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newbie. rabbits died today...fox? mystery

hello all,
i'm a newbie here and wonder if you could help me with the mystery as to ho my beloved bunnies - Pepper and Sooty, met their death last night. Or it could have been the night before.

We found them in their run today -. half of Sooy's face had gone and her ear had come off. Pepper (male) was complete and they were laying side by side. His eyes were open.

a fox had clearly been trying to get in but i couldnt see a hole - how big a hole do they need?

another question - could a loving couple suddenly fight and kill eachother? though this would not explain why he died....

sorry for the randomness of this post. am just baffled....and sad...
 
ohhh no!!!!! how awfull R.I.P buns it sounds liek a fox attacked your female for that sort of damage :shock::(
 
ok i am surprised that no one looked in on your rabbits for 2 nights? this seems unusual. foxes dont need much room to get in sadly a small hhole will get a paw in and hold a rabbit down. it sadly could be that the y fought and he had a heart attack...only a post mortem would really tell. i am so sorry for your loss xxxx
 
If it was potentially last night or the night before, when were they last checked on?
i think a fox only needs a very small hole, is there any evidence of forced entry? From the appearance of your doe it sounds like it could have been some sort of animal attacked them. The male could have died of shock?
I'm very sorry for your loss, very sad :cry:
 
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That definitely sounds like a fox.He probably got his nose under the run and got in that way.They always go for the head first as its the most tasty bit.I had a doe many years ago who had just given birth to 14 kits.A fox got into her run and I found her at the bottom of the garden with half her head gone.your other rabbit would have died of shock/heart attack to still have his eyes open.I'm sorry for your loss and its a hard lesson to learn in life.Also you said it could of been last night or the night before how often do you check on your rabbits?
 
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I check mine every day and night, I cannot understand that you are not sure when it was done. I am sorry for your loss, but where were you when they needed you.
 
If they weren't checked on for 2 nights, who gave them their food, water and hay?

Sorry For Your Loss, but I am baffled to why they were left alone.
Jack
 
Just a thought but could the fox have grabbed her (sorry this is horrid) but by her ear through the run and Pulled it and therefor some of her face off :(
That way it could have killed them without actually getting in.
I'm very sorry for your loss but many people here check their buns morning and evening so find it a bit odd that your not sure which evening they could have died.
 
So sorry to hear of your loss. How awful for you to find them like that:(.

You say you are a newbie and I hope that the support you find on this site will help you in your time of grief:cry:

Should you decide in time(I know its early days yet) to think about getting more buns, do ask any questions on this forum and we will be happy to help.

I realise some on here are surprised you didn't check on your rabbits more often but we all learn with experience, and your loss is no less than others.
(Even those who almost constantly watch over their rabbits can lose them to foxes so please don't blame yourself).

Do read up on how to minimise such risks and how to provide the best care for your rabbits on here though. There are some beautiful rabbits in rescue centres desperate for a loving home and I hope , in time, you might be able to consider adopting some.
My thoughts go with you at this sad :(time-Sue
 
How big was the hole? A fox could get through the same size hole that a rabbit could get through. If the hole was really tiny it could possibly have been a stoat, weasel, pole cat or even an escaped pet ferret
 
i check them every day or every other day, to feed and water them. My garden isnt attached to my hosue but we made sure they had a very sturdy run which for the last 4 years had kept out all beasties. They were very independant bunnies - never liked being picked up etc and had lived a happy life out there for several years together.
They were fine on Friday when we fed them..

thanks for your advice all. We do have pole cats round here...
 
i check them every day or every other day, to feed and water them. My garden isnt attached to my hosue but we made sure they had a very sturdy run which for the last 4 years had kept out all beasties. They were very independant bunnies - never liked being picked up etc and had lived a happy life out there for several years together.
They were fine on Friday when we fed them..

thanks for your advice all. We do have pole cats round here...

Didn't they get fed everyday?
 
i check them every day or every other day, to feed and water them. My garden isnt attached to my hosue but we made sure they had a very sturdy run which for the last 4 years had kept out all beasties. They were very independant bunnies - never liked being picked up etc and had lived a happy life out there for several years together.
They were fine on Friday when we fed them..

thanks for your advice all. We do have pole cats round here...[/QUOT

Im pretty sure it was a fox as I said in my earlier post.Pole cats go for the neck and if your other bun has no damage it was a fox.Im so sorry you have lost your buns.If you get any more please check on them at least twice a day to give them fresh water and food.
 
If you ever decide to obtain any more Rabbits please do make sure you are able to attend to them at least three times a day

Poor Bunnies :(
 
so sorry again for your loss as the others have said we have all made mistakes in the past... rabbits should ideally be fed and have water changed at least 2 x a day as in the wild would eat at dawn and dusk natrually. i hope that in future you can give antother bun a home...maybe a house rabbit? where you could spend mroe time with him or her? once again sorry for your loss x
 
could have been a fox or if the hole was small, maybe the rabbit had died and were got at by rats or mice who again will go straight for the face. Rabbits can die of shock if for example a fox was trying to get in, there is also a disease called VHD which can kill in a few hours if the rabbit is not vaccinated.

If you do thing about getting rabbits again please make sure that you find out as much as possible about caring from them from this forum, books and your vet. You do need to check on and feed your rabbits twice a day at a minimum. Two days is unacceptable.
 
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