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Sudden Death

Mossy

New Kit
My friend and I just got our 2 rabbits last night (5/31/12). We settled them into their home with food, water, and straw bedding. I groomed both of them (because they have long hair), I went home and a little while later, she texted me (not 2 hours after we got them).
This is her exact text:

"I was holding my rabbit and all of a sudden it threw up spit and stopped moving. I felt it's pulse and it wasn't breathing. It's eyes are glassy and it's limbs loose. It's dead. I have no idea how it died, too. It hasn't moved in the last hour. It's definitely dead."

The rabbit was about 11 weeks old, and seemed healthy when we got it. It was a Jersey Wooly Rabbit. Does anyone know what happened?
 
That depends where you are in the world, but if you are somewhere like the UK or Europe, were the rabbits vaccinated against vhd?

Were the rabbits eating and drinking okay?

You really need to get both the dead rabbit and the other to the vet today, for an inspection and a postmortem, as it could be something that will affect the remaining rabbit. You should also let the breeder, rescue or pet shop that you got them from know, as they should want to take precautions quarentining and not selling the rest of their rabbits until the cause of death is identified.

Also, rabbits physically cant throw up, so it would be worth investigating what your friend actually saw with the vet.

I hope your remaining rabbit is okay and it wasnt too much of a shock for your friend.
 
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It is impossible to say what happened unless a Vet performs a post mortem (necropsy). It sounds as though the Rabbit may have aspirated something, but that is just a total guess

How very sad :cry:
 
Hope ya don't mind me asking but where did ya buy ya bunnys from as I would also get in touch with them and let them no what happened sorry about the bunny :cry:
 
My friend buried the rabbit as soon as it died, before I knew it died. My rabbit is fine.

My friend (Hannah is her name) got 2 cute mini/holland lop mixes as a replacement for her lost rabbit. One is blue, the other is broken black. They are brothers, and so adorable!

I got them from a lady selling rabbits on Craigslist. She isn't any breeder, just wanted to give her extra rabbits a new home. I already told her about it, and she says that that has never happened to any of her rabbits before.
 
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My friend buried the rabbit as soon as it died, before I knew it died. My rabbit is fine.

My friend (Hannah is her name) got 2 cute mini/holland lop mixes as a replacement for her lost rabbit. One is blue, the other is broken black. They are brothers, and so adorable!

I got them from a lady selling rabbits on Craigslist. She isn't any breeder, just wanted to give her extra rabbits a new home. I already told her about it, and she says that that has never happened to any of her rabbits before.

I would still get your rabbit checked over by the vet, if you haven't done so already. I'd just talk to the vet about it and get them to check them over when you go for their first vaccinations, which I imagine you'll be doing in the next couple of days anyway as its myxi season.

If the brothers arent yet neutered I would also talk to the vet about getting them done as soon as the balls drop, to prevent them falling out, fighting and injuring each other, as its really rare for unneutered males to get along once they hit puberty.
 
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