Baby rabbits with yellow sticky poop

Kaydee

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I have 9 kits that are 8 day old now and yesterday I noticed that they were smelling off and dirty. I examined them closer and 4 of them were all dirty crusty with red swollen perinea and yellow poop some are worse than others. As I cleaned some of them they started peeing a lot. They seem almost healthy, but not quite right...maybe too fat, or bloated. They are an American/Silver Fox cross.

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture till after I cleaned them.

I found this form talking about it -(10-day old kits-yellow messy poop? On rabbittalk.com) sounds like the same thing but it is from 2010 and doesn't have a resolution.

Any experience with this? Help please. Thank you.
 

samssimonsays

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I had it happen with a French Lop litter thats tummy was upset from what I was feeding the mom. goopy poop that was yellow and smelly. It stuck to them and they couldn't poop or pee causing them to swell in the genitals and tummies from no where to expel the urine of feces. I kept wiping then down with warm water and I cut the moms diet down to only pellets, no extra anything besides hay. They pulled through but it may not be the same thing. Where are yours located.? Inside a barn or shed, outside or in the house? Any other animals like poultry around them? At their age there really isn't much you can give them without killing them.
 

DutchBunny03

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What sort of rabbit housing arrangement do you use? What have you been feeding them? Are there any other adult rabbits in the same hutch/cage? Is the dam experiencing any similar symptoms?
 

Kaydee

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I have my rabbits in a colony, have been such for nearly a year now, the babies are in there own nest box with the dam has access to. I have seen no other signs at all of any of the other rabbits being sick. I Currently have three Dams and 11 kits - that are 4ish week. The males are in a separate cages.

I am feeding them Modesto Organic pellets, Timothy hay and black berry leaves, they get other green such as mustered greens, parsley, and kale some times.

I did loose a dam last week for no apparent reason. She did have a litter of three a week early scattered through out the pen with the sack and placenta still attached to them, she died a week and half later, but seemed completely fine the day before.

It seems like a digestion issue, I am wondering if they are too young to give them some probiotics, or home made kefir. ACV? They are 9 days old now.
 

Kaye

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I gave my lactating doe rooster booster in her water bottle once a week. I'm not telling you to try a chicken electrolyte and probiotic, but I am telling you that I did it without any issues. Mother is preggers again and the kits are all 2 1/2 months old now. It is for use in poultry
 

samssimonsays

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I would say their tummies may be too sensitive to the greens the mom is getting. Some kits do fine while others have upsets. My does all always got lots of greens and apples as well as other treats and scraps but for what ever reason the one litter I had had issues like you are describing. I would guess that would be the issue before parasites in such young kits. Maybe some kefir, as I fed that to bottle babies for the good bacteria, would help their tummies.
 

Bossroo

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I have my rabbits in a colony, have been such for nearly a year now, the babies are in there own nest box with the dam has access to. I have seen no other signs at all of any of the other rabbits being sick. I Currently have three Dams and 11 kits - that are 4ish week. The males are in a separate cages.

I am feeding them Modesto Organic pellets, Timothy hay and black berry leaves, they get other green such as mustered greens, parsley, and kale some times.

I did loose a dam last week for no apparent reason. She did have a litter of three a week early scattered through out the pen with the sack and placenta still attached to them, she died a week and half later, but seemed completely fine the day before.

It seems like a digestion issue, I am wondering if they are too young to give them some probiotics, or home made kefir. ACV? They are 9 days old now.
Management issue.
 

DutchBunny03

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The greens are at least a part of the issue. Dont give young kits greens. It gives them the type of dropping you described, which can be fatal to young rabbits, and could be a sign of coccidiosis. It may also be a management issue, as @Bossroo said. You could try isolating the dam and kits until the kits are a few weeks old.
 
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