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Beautiful baby bunnies died suddenly - no apparent reason, very upset!

emma9

New Kit
Recently we bought 2 beautiful, healthy baby bunnies from a reputable breeder. They were 8 weeks old.
Last week, one of them died very suddenly with no apparent symptoms. Understandably we were really upset, she had been well cared for and we could think of no reason. The vet thought it was VHD and vaccinated the other bunny. She has been fine all week and received a huge amount of TLC. We thought she might just be ok then suddenly, this morning she passed away suddenly. She was only 10 weeks old.
Now no longer convinced it was VHD as she has seemed fit & healthy at least 8 days after the vaccine. As I understand it is usually fatal in a day or at most 48 hours. Can anyone shed any light on possible other causes of death in young rabbits?
Both were really well cared for but we are really worried now in case there is something we've done wrong and not thought of. Another pet bunny also died last year similarly quite suddenly - before that we have had several happy & healthy bunnies who've lived long & peaceful lives. Could there be some kind of toxin? Could it be the food or not enough water? Can rabbits get any other disease with no obvious symptoms?
If anyone could help I would be so grateful! Thanks for any advice, Emma
 
so sorry for you, your story is very similar mine, my first bun died when he was about 12weeks and he'd has his jab just a few days before :(
not much help probably, racked my brains as to what happened but still dont know
 
Sorry you've lost your babies, it's heartbreaking. Personally I would still suspect VHD. It takes 2 weeks for the vaccination to kick in. I would have expected the 3 day incubation of VHD to have killed the second bunny sooner but I still wouldn't rule it out. Have you used the same hutch/enclosure as the rabbit that you lost last year? VHD hutches etc. needs to be disinfected with a disinfectant that killls infections such as 'Vircon'. These are just my thoughts. :(
 
Im so sorry for your loss,VHD is prominant at this time of year and it takes time for the vaccine to work.Hugs to you at this very sad time :cry::cry:xxxx
 
Sorry, I have no idea what this could be, but just wanted to say how sorry I am that your lost your baby bunnies.
 
I'm so sorry. Like others said it could still be VHD. Did they show any irregular stools? Diarrhoea is common in young rabbits and can be fatal very quickly
 
sometimes the stress of going to a new home can upset baby bunnies. they are so fragile.

we lost our baby rabbit smudge at 8 weeks aswell, we only had him for 8 days. :( i found him in his hutch all floppy and bloated. he didn't seem to cope well with the move and we think he died from bloat. :(

did you feed them any new foods at all? this might have upset their tummies.

vhd does sound likely though.

sorry for your loss. x
 
Really sorry to hear this, young rabbits are incredibly fragile and it can be very difficult to identify what happened. I had a baby bunny who after six days developed diarroha and sadly died, the breeder replaced her with another who six days later developed stasis and also sadly passed away. We suspected that perhaps the litter was weak or the mother had maybe been overbred.
 
I'm so sorry to hear this. :( Perhaps it was a congentital issue? Poor little things. What were they fed on? Were the eating/drinking/pooing normally right up until they died?
 
Sometimes heart or other developmental problems can first occur at this age - it is a difficult age for buns.

I am so very sorry about your loss.

Without being heartless may i suggest that when you have room in your lives for another bun you contact one of the many rabbit rescues that could help you with a slightly older bun whose health will have been assessed and who will be JUST as lovely as a young bun?
 
Thanks to everyone for your kind replies!
Still not sure, maybe it was VHD. No signs whatsoever they were unwell before. Just ate rabbit food (recommended by breeder) & plenty of hay. Also we bought a new hutch & everything after last year as we thought that would be best.
 
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