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My 3 year old bunny passed away

elouise3

New Kit
sadly my 3 year old male rabbit passed away last night, were not sure when it happened and we have no idea why, he seemed perfectly fine earlier on in the day. he has a sister who seems very sad for his loss, I'm worried that she may die of a broken heart, any tips? also any suggestions as to why my bunny suddenly died? thanks
 
sadly my 3 year old male rabbit passed away last night, were not sure when it happened and we have no idea why, he seemed perfectly fine earlier on in the day. he has a sister who seems very sad for his loss, I'm worried that she may die of a broken heart, any tips? also any suggestions as to why my bunny suddenly died? thanks

I am really sorry for your loss :cry: Without a PM examination it is impossible to say for certain why your Rabbit died, there are many possibilities. Was he fully vaccinated agianst Myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2 ?

With regards to your remaining Rabbit, is she fully vaccinated ? If not I would advise this is done as a matter of urgency. Although of course at the moment some Vets are not doing 'routine' vaccinations. But exceptions can be made in cases of a possible disease outbreak.

Is it possible to have your Doe indoors as a house Rabbit until such a time that you feel able to look for a new companion for her. If this will be an option for you in the future. I certainly would not bring a new Rabbit in for at least 2 weeks as you do not know the cause of death of your Buck and to insure that your Doe is not incubating a disease.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. You've received great advice from JJ. I'd spent lots of time around your Doe, offer her healthy treats & just keep your eye on her demeanour appetite & poo in the interim. Rabbits handle loss very differently, hopefully she'll be a 'coper'
 
I am so sorry that you lost your rabbit last night. JJ has given some good advice above but here are my thoughts for you, having gone through a recent loss myself.
Firstly, I'm not sure where you live but I was reading earlier today that there is an outbreak of RHD2 in the Essex area. This is a fatal disease for bunnies so a warning has been issued for rabbits and owners in that area. If your rabbits were vaccinated, it might help.
Were there any indications before your bunny passed that might have given a clue? Was his pattern different? Behaviour different? Was he eating ok?
Rabbits are complex little animals and as prey animals, hide illness well.
It is very important to focus on his sister now - make a big fuss of her. Treats, cuddles and snuggles. Rabbits do and can grieve - it is part of them coming to terms with a loss and they can go into stasis (shutdown) so it is very important to make sure she eats and drinks and critically has output - poop and wee. Any evidence or deviation from this and you shoudl seek vetinary advice and intervention quickly.
A snuggle toy for your doe might help her to feel not quite so isolated.
I hope this helps but please keep us updated on how she is doing.
Hugs to you
Craig x
 
So very sorry that you have lost your bunny. I hope his sister will be ok, as others have said, keep an eye on her and give extra fusses. Big hugs xxx
 
I’m so very sorry :cry: you’ve been given good advice. Thinking of you and your bunny xx
 
update on my rabbits

sadly my 3 year old male rabbit passed away last night, were not sure when it happened and we have no idea why, he seemed perfectly fine earlier on in the day. he has a sister who seems very sad for his loss, I'm worried that she may die of a broken heart, any tips? also any suggestions as to why my bunny suddenly died? thanks

to update you all on my rabbits,

sadly we lost our female rabbit two days after our male, were not sure whether it was from a broken heart or a disease she caught. on the first day after my males death she was very sad however she started to perk up a bit on the second day so we thought she would be okay but we came down the next morning to find her dead. just a warning to anyone in the West Midlands area that maybe there is a rabbit disease going round I'm not sure.
 
to update you all on my rabbits,

sadly we lost our female rabbit two days after our male, were not sure whether it was from a broken heart or a disease she caught. on the first day after my males death she was very sad however she started to perk up a bit on the second day so we thought she would be okay but we came down the next morning to find her dead. just a warning to anyone in the West Midlands area that maybe there is a rabbit disease going round I'm not sure.

I'm so sorry - two losses is heartbreaking.
 
I'm sorry you have lost both of your buns, it is possible they both died from the same illness

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to update you all on my rabbits,

sadly we lost our female rabbit two days after our male, were not sure whether it was from a broken heart or a disease she caught. on the first day after my males death she was very sad however she started to perk up a bit on the second day so we thought she would be okay but we came down the next morning to find her dead. just a warning to anyone in the West Midlands area that maybe there is a rabbit disease going round I'm not sure.

I am very sorry. You must be devastated :cry: I highly suspect that your Rabbits died from RHD1 or RHD2 :cry: Especially if they were not vaccinated. If you were ever to consider getting any more Rabbits in the future please try to read this information about both strains of RHD and how to protect Rabbits from it

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/rabbit-vhd/

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/vaccinations/

Once again, I am very sorry for your loss :cry:
 
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