Splayed legs baby?

Question
Hi Dana,
My baby rabbit is nearly 3 weeks old and i have realised that she is swimming all the time because her legs are all sticking out. The reason being is that i think she is being fed WAY too much because she is the only kit in the litter. Do you know what i can do to help her? I have tried the bracing but it doesn't seem to work for her... i just feel that she probably needs to lose weight... She was fine at birth nothing was wrong with her she opened her eyes at 13 days she just can't get up on all fours because her belly is quite big. Do you know if i should take her away from her mother? I don't have any other rabbits for my rabbit to foster so that the baby gets less milk. Please help! thanks

Answer
Dear Yoyo,

Too much milk is not the problem.  The problem is weak connective tissue, and possibly not enough traction on the surface where she's walking.

You say you have tried the bracing and it doesn't work?  What exactly is happening that interferes.  If she's only 3 weeks old, there hasn't been enough time for you to know if it is working, but time is of the essence.  The longer she's allowed to splay like this, the more likely it is that this will be permanent.

Please see this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/splayleg.html

and be sure you're doing it correctly.  It can take several weeks for this to effect a complete solution, and you need to be patient.

Dana