My rabbit has myxomatosis. Can her baby stay or should I hand-feed?

Does are usually great mothers and will take excellent care of their babies. Keep in mind that baby bunnies can safely go 1 - 2 days before getting a full ‘meal.’ This is a protective mechanism since in the wild the doe might need to stay away from the nest for a while to avoid leading predators to her kits. Mother rabbits only ever feed their kits once a day, rarely twice, and that for just 5 to 10 minutes. In this short time frame, the kits get their whole day’s milk supply. So, if you never see the doe go near the nest box, but the little kits have round tummies, everything is fine. You don’t need to help nature along. The doe is doing her job while you’re in bed asleep. If you find that she is not feeding them at all after 2 days then refer to this link to an article on how to raise orphan bunnies. There is a recipe you can use in their to make formula. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I am so sorry to hear that Max has been infected with Myxomatosis Myxomatosis refers to an often fatal disease that affects domestic and wild rabbit populations. This disease is caused by the myxoma virus. I would start off my taking Max to the vet to ensure he is properly diagnosed and immediate supportive treatment such as fluids can be provided. Unfortunately this disease is very often fatal. I would try to make Max as comfortable as possible with pain relief medication from the veterinarian, providing his favourite foods. Most importantly providing as much of your time and love as you can through the process. I am so terribly sorry and my heart goes out to both you and Max.

Hello there! I'm sorry to hear that your rabbits have been ill. As you probably know, myxomatosis is a very deadly virus that is spread by blood-consuming insects, and sometimes from rabbit-to-rabbit. Up to 90 percent of rabbits that contract myxomatosis do not survive. If they were diagnosed on September 11, it sounds like they may be in the late acute stage of the disease, and if they truly are eating and improving at this point, they may very well recover, and this is lucky indeed. The next two weeks will be very important for them. Be sure to keep giving their medications as prescribed, as they will still be susceptible to secondary bacterial infection during the chronic stage of the disease (which can last for 30 days after they have recovered from the initial symptoms). During this time, they may develop myxomas (lump-like swellings) on the face, neck, or body. They may also become blind due to swelling and infection in the eyes, so be sure to keep in close contact with your vet during this time. Their chances of survival increase with each day that passes at this point, but that could change at any time. If any new symptoms develop (seizure, staggering) or if their breathing deteriorates, please get them back to the vet ASAP. Good luck, and I hope that your bunnies keep hopping down the path to recovery from this terrible disease!

If the mama rabbit is refusing to nurse the little bunny I would recommend taking that bunny away from the others and trying to bottlefeed it. Or you could remove the other bunnies and try and let that one feed on its own for a few minutes. You can give it a couple hours but if the Mama is still refusing to feed that bunny you will probably have to bottlefeed it.

Kitten milk replacer (KMR) or goat milk should be fed to nursing kits (baby rabbits​). Feed twice daily. Be aware that bunnies can be very difficult to hand raise. Follow the link for more information. http://rabbit.org/faq-orphaned-baby

There may be something congenitally wrong with this one which is why the mother isn't nursing it and it is not thriving. If you want to try and hand raise it you can but it is not easy. I will refer you to this link on how to hand raise and orphan. ( https://rabbit.org/caring-for-orphans/ )

It is quite common for mothers to abandon a baby if there is a significant birth defect that may limit survival. It may b worthwhile attempting to bottle feed but success rate is very poor in rabbits even without additional complications