rabbit question!!?

Question

i adopted 2 four year old bunnys 5 months ago they were not well socialized when i got them so they have always been timid and the humane society was chaotic. i brought them home with me and they lived in doors i fed them pellets, fruit, veggies, hay, bird seed and once the weather got warm i built a hutch for them to play outside in with a caged in area and an insulated area for the night. the girl passes away this morning and i dont know why. any ideas what could have happened? and i dont know what to do with the boy now i am sure he will be lonely. what should i do to keep the boy happy would it be appropriate to get him a new friend. he is older and anti social with humans so i dont know how he would deal with another rabbit. him and the girl were friends since birth. please only serious answers.

Answer 1

i'm so sorry! well, first off, no birdseed. rabbits aren't built to digest that sort of thing! also, if you do decide to get him a new friend, try not to get a girl. it was fine to have the other girl since they were probably brother and sister, but, if you buy a new girl, they're not going to be related and will mate, causing trauma to a rabbit so young. my advice is to wait a little while before getting a new rabbit - your boy is probably grieving (inwardly). no, rabbits don't really know what "death" is, but, your little ball of fluff does know "lonliness" "pain" and "not coming back" play with your rabbit as often as possible - love it, stroke it, talk softly to it and, at night, wrap it loosly in a towel - this is in place of his warm friend that he would snuggle up to. If possible, let him sleep indoors with you - basically, give him as much attention as possible. Once you believe he is comfortable with your presence, you can buy a new rabbit - also, i recommend you take him to a vet to have him checked out, just in case your girl died of a disese - change the cage out as well

Answer 2

I somewhat agree with the answer from RoaringRabbits.com.

The food you were giving it was not the best. Cut out the fruit, veggies, and bird seed. Those aren't good for rabbits and could give your rabbit diahrrea. Also just allowing your rabbits to eat the grass out in the yard could give it diahrrea.

To be honest, no one can really make a real good assumption to why your rabbit died. You didn't provide any symptoms that the rabbit was showing. It could be old age or it could have been diahrrea or a host of other things. Who knows? If you keep the rabbit cool, in a bag in an ice chest or refrigerator after it has died then you can take it to a vet to have an autopsy done. If you let the rabbit's body set out in the warm weather for too long it will start to decompose and an autopsy can't be done. Autopsies are pretty cheap and cost about $20 or so. If you want to really find out what happened, I'd get an autopsy done.

Answer 3

So sorry about your bunny. :( Four year old bunnies aren't that old, but a myriad of things can go wrong with them. There was nothing wrong with their diet -- there's an age old disgreement largely between breeders and pet owners over what to feed bunnies, but you can't go wrong with a lot of variety and fibre.

Sudden diet changes can be more of a problem, and certain bunnies will react badly to certain foods, so you have to introduce anything new very slowly.

Seeds aren't recommended because of the high carb content, which can upset your bunny's bacterial balance in their gut, or cause them to be overweight, which in turn can lead to organ issues (like fatty liver and heart disease). There is also possible blockage issues from seed hulks, although it's rare.

Rabbits are VERY sensitive to heat, however, and heatstroke is a common killer. They really need to be keep 'air cooled' with good ventilation. Symptoms of heat stroke include a wet muzzle and chest (they expel heat largely through their breath and their ears).

If the diet change was a problem, you should have noticed excess cecals -- soft poops which can look like diarrhea -- or progressively smaller poops or no poops at all. (The best way to monitor rabbit health is by keeping a close eye on their output). A blockage would also have caused no poops. Both will cause the bunny to look uncomfortable largely because of gas -- they may press their tummies to the floor, or sit in a corner all hunched up. Another tip-off is a lack of appetite. It's advisable to give your bunnies a daily 'treat test' -- a tiny bit of fruit or something else they love to eat, and if they refuse it, you'll know they're very sick.

Rabbits hide their illnesses very well so they're not singled out by predators, but some bunnies won't show symptoms and just die suddenly from heart failure or other internal issues.

There really isn't any way of knowing without a necropsy, though. And I'd definitely get your boy another friend. You may want to take him to a shelter or breeder (avoid pet stores!) for a 'bunny date' and see who he wants to hang out with. (Bunnies are very much individuals, like people. They might like one bunny, but not another).

Please sign up at Rabbits Online (formerly Rabbits Only) and let us know how it goes. (www.rabbitsonline.net)

Answer 4

I would have to suspect either the sudden change outdoors could have caused stress that could kill the rabbit, or old age! Rabbits do adapt well to cold but not to heat! Most rabbits only live to about 6 years old anyway! If diet had caused it I would think there would have been soft droppings or some other signs before death! The male will most likely be fine in a coulple weeks, and in most cases a single male will make a good pet!

Answer 5

Sounds like either poor diet or old age to me. Adult rabbits' diet should consist of fresh timothy hay, and pellets. Alfalfa, fruits, and veggies aren't too great for your rabbit. They can develop wet tail, and pass away from it if fed too much of it. Depending on the breed of rabbit, it can live from 2-14 years of age.

You should go back to the humane society and pick out another spayed female about the same age. DO NOT just stick a baby in with him, it will be a disaster. Most shelters have a program where you can actually bring your current rabbit in and let him meet the ones at the shelter himself. Rabbits like who they like. Let him pick his next friend.

Answer 6

Well,exposing a indoors only animal so quickly could of put her in shock and other animals passing threw the night could of scared her.Old age I doubt because it was so sudden unless she was showing signs of illness such as runny nose,runny poop,loss of appetite,ect.Disease I would say would not be the answer unless she has had previous health problems.I beleive it was probably caused by putting her outdoors when she had been indoors for the 5 months that you had her.Some animals don't adjust to well to being in a new house which was probably her problem when she had to adjust to a new cage and being outdoors.Good luck with your male rabbit,they are lots of fun to have because I have 3 rabbits and they are great.Im sad to hear what happened to your female and I wish you luck with your male and his friend if you decide to get him one.And I appreciate good people like you who adopt and help animals!Good luck and God Bless.