Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A My rabbits are all dying..HELP

Viewing 10 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Jinni
      Participant
      1 posts Send Private Message

        I am an owner of ten rabbits at the moment. At the beginning of the year, I had twelve rabbits and two guinea pigs. First to die was one of my guinea pigs. I found him dead in his cage. Two months later, one of my rabbits passed away too. I thought it was just a coincidence. Only three days after he passed, another of my rabbits died as well. Tonight, a little over two weeks later,my other guinea pig also died. So some information about what I know… I found both guinea pigs dead in their cages, and one’s igloo had been knocked to the side by him. Both appeared to have just dropped dead. The rabbits,however, would be acting entirely fine and suddenly fall ill. They’re eating,drinking, pooping just fine prior. One of my rabbits was even playing with my guinea pig(also deceased) minutes prior to falling ill. The rabbits died pretty fast, within a half hour. The veterinarian did an autopsy on my second rabbit that died, as she was concerned since so many of my animals were dying. She found that Speedy(the rabbit) had passed away from bacterial sepsis. The vet treated all of my pets with an antibiotic to kill the bacteria, so I thought all was well.The vet said it was too difficult to determine the cause but to monitor their behavior. I’ve kept their cages clean, especially after losing so many so suddenly.. But there have been gnat like bugs in their cages that I can’t rid of. I clean their cages and the next day, the bugs are back. I’ve even mixed dish soap and apple cider vineger to attract them away from the cages but it didn’t help at all. Before the two rabbits passed, I had gone on a trip so when I came home(a week later), there were mushrooms growing in two cages. One was in the cage of the first rabbit to pass. I cleaned the cages well since and haven’t seen any mushrooms since. We did have a fly infestation in our house(the rabbits are indoors) when the two rabbits died, but since have not seen many at all. I have been feeding them from bales of Stanlee timothy hay purchased at local feed store. The vet recommended that I toss out the bale I had been feeding them,in case the hay was tainted. For the past two weeks, I fed them hay purchased from a local rabbit rescue. I noticed right away that they hay didn’t feel as sticky or dirty. It also didn’t stay green for days on end like Stanlee. The hay purchased from the rescue went from green to brown within a day or so, and the rabbits ate it right up(they dont like Stanlee). The rescue will be closed for two weeks though, and I couldn’t find any feed stores with hay that wasn’t Stanlee,so yesterday I had to switch back. Then I found my guinea pig dead today. Another concern, though I don’t know how lilely, was that my rabbits have been drinking tap water. I switched them to purified water tonight. All of my animals that passed away were one year old, except for one guinea pig who was a few years old. I’m going back to the vet tomorrow, but I am so panicked and am hoping to get some insight from other rabbit owners. Thank you!


      • jerseygirl
        Moderator
        22338 posts Send Private Message

          Oh this is so terrible for you! Was the vet able to identify the particular bacteria from the autopsy? Have you had any more autopsies performed?

          Just in case there is a food connection, is there any other source you can get hay? If the rescue has a facebook page, could you appeal to other owners that have bought bulk hay and see if you can organise to purchase from them until the rescue reopens? Or will the rescue tell you their supplier at all??

          I would also look into how you can have your hay tested for mold and mycotoxins. 


        • Gina.Jenny
          Participant
          2244 posts Send Private Message

            A sudden death in rabbits sounds like Vhd2 could be a possibility, it can be spread through hay, though I haven’t heard of it affecting piggies. A dried toxic plant in the hay is another possibility, or is there any way they could have injested another poison, such as rat poison?
            I really hope you get to the bottom of things, and fast, and your survivors stay safe.


          • jerseygirl
            Moderator
            22338 posts Send Private Message

              Jinni, do you mind saying what region or state you live in? Gina.Jenny mentioned toxic plants in hay. Wooly pod milk weed is a contaminant of hay to watch for in the US.

              If you have anymore fungus growing, try get that identified also.

              Regarding the fungus and gnats, is there a moisture problem near their cages?


            • Gina.Jenny
              Participant
              2244 posts Send Private Message

                If the fungus grows back, try and get a photo, as it could help you and the vet identify it.


              • tobyluv
                Participant
                3310 posts Send Private Message

                  Do you have any pet stores in your area? PetSmart sells Oxbow Hay, which is good. They also sell Kaytee hay, which is pretty good and other brands. Petco sells American Pet Diner Timothy Gold, which is a good hay, plus other brands. These will all be smaller bags than you are used to getting, so you will have to buy a lot of bags for 10 rabbits, but it could tide you over until the rescue opens again.

                  I’m sorry for all of your losses.


                • Mikey
                  Participant
                  3186 posts Send Private Message

                    I live in a country area so even the Walmart by me sells larger bags of timothy hay. I would try looking for stores that arnt just feed stores so you can avoid the contaminated hay. Stop feeding it to them ASAP


                  • Bam
                    Moderator
                    16838 posts Send Private Message

                      You can use Virkon or F10 to disinfect cages and other areas. It can be bought online.


                    • Love4Bunny
                      Participant
                      878 posts Send Private Message

                        If you live in the US, you could also try to order online from Sierra Valley Pet Hay. They do not use pesticides, ship for free to most places, and my rabbits don’t sneeze like with other hays.


                      • FloppyBunny
                        Participant
                        80 posts Send Private Message

                          It seems like the hay might be a problem, so I would stop feeding it. Even if you can’t find hay somewhere else, it’s better for them to just have pellets for a bit than to die (lots of rabbits are unfortunately fed only pellets their whole lives anyways). If you can’t find another source for hay until the shelter opens, then try giving them grass and more vegetables while waiting. I hope the rest survive!


                        • Ashley
                          Participant
                          3 posts Send Private Message

                            Woah.. I’ve never heard of anything like that happening. That is so sad. My deepest condolences.
                            I wonder if the heat is affecting the bacteria ? I’m not sure. Though if the hay is contaminated then I’d suggest feeding them grass until the shelter opens up again. You also have the option to order some online. Google has a nice shopping section where if you search for something, they’ll find online stores where you can order some. Granted, delivery might take a few days. Hope things get better ! <3

                        Viewing 10 reply threads
                        • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A My rabbits are all dying..HELP