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Date Posted: 11:09:37 01/16/02 Wed
Author: Jennifer & Wilbur
Subject: Re: I'm new and have just gotten a rabbit!
In reply to: Pixie 's message, "I'm new and have just gotten a rabbit!" on 17:57:01 01/13/02 Sun

Pixie,

Congratulations on being a new mother. You seem to want to learn about buns and to do the right thing for your new kit. I am proud of you for that being that eager and loving! I am also a hoetoe bunny mom and proud grandmother of 4 kits who are healthy! The kits have nursed clear through to 9 weeks and now beginning the 10th week of Ms. Wilbur the Mom wanting to nurse, we are helping her wean the kits on the advice of the Massachusetts, USA House Rabbit Society and our experienced bunny Veterinarian. You see, the kits are now 6 ounces to 1 pound lighter than Ms. Wilbur and she is becoming exhausted from the stress of nursing. But at the same time her instinct as a good 1st time Mom is to take care of her kits.

I can't help but ask you a question about how you got your little one and what the previous owner's experience was. In particular, why did the owner of your baby bun sell her to you at such a young age? Was she orphaned? You know buns need rich mothers milk or a comparable substitute for quite a few weeks? As you can see, my buns still want their mama's milk!

If you have not already done so, I would honestly call that individual you bought the kit from back and non-intrusively just ask a bit about the kit's behavior and health history, and especially the mother's behavior and health history. It is very suspicious to me that someone would take the kit away from its mother so soon. Additionally, the background information may prove to be very valuable in case your bun gets sick (e.g., if the Mama had a disease, your kit could have it or begin to exhibit symptoms). Your Vet may need to know about any information you can gain.

You really really need to follow Melony's advice about going to the House Rabbit Society website so you can learn how to keep the kit healthy. I have the House Rabbit Handbook which Ms. Wilbur, Mama Ciara, and myself all highly recommend.

Mama Ciara (Ms. Wilbur's other mother) and I looked at The Carrot Cafe on-line (<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.carrotcafe.com/)in">http://www.carrotcafe.com/)in</a> conjunction with the House Rabbit Handbook when learning how to feed Wilbur and the Kits.

You may wish to take a look at my post entitled "Re: fresh vegies for bunnies" to get a sense of an adult mealplan for when that time comes.

What and how are you feeding your kit? Depending on the kit's history (i.e., how/when it was weaned or if it was being syringe fed), if you have been using a mini-syringe with special kitten formula (please refer to House Rabbit Handbook) you are probably on the right track.

I have oodles of information that I printed out and took home with me from the above mentioned websites. I would just sit and read and learn as well as ask other more experienced rabbit people what to do.

To my knowledge buns live to 10 years or so.

Ms. Wilbur has exhibited symptoms of pasteurella a common but ubiquitous bacterial infection that many many buns have--some manifest symptoms, others do not, and they may also pass it along to their offspring. During her pregnancy which could be deemed as a stressor, Wilbur developed the "head tilt", sneezing very often, and lack of balance symptoms, but it has subsided, Thank God. Unfortunately, we did not know that Wilbur was pregnant when she was given her first course of antibiotics (Baytril) for the pasteurella. During her second course of antibiotics (Sorry, I can't remember the name, but it starts with a 'C' perhaps Cloramphenicol) Wilbur was nursing and we had to make a tough decision about risking joint damage in all the kits by having her on it. She has been off of all antibiotics for the last 2-3 weeks and still has a sneeze, but her balance is excellent, and her head tilt is gone for now. She is eating healthy and happily racing about.

Hopefully, you won't have to deal with issues like Wilbur's, but you should acclimate yourself with potential problems. Kudos to you for getting a headstart by asking others!

If you want to know more about Wilbur and her kits experience of growing up, you can email her and I at WilburLDurkin@hotmail.com

Best of Luck.

Sincerely,
Jennifer and Wilbur

PS-Other good websites:
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.busybunny.com,">http://www.busybunny.com,</a> our buns love their straw mats
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.oxbowhay.com,">http://www.oxbowhay.com,</a> our kits would run me down for their alfalfa pellets and Wilbur loves the Hay cakes! Their Timothy Hay for adults and Alfalfa Hay for kits is excellent! It is extremely moist and rich, not dusty and twiggy.

>Hello! I'm new to rabbits and have just gotten a 4
>week old baby rabbit. I think that the person who sold
>her to me said that she was a hoetoe/rex mix. She is
>grayish brown, with big brown eyes, white tipped feet,
>and short ears. She is just as sweet as she can be and
>loves to lick my fingers ( is that normal? ). I have
>had three rabbits before but they were kept outside
>and a dog ate them one night. I would like to just
>know a little about rabbits so I'll know what kinds of
>toys they usually like to play with and what foods.
>
>Questions:
>How long do they live?
>What kinds of sicknesses can they get?
>What should I look for in a healthy rabbit?
>
>Thanks!
>~Pixie

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