One Kit (the runt) outside the nest box

[shanzu farms]

I guess the mother pulled this week old kit out of the box? It is still squirming, bit cold and reaching for milk. Not sure what I should do. I put it back in. Also, i live in Kenya, so dont have access to Kit Milk. Any substitute?

thanks.

 

[CDC]

I don't know that I can help but I did read somewhere that rabbits do not have the ability to pick up and carry their young around. If you find a kit outside of the nest box it is probably due to it holding on during nursing and being dragged out. Chances are that if you put it back into the nest box the mother will continue to feed it. I don't personally have experience with it so maybe someone with more experience will be able to give you some better advice.

 

[CDC]

Any updates? How is the runt doing?

 

[nawma]

I have had this happen many times. I always put the kit back in the nest and it survives just fine.

 

[shanzu farms]

Hi All, thanks for those comments and request for update: the kit was sooo far behind its litter-mates and was quite weak. I saw no chance of it getting to the teat in order to survive. @nawma, perhaps I should have just done that and let nature take it's course. This is my first experience with this, i'm relatively new to rabbit raising. (See my post in birthing/weaning section on my miracle doe!). Anyways, it has been more than a week now, and ive been hand feeding with a solution i found online: milk, egg yolk, powdered milk, molasses, bone meal. The kit is growing - a bit. And definitely still alive. It feeds, it stays warm. I spend way too much time caring for it! Let's see what happens. Next time, i will definitely just put it back and let nature take its course...

 

[shanzu farms]

Ole "Runty" passed away two nights ago. Seemed quite agitated after the last feeding. I figure bloat. I sheepishly confess, though I raise rabbit for food, I was a bit sentimental about it. Sad.

 

[P.O. in MO]

Know what you mean, even though I eat them I hate to see one suffer or die because of something I did or didn't do. I just learn from the experience and try again..