great idea. Iam cuddling Sonic now but when my hubbie gets home Iwill get him to dig out the hot water bottle.Sonic looks lovely and comfy on my knee and feels much warmer.
Sarah

These sites may be worth a read http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/orphan.html

http://www.worldofpetsni.com/rabbaby.htm#Feeding_Orphaned_Baby_Rabbits

http://www.worldofpetsni.com/rabbaby.htm#More_On_Feeding_Orphaned_Baby_Rabbits


I hope things work out for you.

Janice

Animal Rescue and Care

hi
dont know what to say reALLY, THIS COULD OF HAPPEND BECAUSE OF U NOT KNOWING THE PARNETS BACKGROUNDS SO COULD HAVE GENECIC PROBS OR SOMETHING IN THE BACKGROUND (OPPS CAPS IS ON) you sed the back legs have gone this sounds like the floppy rabbit syndrone (nurecing moms can get this) it a calcium deficiency here is a site about it http://members.iinet.net.au/~jabuck/WARCI/other_ailments.htm#flopsy
becky

Hi Janice,
The websites are very usefull. Thanks very much.

Sarah

Hi Becky,
Thanks for your post. We do know who the parent bunnies are as we got Flopsy (mummy) and Wilbur (daddy) from my daughters friend. There doesn`t seem to be any problems.
Sonics back legs havn`t gone funny but they were very wet. I presume that it is wee so i have cleaned him. However just befiore the bunnies die they do lie down and when we pick them up they the back legs do feel funny so i am going to look at the web link now.

Have you been breeding rabbits long?

Sarah

hi, I have tried to hand rear a baby rabbit before - the poor little thing was only 2 days old though and had never had mothers milk as she had just abandoned them so he started out with a big disadvantage( she wasnt my rabbit - I just offered to help) I took baby in and fed him with cimicat formula and toileted him by wiping his rear end with warm, wet cotton wool pleats. This did make him go so was effective. I used a soft bristle paintbrush to feed him with the cimicat but your little bun is a lot bigger so this probably wont help.
I use those wheat grain bags that go in the microwave to keep my rabbits warm - they really like to snuggle up to one so you could try one of those to keep him warm overnight.
Dont know if any of this will help you but thought Id add it anyway.
good luck with the little man - I'll be thinking of you all.

JANICE,

I have just read that website OMG it sounds exactly like our bunnies.
. Sonic was poorly on Monday we thought she was going to go next but has since picked up. She is quiet, when she walks around she is a bit wobbly.
Do you think i should try the natural yogurt with vit E.

i am very excited now that we may be able to help Sonic

Thanks
sarah

Yay Sonic has pooped. The `old boy` was not his `old boy` it was his bum. i think the poor ****** must have piles.

My hubbie is back now so he is going to do cudle duty.
I am off now to get some vit e and yogurt.
I will let you know what happens.
Speak later,

Sarah