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Forum DIET & CARE Repeated Rabbit Deaths- PLEASE HELP

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    • MyPets1031
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        I’ve had 6 rabbits in the past four years and I’m left with one. The first one was old, she was rescued from a life of breeding and 4H showing and died of Stasis because I knew nothing and didn’t force feed when I should have, and Toby passed of what my vet and I assume to either be cancer or E. Coli, but the other three have been a complete mystery that I thought wouldn’t happen again after the first time, but unfortunately has happened twice more since then. 

        May 8th, 2013 was the day I came home from school to find my rabbit, Fobey stretched out next to her food container dead. Maybe three hours she’d been gone, but what was weird was the circumstances. That morning she had raced around my feet like normal, I fed her, she was completely normal. Ate normal, drank like normal, everything, literally everything was normal. Poops were the same size and not runny.. just normal! And the way she was positioned was also strange. On her side with her head bent all the way back. Eyes open, mouth open. Toby, her husbun, completely fine. Fobey was 3 pounds and was going to turn 3 in three months. Toby was 5 or 6 pounds. 

        A month later, I adopted Phantom. He and Toby were never introduced but Toby passed away after a two month battle against a disease that left him paralyzed on November 31st. Left with one 1 and a 1/2 year old rabbit who started out life with a good rescue and had always been in good health, I figured he’d live long. 


        Not the case. Phantom passed away on March 31st. I checked on him Monday morning, he was cold, hard, and long gone. Poops left in the cage were normal, he had plenty of hay and water so I know he didn’t go hungry, and he was lying on his side, his head bent all the way back. Phantom was about 5 pounds, 2 years old. 


        One week later, I couldn’t resist not having bunnies anymore, I bought two 6-8 week old bunnies. Millie and Elsie. These two were going to be the two who outlived those before them. 

        Wrong again. Three weeks later, four weeks after Phantom, I went to go clean up their cage, (baby bunnies are dirty!) I couldn’t find Millie. She was an escape artist so I figured she was just out in my room somewhere, I’d kept the door closed so I wasn’t scared, but I opened her door anyway and took a closer look inside. She was lying stretched out, her head bent back, her eyes still open in her hidey house. Millie was less than a pound 9 weeks old, she had eaten all her food and water from the morning, her poops were normal, she was still warm. Nothing, absolutely nothing was wrong with her. 

        So, now left with one, Elsie. The odds against her suggest I’ll end up killing her too. I’m left with deciding whether or not I rehome her. Not for selfish reasons. I’m scared. I’m scared because Millie was the third to go this way, I’m obviously making a mistake here. All of my bunnies get attention every day. Food. Water. Their litter boxes cleaned every other day with wood pellets on the bottom and kiln dried pine shavings layered on top and then topped off with hay. Their cages are cleaned once or twice a week with a diluted vinegar to whip down the floor. They get limited pellets, unlimited hay, spayed or neutered, I KNOW how to care for bunnies. Yet something, something I’m doing wrong. 

        We are going to test our water. Elsie is currently on a filtered water from the grocery store. I don’t know what else to do to help her get as far as she can in life. If I can’t offer her the best, I want somebody else to. I’d rather give her away to someone more successful with these creatures, who can care for them correctly than loose another to some mistake I don’t realize I’m doing… 

        I’m not open to having the vet open up Millie and try and find what exactly I did do wrong for hundreds of dollars. I understand it could help Elsie, I just don’t want to do it. If it came to that, I’d rather go out and find Elsie a better home than mine. I just hoped someone here would have a suggestion about what it could be that’s killing all my pets. What I’m doing wrong. Feel free to ask questions, I’ll answer truthfully, I just want to know what I’m doing wrong…


      • Ablesmom
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          I have no words other then to say i am sorry and just ask could you be living with someone that would hurt them. it just crossed my mine when i read that all their necks were bent..anyway im very sorry


        • MyPets1031
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            Nobody is home during the day… To me, it looks like it was a seizure.


          • Ablesmom
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              im sorry i have no answers but i hope that you and your last bunny are doing well


            • LBJ10
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                What often happens after an animal dies is their heads start to arch backward as all the muscles naturally contract. So that would explain the position you found them in if they had been gone for at least a little while. I’m so sorry for your loss. That truly must be devastating. =( What have you been feeding them? Could they possibly be getting exposed to something in your house?


              • MyPets1031
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                  LBJ10: Millie was still warm. This could have been true for Fobey and Phantom… I really don’t know, I feel like it’s a common problem that’s occuring. I feed a mix of oxbow, small pet select, and sherwood forest pellets. Small pet select hay, and Millie hadn’t had any veggies left. I don’t know what would be in the house. It’s a relatively new house… And they’re all fine until the very last day, it’s not a disease.


                • Megabunny
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                    That is so sad! I’d be so afraid too!l.
                    LBJ. Are kiln dried pine shavings different from other pine shavings that can be toxic? Sounds ok though
                    What veggies and treats did you give? Now you have me very curious


                  • KytKattin
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                      Have you asked how much an autopsy would be? I really think that is the only was to rule out a definitive cause. We had a chicken go paralyzed once, seemingly for no reason. We did an x-ray, and nothing seemed out of place. My state does free autopsys for backyard chickens (because of bird flu/west nile/etc), though we would have had one done anyway, and it turned out she had a ruptured egg that had gone septic. Knowing this we didn’t have to cull our whole flock or worry about the rest of them becoming ill because we knew what happened. There was no question after that, no worry about it being trauma or something contagious. Obviously you are free to be against it, but I have personally found it brings the best closure so I thought I should share.

                      Otherwise, I would be slightly concerned about ingesting the pine shavings while trying to eat hay. I doubt that would be it though. I am not sure where you are located, but I know in some countries outside of the US there are some very serious diseases that pet rabbits need to be vaccinated against.

                      Another thought is: how often did you change the litter box? Not as a sanitary thing, but as a “how much poop is normal” thing? Were they 100% litter trained, or did you have to clean up a few stray poops every day? That is how I can tell if my girl is feeling fine; there are always a couple of loose cannonballs rolling about the cabin. Otherwise, on a day to day basis I don’t notice too much difference in the litter box, but more over 48 hours notice, which is more than enough time for stasis to be a problem. There are often other tells, of course, but bunnies are good at hiding things.

                      What veggies were you feeding, and how many? For Millie it might have been too much too soon. The HRS recommends: At 12 weeks–introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.). Then increasing the amount after they are 7 months old. You could also look into recalls for the veggies you are feeding.

                      Honestly though you might have just ended up with a lot of really bad flukes. Baby bunnies are so sensitive and delicate, not to mention if they come from questionable backgrounds they could have genetic defects that simply prevent them from being able to grow up or keep going that are completely out of your control.

                      I’m really sorry for your losses, and I hope that you are able to pinpoint some sort of cause in order to keep Elsie safe and happy for many years to come!


                    • Tessie
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                        Oh no, I’m so sorry
                        I can really feel your distress, it must be awful.

                        I can’t really offer any help, I hope you work out what the problem is.

                        I will just mention though, that It’s possible you’ve just been very unlucky…
                        We all know how fragile they can be.


                      • MyPets1031
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                          Kiln dried pine is safe. I have such a thick layer of hay on top I never even see the pine so I doubt they would eat it.

                          They’re babies so they didn’t get veggies at all yet and they also aren’t really litter trained. I had to clean up a lot of poop everyday but it was the same amount as any other day.


                        • Sarita
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                            It’s hard to know why and they are probably unrelated. The only way you could definitely know is a necropsy – which honestly doesn’t always give you an answer…but I see that you don’t feel that is an option.

                            Anyway, I’m sorry for your losses.

                            Honestly, I just cannot imagine it is the water….


                          • LBJ10
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                              Since they are unrelated, it makes you think it wasn’t anything genetic. Unless you just happen to have really bad luck. That is why I was thinking it is something environmental. Did anyone spray? Do repair work? New paint? Carpet? Is there anything they could possibly be chewing on? Or inhaling?


                            • MyPets1031
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                                We haven’t done any renovations on our house whatsoever besides paint but the last time I painted was 2 or 3 years ago. I really want to find the problem. I don’t know what could be wrong…

                                We thought it could be our water because we have well water with a lot of minerals in it. So it was a thought that maybe the minerals just build up faster in smaller animals and kill them. The levels might be safe for us but not the bunnies.


                              • LBJ10
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                                  Well water can have all kinds of things in it. Have you had it tested lately? Perhaps there is a chemical in it that isn’t typically tested for.


                                • MyPets1031
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                                    No but are going to and our current rabbit is on bottled water for the time being.


                                  • BinkyBunny
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                                      Let us know what you find if you test the water. 

                                      Do you have any house plants that they can get to?
                                      Is there a gas heater nearby? Possibly a very small/slow gas leak (gas can stay low to the ground) It may not be in harmful amounts to you but could accumulate at their level.

                                      I know you already stated from the beginning you are not open to have a necropocy done. And at this point, I’m guessing it’s a too late, but if this happens again, I do encourage you to reconsider because you obviously are a caring owner and a bunny deserves to have your kind of care and love. Double check with your vet about costs, as while some places may charge over $200, some charge less — I know I paid $120. But it may help find the answers so you can finally get to the bottom of this. No need to banish yourself to a life without animal companions, and have a animal miss out on your love and care. It may be expensive at first, but in the big picture this seems minor. (and may be more accurate than all of this guesswork)

                                      Keep us updated!


                                    • LBJ10
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                                        That’s a good thought BB. A small gas leak could certainly cause a problem too.


                                      • MoxieMeadows
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                                          I’m so sorry for you!

                                          I have a friend (Who currently has no rabbits) who kept loosing hers too. I hope you find out the reason, so you can give Elsie a good home. I don’t really have any suggestions on the cause, besides that I heard perfumes, air fresheners, and plug-ins, are really bad for their lungs. Non-stick pans are HORRIBLE for pretty much anything/anyone. All of us could guess and guess for hours, and we might not even get close to the real reason. Did your previous buns have long hair? Because if they groom a lot they can get wool block, which isn’t a sickness, and they are perfectly normal before, it only takes a few hours or so for them to die with wool block, I heard.

                                          I wish you Good luck.


                                        • MyPets1031
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                                            I don’t have house plants except for one willow tree I’m trying to grow. I don’t use air fresheners and my rabbits have always been short haired. I was just hoping someone would have experienced this before but I guess not.

                                            Last year we had a minor gas leak we didn’t notice downstairs that made my rabbits sick so I did ask my mom yesterday if that could be a factor and she thought not. I also asked her about carbon monoxide (just a little, obviously not enough to make people sick) and she thought not but I’m not yet convinced.

                                            Elsie is still in the freezer… I don’t know how long they last. I don’t have a rabbit savy vet around here though.

                                            Thank you so much for all your advice


                                          • LongEaredLions
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                                              Do you have a carbon monoxide detector near the bunnies?


                                            • MyPets1031
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                                                Not NEAR the bunnies, but a room over. Also, we moved Elsie upstairs so that we can keep a better eye on her. She was in my room before so really only I saw her but now everyone in the house will so hopefully it will be easier to notice if she needs medical attention.


                                              • Dr. Doolittle
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                                                  I’m so, so sorry for your losses.

                                                  I’m brand new here and don’t have any help to offer; however, I couldn’t read your post and *not* respond. We lost a bunny last year (died on the table when being spayed) and our current two are due to be spayed. I know how on edge I am about this–I can only imagine how much worse it would be 5 fold. Given what little I’ve learned about being a mommy bunny over the past year, it sure sounds like you’re doing everything right.


                                                • MoxieMeadows
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                                                    I thought Elsie was your last one alive, Is she dead now too?

                                                    I hope you find out the answer soon!

                                                    (My friend kept her dead guinea pig in the freezer for a whole winter, until the ground thawed so they could bury it.)

                                                     

                                                    EDIT—– I didn’t see this second page, so I think you just mistyped Elsie for Millie?


                                                  • BinkyBunny
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                                                      Here is a link from an 2012 that talked about a possible low level gas leak from a wall heater and it causing issues for the members bunny. Not sure if any of the symptoms seem similar to what happened to your bunny, but it might be worth reading and checking out. https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/120951/Default.aspx (Be sure NOT to respond to that post as it’s older and just for reference).


                                                    • MyPets1031
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                                                        Oh my gosh that sounds so scary. All my bunnies did look like they died from a seizure like described in that post. I moved Elsie upstairs (sorry if I made a typo earlier. Elise is fine. Millie was the one who passed) and she’s far from the heater. I wonder if that was it.

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                                                    Forum DIET & CARE Repeated Rabbit Deaths- PLEASE HELP