Faders

I usually wean my rabbits between 6-7 weeks of age. Weaning begins much earlier, though. Kits begin the weaning process as soon as they start eating on their own. This usually occurs between day 14-18. At that time, they are still getting the majority of their food from their mother's milk.

The process of weaning can be a very stressful time on a dwarf rabbit. Roughly 25% of dwarf rabbits are born as peanuts and can not digest food. These peanuts are also deformed and die within 1 week of birth. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to save them.

"Faders" or "Runts" also occur in dwarf rabbit breeds. These kits are usually born small and show a lot of good show quality characteristics. They do well the first 2-4 weeks, but then gradually fade away. I believe that there are some dwarf rabbits born that are not quite normal, but not a peanut either. They are something in between. From my observations these rabbits usually grow fairly well while they are on their Mom's milk. The problem develops when the Mom is no longer able to provide everything the bunny needs solely through her milk. I don't think the digestive system is formed well enough to handle solid foods yet. The kit usually loses weight gradually over a few days and goes into digestive distress. I have had a few of these kits make it through this stressful period. I think that some of them are just a few weeks behind and it takes a bit longer for their digestive system to develop completely. I have fed them electolytes, hay, baby food, probiotics and more. It usually doesn't work and they fade away. Maybe some of them would never be normal. I can really only guess. I do know that this seems to occur most with small does or brood does with a very large litter. It also seems to have a genetic component. I would not personally breed any faders that live to a breeding age, although they seem to live normal lives once they make it past 12 weeks of age.