Bella had her babies, and right on time! I was expecting it to be a larger litter, but she has surprised me by only having 4 babies. Unfortunately, one is really tiny, and I believe it may be a peanut.
A peanut is a rabbit that carries two copies of the dwarf gene. Holland Lops are considered dwarf rabbits. For this to be the case, they must inherit one dwarf gene from one of their parents. Sometimes they wont inherit any dwarf gene, making them a false dwarf. Peanuts, however, receive one dwarf gene PER parent, giving them two, making them genetically unable to survive. It is unable to grow or thrive. They can live anywhere from a few hours to several days. But one thing is certain, it will not survive. It is possible for it to nurse, or be syringe fed, but it cannot process nutrients in order to grow. It is sometimes obvious right away that a kit is a peanut. Some signs your kit is a peanut are its size. It will be visibly smaller than it's litter mates. Their hind legs can be under developed, and noticeably weaker than it's siblings. It could have a hard time nursing, or be very sleepy and lethargic. Their eyes will appear to bulge, more so than a typical newborn kit. Their ears could be set further apart or be much smaller than the other kits.
We have had a few peanuts from litters in the past. Not all of these signs are always very noticeable right away. Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether their eyes are bulging more than the others, or whether it is sleepier than the others, since all they do is sleep. We had one last year that I didn't realize was a peanut at first. It was a little smaller at birth, but there were a couple that were small, so it wasn't shockingly small. Kits grow really fast normally. So after a couple of days, this guy was still really tiny, when all the others had big fat bellies and had grown so much already. That's when I noticed some of the other traits that I had previousIy missed. So I tried different things to try to help the baby eat, but it didn't survive more than 4 days.
It is always very sad to lose a baby, or any animal. Some breeders decide to take the peanuts as soon as they realize thats what they are. I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. I don't know which is better, to take it away and end its life sooner, so it isn't suffering, or let it stay with its siblings and momma until it goes on its own. When you decide to breed rabbits, these are things you may encounter, but you have to decide for yourself what's right for you and your rabbits.
I am pretty sure this little baby is a peanut, but I hope for the best, that maybe it is just a runt. We will see what the next couple of days bring.
