Why do bunnies die so easily?

Question

My friend has owned several small bunnies and, although she takes very good care of them (she's not rough or forgetful of them), they all seem to die within a three-month period. Why is this? Is she doing something wrong or are little bunnies just not very hardy creatures?

Answer 1

Rabbits can live pretty long--7-10 years is the average lifespan, I believe. I have had a rabbit that lived to be 12 years old, and one that lives in my apartment currently is 7 years old.

I'm sorry to hear that your friend seems to have bad luck with bunnies--maybe she's doing something that she shouldn't, but it's unintentional? I know that bunnies can stress out easily. A lot of it has to do with the fact that even though we've made pets out of them, they are still essentially "prey" animals--hors d'ouevres for the rest of the animal kingdom, and that instinct has never been bred out of them. So they're not like cats and dogs; for example, they probably think we're going to eat them when we pick them up to carry them.

I think in certain ways, bunnies are delicate. I'm sure your friend already has done so, but she should explore www.rabbit.org for some awesome bunny care information. There are also great yahoo groups to join (etherbun, bunnies r us) for more information. She should also read The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman.

Answer 2

if she gets them all from the same place i would say it would be that the store buys them all from the same "breeder" stop going there. rabbits have bad hearts and most often die of stress-- they can die just from going to the vet they get so worked up sometimes. she needs to do some reading on how to better care for them www.rabbit.org she should be getting them neutered and then having two as they need the company and could die of loneliness. after doing alot of reading and learning everything there is to know about bunnies she should go adopt the next ones from a shelter--- if the bunny can survive living there i dont think much will be able to stress it out.

Answer 3

Rabbits can live pretty long--7-10 years is the average lifespan, I believe. I have had a rabbit that lived to be 12 years old, and one that lives in my apartment currently is 7 years old.

I'm sorry to hear that your friend seems to have bad luck with bunnies--maybe she's doing something that she shouldn't, but it's unintentional? I know that bunnies can stress out easily. A lot of it has to do with the fact that even though we've made pets out of them, they are still essentially "prey" animals--hors d'ouevres for the rest of the animal kingdom, and that instinct has never been bred out of them. So they're not like cats and dogs; for example, they probably think we're going to eat them when we pick them up to carry them.

I think in certain ways, bunnies are delicate. I'm sure your friend already has done so, but she should explore www.rabbit.org for some awesome bunny care information. There are also great yahoo groups to join (etherbun, bunnies r us) for more information. She should also read The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman.

Answer 4

it depends on a few things.
1. is she feeding them well, the right stuff?
2. are the bunnies babies, and does she know how to properly care for them?
3. are the bunnies wild, cuz they can die of shock if they are captured
4. are they near things that could harm them, like electrical cords, rat poison, etc.
5. does she take them to the vet? do they get sick?

she should do some research to find out if its something else, cuz bunnies dont usually die quite that easily

Answer 5

I've owned rabbits since I was 4 yrs old and they've all lived to ten to fifteen years of age. Sometimes people forget that most rabbits aren't domesticated. Their not like dogs; I've never had my rabbits visit a vet and they weren't a particular breed by any stretch of the imagination. I have one that is a descendent currently of the rabbit that died when I was 17 and I had had him for 13 years. All I have ever done is give them hay and or batting in the winter, fed them regularly, let them run around in summer/spring/early fall and made sure they had water and was careful to make sure that they didn't get over-run with worms. The way I treat worms is by giving them warm water and pellet grain that has no extras like dryed corn, carrots, etc. Until the worms are gone. I also bath them in the summer or really warm spring days only and brush them once a week to get rid of fleas, dirt, etc.

Answer 6

I would wonder about the source of her rabbits. I have raised and shown English Angora rabbits. Certain bloodlines have their issues, so maybe the place she is getting them from is inbreeding them horrible or they may all have a disease called "snuffles" which is a virus that kills in a short period of time and is very contageous. I have to look out for that when my rabbits come back from shows. It is just to hard to pinpoint what might be going wrong without any more information on any noticable symptoms or behaviors of the poor buns.

Answer 7

It depends on where she gets these bunnies from. I don't know exactly the care she gives them, so i can't say for sure that there is something she is doing wrong. but more than likely, it's where she's getting them from that is the source of the problem.

Answer 8

your friend is not taking care of her bunnies very well. I have a 7 year old Rex mix. The last one I had, lived to 13.
All you have to do is keep them away from extreme hot or cold, feed them good food, play with them and give them lots of exercise, But most of all give them lots of love.

Answer 9

bunnies usually die because they die of loneliness if theres more than 1 bunny then something else is wrong

Answer 10

There's probably a snake lurking in her home. Snakes love to eat those things. The rabbit would most likely scream loudly though unless to snake strangled it so hard that it couldnt breathe.