new litter have sprawled or lame legs?

[osagebilly]

This doe and buck have produced 3 other litters and this has never happened before. She had a small litter this time (5) and only 3 lived...but they all drag their back legs and the legs are utterly spread out? Almost like paralyzed from the waste down or something? I have had rabbits for a year now and never seen this....is this common or is there a preventative measure?

 

[waynesgarden]

Other than the leg issue, are they eating well and otherwise seem healthy? If so, I'd look at splay leg being the problem. If it is splay leg, it is said to be a genetic problem, though one would wonder why it didn't appear in any of the previous litters.

If it is, I'd consider replacing one or both of the parents as breeding stock. Are the parents related? Have either had litters with different mates? You may have to breed each to other rabbits to determine if one of them is carrying a bad gene.

Before you do anything though, google Splay Leg to see if it sounds to you like a possible cause.

Ataxia can cause similar leg problems but the rabbit will decline quickly and die.

Here's a link to get started. Scroll down to page 26, Splay leg and ataxia.

(I am not a veteranarian. I don't even play one on the internet.)

Wayne

 

[osagebilly]

Thanks for the reply it was very helpful. Its splay legs. They are not close to being 3 months old and the description in the link fits. I only have 3 rabbits, one buck and 2 does and this is the first I have seen of it. The two Does are sisters and bought from a different place than the buck. They are all 3 mutts so inbreeding is not the cause imo. I gave the buck and one of the does to a friend last night and replaced them with NZ's because imo they are hard to beat for processing purposes. My step father raised bunnies for 10 years and never saw this. Again, thank you very much.

 

[trestlecreek]

I have seen this and have heard that some cases could possibly occur from traction issues in the nestbox as the kits start hopping?

Other than improving traction, I would look at the parents,.. and not make that cross again....

 

[trestlecreek]

waynesgarden,... the link you provided is a good read and could be very helpful to many,..could you possibly post that up somewhere here to make it more accessible to all?

 

[osagebilly]

I have seen this and have heard that some cases could possibly occur from traction issues in the nestbox as the kits start hopping?

Other than improving traction, I would look at the parents,.. and not make that cross again....

But she has had 2 other litters in that box and this never happened? I got rid of the buck so that cross is gone.

 

[waynesgarden]

Trestlecreek,

I posted the link in another thread titled: Domestic Rabbits - Diseases and Parasites so it would be easy to find.

Cheers.

Wayne