he even letting me stroke him, he normally runs a mile, I know he is sad but worried cos he isnt eating. :-(
2006-10-22 21:03:08 · 33 answers · asked by dreamlightweaver 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
not sure what it died of, no visible signs of anything, just in his sleep, think they are about 4 years old, they wernt babes when i got them.
2006-10-22 21:11:12 · update #1
Many thanks for all your replies, he seems a little happier, we bought them both in yesterday for a run around and given them lots of love and veggis. Will up date you !
2006-10-25 00:13:12 · update #2
The most common rabbit problem is Cocci..It could be going around..The vet has Albon or Flagyl to give them for this..the medicine works really quickly, if cocci is what it is..Rabbits like to eat too much to grieve for long. I really suspect the other is sick too..
2006-10-22 21:07:45 · answer #1 · answered by Chetco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my guinea pig died the other day so i know how u feel!
My guinea pig died of depression because its ''friend'' died a few weeks before.
Im sorry to say that your rabbit is showing the excat signs what my guinea pig did.
He will stop eating, as you said, and because of this his body as become weak, which is why he is letting you stroke him. Soon he will die of depression.
The only way you could help is getting an indoor hutch/cage and bring him in the warmth for the winter months. Every day some him some affection, 15-30minutes or so, and hopefully he will start rebooting back to normal, espically with the company of another rabbit. Alot of TLC is needed but if you can provide him that, you provide him life!
All the best
2006-10-23 05:43:51 · answer #2 · answered by Luke *A* 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's hard to say. Four years old is nearing the age when many rabbits start dying. The one rabbit going off it's feed when the other died could be more a result of it being sick than actually mourning for the other rabbit. Have you changed feed lately? Any signs of diahrrea? Does the rabbit act like it is breathing kind of heavy? If you keep your rabbits outside, this is normally the time of year that rabbits start getting pnuemonia. If there is a draft on the rabbits, that could cause pneumonia. It's hard to say without knowing more.
2006-10-23 04:43:22 · answer #3 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have 2 issues to deal with:
Your rabbit is not eating:
You may need to get a vet involved. If a rabbit doesn't eat for 24 hours, this is a critical problem. You need to determine if your rabbit is about to have GI shutdown or gas, this could be caused by not enough hay intake or too much of something that causes gas in rabbits. Both situations are deadly. You can tell if a rabbit's digestive system isn't working properly by examining the litterbox. Is there less or no poop? Is the poop smaller than normal? Are poops strung together with hair? Also, you need to take notice of its behavior. If he is sitting hunched or grinding his teeth, he is in pain. Both of these issues are emergencies and you could lose him quickly. Get him to the vet immediately if you notice any of these signs. Dimethicone, baby gas drops work for gas. But the vet can provide pain meds, which are critical in a rabbit that is in this state. Rabbits will subside to death if they are in severe pain, because they are prey animals.
You may look for details on this page:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#stasis
As far as your pet's mourning...
Please view this site:
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-1/loss-support.html
Good luck with this and I am really sorry to hear of your loss.
2006-10-22 22:41:00 · answer #4 · answered by Tibbytwinkletoes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they lived as a bounded group then the other rabbit could be missing the one that died. What breed of rabbits are they as some breeds have shorter life spans then others. have they been vaccinated for myxi and vhd. If not this could be a possiblity for cause of death. Also if they were very nervous, this time of year with fireworks they could cause death as well. I think you ought to take all your rabbit to the vets for a check up. You need to get the rabbit thats not eating to eat as this can cause problems with their stomach and they can die from this.
2006-10-22 22:23:08 · answer #5 · answered by bunnyanne 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits grieve. Can u change their cage/run/pen around? Make it more interresting. Give the grieving rabbit more individual attention, lots of cuddles, toys, a few treats etc. It may take time, but try to make it's own life more interresting at mo.
Take her for check-up at vets to eliminate health probs.
Don't let her go to long without food. Seek vet advice. Add animal vitamins to water supply for now. Follow instructions.
Really, just try to spice up her life. Good luck. kpc<123>
2006-10-22 21:47:24 · answer #6 · answered by anima1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please take your rabbit to the vet immediately to rule out gut stasis ( where the gut stops working). This is a serious condition which can kill a rabbit very quickly. If nothing serious is found, please find him a partner as quickly as possible. Rescues are brilliant for this as they have lots of rabbits in similar situations looking for partners. They will have vet checked, neutered and vaccinated all their rabbits and will be able to bond them for you. This is preferable to a pet store where they cannot guarantee the sex of a rabbit or the health and it will not have been neutered or vaccinated so may actually carry something that may in turn infect your bunnies. I work at a rescue and have lots of buns come in looking for partners. Choose two so if one doesn't work out you already have chosen another. Good luck to you and your bunnies.
2006-10-23 02:17:46 · answer #7 · answered by india 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well 4 years old is young for a rabbit to die. Does it live outside? Is it spayed or neutered? Unspayed females have an 80% caner rate. Your rabbit is greiveing you may want to consider a new mate for it. Here are some articles.
2006-10-23 01:01:00 · answer #8 · answered by sugarcarat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Time for a trip to the vet, rabbits that don't eat can go into stasis which is a vet emergency. They do miss their companions when they die, but without knowing what the other one died of I would recommend a vet visit in case it was something communicable.
In the meantime try tempting him with all his favourite foods, but please do get a rabbit-savvy vet to check him over.
2006-10-22 21:21:15 · answer #9 · answered by Lynn S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im really sorry to hear about your rabbit.you said that thay werent babbies when you got them? rabbits life span is usually 5- 10 years.id say he might of died of old age.but its very important that you get your rabbit to eat.what happens is that, if your rabbit gets scared or shocked its stomach shuts down and they will not eat and im sorry to say this, will gradually die.try giving it treats (from petshop) small bits at a time, try him with some parsley as well, they cant resist it. but if it doesnt work take him to the vet.
btw, i work in a petshop and deal with thses sort of quations ever day.
2006-10-22 21:18:16 · answer #10 · answered by ohh baby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋