Is Kurotta a runt?

[kurottabun]

As titled, recently I’ve been wondering if Kurotta is in fact a runt. I don’t know if he has siblings or if he was born a solo bun, but he’s currently about 10+ months old and still very mini (as some of you may know if you follow him on insta) compared to some of the other Nethies I’ve seen on here. This is me comparing him to a piece of baby romaine not too long ago:

 

If weight is an indication, Kurotta’s maximum weight was almost 800g at one point and he looked like this (okay to be fair this was taken when he was munching, but y’all get the idea LOL):

He looked pretty “round” to me  and made me wonder what’s an ideal weight if he is actually a runt. I’ve been aiming to get him up to 800g-1kg after his recent bout of illness but am starting to wonder if that’s overweight for his size.

Are there Nethies this mini who are actually not runts, and how would I know?

[jerseygirl]

Firstly – awwweee! He’s just so squee!
I don’t know what classifies a bun as a runt but I do recall a past member having a ND that was 800g. Monkeybun with her rabbit, Monkey. : )

[Sirius&Luna]

He is just adorable. I’m obsessed with him!

Nimbus was a runt, but of course he’s a dwarf lionhead, not a nethie. When we first got him (at 10 weeks, the breeder kept him longer since he was so small) he weighed 500grams, and the vet told me she doubted he would ever weigh a kilo. But he’s now pretty much exactly a kilo. I think the only real way to know if he’s a runt is by comparing him to the rest of the litter.

But I reckon as long as you can feel his ribs then he won’t get too fat! I think aiming for 800-1kg is a good start.

[Wick & Fable]

From what I’ve read, runts are the result of positioning in utero, where that placenta does not receive as much blood flow and nutrients as the others. There’s not a ton of conclusive studies It seems there’s not a lot of information about it because majority of experiments were done back in the 1940s, where restrictions were probably more loose for animal experiments.

Kurotta is definitely on the smaller range of nethies. It could be his parents were genetically already small so he’s normal for his litter, or as S&L mentioned, there’s no way to tell since we do not know his sibling sizes.

Side note: Wick ended up having a growth spurt a little after reaching 1yo, so there’s potential kurotta may still keep growing!

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Dee]

Omg he is so cute- those cheeks ?!! I know nothing about runts of the litter, or Nethies, but are his paws big or is that fur? I think his little jowls look like mostly fur, but if his paws are big for his body, perhaps he will grow a bit. Is he free range?? If so, I can’t imagine how you find him lol. My Lukie is about 4 lbs and I’m constantly searching for him!

[Boing]

He’s adorable!

Maybe he’s not a runt, but is small because of something else. Cincinnati is small for his suspected breeds. He also has large feet and teeth – about 4x the size of Daisy’s though he’s only twice her weight. His skin has always seemed too big for his body.

As you may have gathered, I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on E cuniculi. On one of the many pages I’ve read, it said that E cuniculi can stunt growth.

[kurottabun]

@jerseygirl Yes he is, I do get quite obsessed with those cheeks lol! Thanks for the info

@S&L Haha! I’ll post a picture when (who knows when) I get him to a kilo.

@Wick Hmm I’ll wait till he’s over a year old and see how he looks like. Kinda wish that he stays this mini as long as it’s not affecting his health though, it’s too cute :p

@Dee His paws are actually quite small. I think that’s just fur too He’s not completely free range (our house is pretty big) but he gets a room all to himself. Sometimes we do let him out to roam the whole of downstairs and he looks SUPER TINY in such a huge space, I would think he’s a tripping/stepping hazard if he were free roam. Though he’s black and my tiles/walls are white, but still.

@Boing Hmm that’s interesting to know. Kurotta is still under a year old and if it was really EC that he had, then his slow growth makes sense too.

[LittlePuffyTail]

No, idea but, man, he’s cute!!!! So much disapproval in such a tiny package!!

[Author]

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