bugsy's owner
Young Bun
Hi all,
Any advice or comments greatly appreciated on this sad tale...
Bugsy and I have been members since 2010 and I haven't needed to use the forum for a long time (lucky me!).
In 2011 we moved from London to the north west where I'm originally from.
Bugsy had to go live outside as my parents have cats so he was all alone outside and it broke my heart. So I decided to get him a friend to cuddle up with on the cold lonely winter nights.
Enter Tallulah the mini lop into our lives. She was such a grumpy little madam, dad used to say "no wonder the RSPCA found her wandering the streets!" lol. She took good care of little Bugsy and they became inseparable.
We also recently moved into a house where I could let them out in the garden and they could hop around all day exploring and binkying!
However, tragedy struck on Saturday night. I don't know what happened, my boyfriend put them in their house before we went out. He's sure he shut the run door and so is a friend who helped round them up, but the very next morning I came down to give them breakfast and saw Tallulah lying dead in the run. I ran and woke my boyfriend up in shock, came downstairs and also saw that the run door was open too.
Little Bugsy was hiding in the top floor of the hutch so I opened the roof and lifted him out. He was so limp and scared he just tucked his head under my chin.
I brought him inside and held him, phoned work and told my boss what happened, luckily I work with animals so they were so understanding and said I didn't have to go in. I spent the whole day nursing Bugsy, coercing him to eat, syringe feeding him, holding him and letting him sit with me on the sofa. If I left him he would go and hide under the kitchen table.
So, any ideas what it could have been? I'm not sure that she could have just died like that, Bugsy doesn't want to go outside so I feel that something chased them or scared her to death. But what?! A fox could probably open their run, something I will rectify. However a fox surely wouldn't have left Tallulah in one piece! Neither rabbits have any injuries, I checked Tallulah over as upsetting as it was and took Bugsy to the vets, the only thing I noticed was a small bald patch under his hind leg. Surely a cat would also have killed them both and/or left injuries? If the run was indeed left open something could have chased them back into the run? or is there any animals other than foxes smart enough to open runs? She also had a small branch of willow on top of her that I'd put in for them to chew, why would she put a little twig/branch on top of herself before dying, also some other items in the run had been moved, dad even suggested it could have been a person, but there's no injuries and Bugsy is ok so not sure that's it either.
The only health problem with Tallulah I was aware of was a discharge in one eye which she'd had fucithalmic in, and baytril to no avail and I was considering taking her to get tear duct flushed. I guess it could have been a tooth growing backwards into her brain but surely I'd have witnessed some neurological problems before she died?!
Bugsy is now eating on his own and spending a lot of time under the table which is his own choice. He is showing no inclination to wanting to go outside, and my boyfriend wants me to take him outside to try and 'get him back to normality' and says I am mollycoddling him!!! I am only willing to open the back door and let him choose whether to go out or not. He just seems like the spark has gone from him at the moment.
Any ideas on cause of death or how to help my sad bunny would be greatly appreciated.
Any advice or comments greatly appreciated on this sad tale...
Bugsy and I have been members since 2010 and I haven't needed to use the forum for a long time (lucky me!).
In 2011 we moved from London to the north west where I'm originally from.
Bugsy had to go live outside as my parents have cats so he was all alone outside and it broke my heart. So I decided to get him a friend to cuddle up with on the cold lonely winter nights.
Enter Tallulah the mini lop into our lives. She was such a grumpy little madam, dad used to say "no wonder the RSPCA found her wandering the streets!" lol. She took good care of little Bugsy and they became inseparable.
We also recently moved into a house where I could let them out in the garden and they could hop around all day exploring and binkying!
However, tragedy struck on Saturday night. I don't know what happened, my boyfriend put them in their house before we went out. He's sure he shut the run door and so is a friend who helped round them up, but the very next morning I came down to give them breakfast and saw Tallulah lying dead in the run. I ran and woke my boyfriend up in shock, came downstairs and also saw that the run door was open too.
Little Bugsy was hiding in the top floor of the hutch so I opened the roof and lifted him out. He was so limp and scared he just tucked his head under my chin.
I brought him inside and held him, phoned work and told my boss what happened, luckily I work with animals so they were so understanding and said I didn't have to go in. I spent the whole day nursing Bugsy, coercing him to eat, syringe feeding him, holding him and letting him sit with me on the sofa. If I left him he would go and hide under the kitchen table.
So, any ideas what it could have been? I'm not sure that she could have just died like that, Bugsy doesn't want to go outside so I feel that something chased them or scared her to death. But what?! A fox could probably open their run, something I will rectify. However a fox surely wouldn't have left Tallulah in one piece! Neither rabbits have any injuries, I checked Tallulah over as upsetting as it was and took Bugsy to the vets, the only thing I noticed was a small bald patch under his hind leg. Surely a cat would also have killed them both and/or left injuries? If the run was indeed left open something could have chased them back into the run? or is there any animals other than foxes smart enough to open runs? She also had a small branch of willow on top of her that I'd put in for them to chew, why would she put a little twig/branch on top of herself before dying, also some other items in the run had been moved, dad even suggested it could have been a person, but there's no injuries and Bugsy is ok so not sure that's it either.
The only health problem with Tallulah I was aware of was a discharge in one eye which she'd had fucithalmic in, and baytril to no avail and I was considering taking her to get tear duct flushed. I guess it could have been a tooth growing backwards into her brain but surely I'd have witnessed some neurological problems before she died?!
Bugsy is now eating on his own and spending a lot of time under the table which is his own choice. He is showing no inclination to wanting to go outside, and my boyfriend wants me to take him outside to try and 'get him back to normality' and says I am mollycoddling him!!! I am only willing to open the back door and let him choose whether to go out or not. He just seems like the spark has gone from him at the moment.
Any ideas on cause of death or how to help my sad bunny would be greatly appreciated.
Any number of things could've happened as you've listed, perhaps something or an animal spooked them, bunnies can be sensitive to stress, but sorry I can't help offer any other advice about what could've happened. I hope Bugsy picks up soon, did the vet say everything seemed well with his health? He might just need time after loosing his friend and time spent with him to keep him company, perhaps another bun friend in the future might help cheer him up, if the time comes that it feels right for you all maybe?
