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My rabbit is staying in the same position

Orlam

New Kit
My rabbit is 11 weeks old, I got him a week ago. His brother died yesterday, and he seemed fine all day, but now he is just sitting the same position and won't move and doesn't look right. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
I'm sorry you lost one of your rabbits. :( Are they fully vaccinated? They may have had the new triple vaccine or 2 separate ones, which cover 3 diseases (myxo, RHD1 and RHD2). Is your rabbit eating? If not he needs to be encouraged to eat with his favourite foods, often things like herbs/fresh grass/Dandelion if he has already been introduced to these. I'm afraid rabbits go downhill very fast, and not eating is an emergency requiring a vet trip. A call to your normal vets number should get you through, or give a number of their out of hours provider with it being Easter Sunday. Your rabbit could be grieving for his brother, but if he's not eating/moving/passing faeces he needs a vet trip. Best of luck with him
 
So sorry to hear that you have lost one of your bunnies, and your remaining one is not doing so good. I agree with the advice given above, good luck, and let us know how he goes on.
 
Thanks for your replies. He still hasn't moved but he has eaten a few strands of hay and a small bite of banana. He hasn't been vaccinated yet.
 
I'm really sorry you lost one of your bunnies yesterday. :cry: I'm glad your remaining bunny has eaten a bit of hay and a small bit of banana. I'd recommend taking him to the vet today, though. He's still so young, and and if he doesn't eat enough he'll get very ill, and the fact that he's not moving means that he's not feeling well. Bunnies can go downhill so quickly, it's really important to get him vet care if he's still the same now. Sending lots of vibes for him. I hope he'll soon feel better. He must be missing his brother...
 
Have you changed their diet recently as this could have upset them. I am very sorry one of your Rabbits has died.
 
I am so very sorry you lost one of your buns yesterday, how heartbreaking.

It's usually very difficult to know what's wrong with them unless a vet examines them, as rabbits are so good at hiding ailments. Vets have tools needed to pick up illnesses that we simply don't have available to us at home.

It does concern me if he is huddled and not moving that he is actually showing illness given the above, that it must mean he is feeling really quite poorly. This would be an absolute guess, but rabbits are very prone to gut stasis - it can be treatable by vets but without this can easily prove fatal very quickly. If both buns perhaps had access to a new food it could have upset both their tummies. Unfortunately it's not like humans with a stomach bug that can easily recover at home, and quite often they need treatment.

The other concern would be a disease, such as myxomatosis or VHD, the latter perhaps more likely given the sudden death of your other bun (assuming there were no other clinical signs prior to his passing). Again, it is possible for some diseases to be treated, depending how far along they are, sometimes they are not sadly.

I stress these are just guesswork possibilities and there are also lots of other illnesses it could be that would be very difficult to determine at home or on a forum. It is very positive he is still eating, but often rabbits can still be nibbling hay just prior to passing also (I speak from experience on that one unfortunately). If you're happy to share your rough location we could recommend a rabbit savvy vets in your area which may be of help?

Sending postive healing vibes to your bun, I hope he is able to recover.
 
Young bunnies at this age are most vulnerable to gut issues since theIr gut flora-good bacteria needed for digestion-is easily disturbed by stress, change of diet, other factors.
Rabbits are prey animals so they hide their pain-often sitting hunched and not moving much. It is an emergency requiring immediate treatment.
Pain meds, hydration,syringe feeding and often motility meds are often prescribed for gut stasis.

Others already mentioned other viral diseases.

I am sorry you lost one of your bunnies and hope you will be able to save him.
 
Hi thanks for all your advice. While I was on the phone to the on call vet my bunny started having seizures, and died shortly after. He was behaving normally yesterday. The person i bought him off hadn't vaccinated them, would this have made a difference? Have you any idea what could have caused their deaths? The vet mentioned a parasite in the brain, or an infection that was spread from one bunny to the other. We would love some answers, so any help/opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your support.
 
I am so sorry to hear this, you must be devestated, what an awful thing to witness. Unfortunately they can pass rather suddenly and quickly.

The only way you'd know the definite cause is through a post-mortem, which I'm surprised the vet didn't recommend (then again, neither did mine). They can be quite expensive unfortunately as I recently found out, but it may be worth getting a quote.

Sellers of rabbits (whether breeders or pet shops) typically don't vaccinate bunnies and the onus is on the owner really to keep up vaccinations. Although rescues worth their salt certainly do vaccinate their bunnies before leaving, which is a big help.

Unfortunately personally I can't help answer your questions, it would be complete guesswork. But more knowledgable members may be along who may be able to advse, I think you'd maybe need to give a bit more information though. Sadly a lot of rabbits do 'fit' before death of various reasons.

Hi thanks for all your advice. While I was on the phone to the on call vet my bunny started having seizures, and died shortly after. He was behaving normally yesterday. The person i bought him off hadn't vaccinated them, would this have made a difference? Have you any idea what could have caused their deaths? The vet mentioned a parasite in the brain, or an infection that was spread from one bunny to the other. We would love some answers, so any help/opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your support.
 
Hi thanks for all your advice. While I was on the phone to the on call vet my bunny started having seizures, and died shortly after. He was behaving normally yesterday. The person i bought him off hadn't vaccinated them, would this have made a difference? Have you any idea what could have caused their deaths? The vet mentioned a parasite in the brain, or an infection that was spread from one bunny to the other. We would love some answers, so any help/opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your support.
I'm so sorry :(

Most places except rescues don't vaccinate their buns, normally the owner would do that once they've got the bun.. Although I normally have them done within a few weeks of owning them, so if it was rhd2 or similar I think you were really unlucky if they caught it :(

Only way to possibly get some answers would be a post-mortem.
 
I am so sorry you lost both bunnies. It must be such a shock to have them die so quickly.
As Jessbun mentioned bunnies can have seizures before they pass for a variety of reasons.
While I had post -mortems done when other bunnies were living with same illness so we could possibly save the others; and when I suspected they were contagious to their bunny friend; I find they may require lab tests that take time to process. and increase the cost.
Have you contacted breeder/seller to learn if they lost other bunnies too?
 
It sounds as though your poor Rabbits died from RHD2 The only way to confirm this is to have a full PM including tissue sampling for PCR testing. They will not have had any protection at all if unvaccinated, even if their Mother was vaccinated.

It is essential that unless RHD2 can be 100% ruled out no new Rabbits are bought in for at least FOUR MONTHS

Please read the important information on here

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...c-disease/how-to-deal-with-an-outbreak-of-rhd

I am very sorry for your losses :cry:
 
Oh, no, I'm so very sorry you lost your remaining little bunny as well... You must be devastated, losing both of them so quickly and unexpectedly... :cry:
 
Coccidia is the first thing that comes to my mind. Fecal smear under the microscome and antibiotic treament. And diet, diet. No fruits at all. Hay, hay, hay and not too much of good quality pellets and some herbs (fresh if bun is used to them or dired). Probiotic for buns is also a good thing.

Seisure sounds like E. cunicule.

Sorry for your bun....If you again decide for a bun you have only two good option. One is a good reputable breeder or a good reputable shelter/rescue. That will give you health bunny but also read up about healthcare and propper diet.

Digestion is very fragile and sensitive with rabbits and also teeth (non stop growing, some breeds (those with too short nose mostly) often have dental issues.
 
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Just to flag up that some Reputable Breeders DO Vaccinate their Rabbits before selling. I know this for a fact and from first hand experience.
 
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