911 rabbits during hurricane

[Zio]

OK first of all please don’t yell at me I have no control over this situation its all second hand.
My cousins and her family were evacuated from fl on Wednesday because of the hurricane and left behind their 12 4h rabbits in cages in the garage with extra food and water. They only expected to get out of the storm zone and that they would be back by Friday now its Sunday they are in tn with us because there is not a vacant hotel room within 400 miles and now their car is broke down so to get to the point. What’s the chances they will go home to 12 dead or sick rabbits? Their house is ok and they have power but don’t know how the heat is or how long the food and water held out. please remember I didn’t have anything to do with this other then they landed here and I only want to know so the kids don’t go to check them and end up traumatized

[jerseygirl]

Hi Kim
What a worrying situation! It would be really hard to predict what state these rabbits would be in.
Do they have any neighbours that they know were able to get back into the area?

[Zio]

Not any one with a key to the house their parents and the friend that usually watches their house when they are out of town are also still gone

[Azerane]

Such a sad situation for those bunnies to end up in I understand your cousin’s family evacuating for the hurricane, but arrangements should always be made for pets (you know that though since you’re posting about it).

It’s hard to say how things will be when they get back. Lack of water and GI Stasis are likely to be the biggest issues which could cause deaths in that time. Depending on their set up, they may still have water left, but knowing how much my two drink, chances are they’ve already been without water for at least a day or two, and if they were topped up on dry food like hay or pellets, chances are they will be extremely dehydrated. I understand they were evacuated in an emergency, but ultimately it still amounts to animal cruelty. Do they have neighbours that would be kind enough to go and check, if they’re in the garage it might be accessible without a key? These rabbits need to be seen to today, if they haven’t passed away from dehydration yet, they may do very soon. If they are out of food, they could also be in stasis which can kill in 24 hours.

Best wishes for those poor bunnies. When the family gets home, the parents need to be prepared to take potentially all rabbits to a vet that day, they may need sub-q fluids and other treatment.

[Mikey]

I was about to mention stasis being a possibility on top of dehydration, but i see now that Azerane already covered that. Those poor bunnies They will all need vet care as soon as their humans get home, no excuses. Its no different than leaving a human baby in the same conditions. It is cruel

(((((Healthy vibes for everyone)))))

[Zio]

They hadn’t originally planed to leave they had got the house locked down and were going to wait it out but then things just got to bad and they decided very last minute to get the kids out before it was to late. They barely even took clothes they each have an over night bag and a phone.

I wonder how rabbits react to storms and stuff tho I know reptiles start shutting down systems and stop eatting and drinking to survive and dogs and cats also tend to not eat much and I wonder if rabbits have a similar survival instance to kind of naturally ration food and water in these situations or if the stress alone maybe to much for them? I don’t know much about rabbits or hurricanes clearly

[jerseygirl]

They can become ill from stress. Usually the GI tract shuts down.

Are there local authorities or volunteer groups they could get to go there? They’d have to break in obviously…

Obviously having left them was not ideal. And yes, terribly sad. I think everyone will feel this way. But this situation is what is. Its already happened. Best we focus on helping as things stand now. 

I know here for bushfire (wildfire) plans, it’s when people don’t stick to their plan that really puts them at risk. Its a case of prepare, stay and defend, or go. And if you go, it has to be well before the fire has approached. Becoming panicked and leaving last minute is so so risky. 

Having said that, I haven’t lived through a hurricane. I do understand how they would have become very frightened and wanted to flee. All round a sad situation. 

[jerseygirl]

To your original question – there are a lot of factors that make the chances of these rabbits being okay not very high. Im sorry to say it. Im hoping that somehow they were not affected by the worst of this. If they cannot get anyone to these rabbits, I think it would be wise the parents go home first when they are able and leave the children with a local friend/neighbour until they have assessed the situation.

[jerseygirl]

Do you know if the rabbits are in wire bottomed cages?
‘If there is a solid base and they are out of food and water they may take to eating their droppings and drinking pee to survive. But this would only get them through so far.

{{{Vibes}}} for these rabbits. Hoping for some good news!

[Zio]

I’m not sure there is much point I mean they could call animal control but they are likely to busy rounding up abandond dogs and cats to break into someone’s house for rabbits. My cousin will be home by tomorrow evening the car will be fixed as soonthe store opens and they can get the broken part and then its a 12 hour drive. If they are going to die will another half day matter I mean even if someone went first thing in the morning the vets are probably not open the shelters or going to be over full an under staffed and there is probably not much that could be done. Now personally if it was me I have always heard worst case if you have to leave behind caged animals they have a better chance of survival if u let them out of their cages Inside the house, garage, shed, Ect. Then they do caged because they can find warm or cold areas and things to survive but it wasn’t me. Also its 4h ( idk what 4h stands for all i know is it involes raiing animals) in a disaster zone so idk why storm prep wasn’t discussed. But I only came to get that info like I said they have kids and the kids are concerned so I didn’t want them to be traumatized thank you all for your help I will pass along the info to my cousin and let her know to check on the rabbits herself first

[Zio]

I don’t know much other then they were in outdoor hutches which were moved inside but I’m not sure If they are solid or wire or how many rabbits were housed together or any of that stuff

[Mikey]

Letting a pet go in a storm is slightly better because they have a chance to get away and are not forced to endure it without escape, however it also has the potential to be more harmful/dangerous to the animal as they are house animals not wild ones; their instincts will not be perfect in this situation. However, all pets should be treated the same as the people living in the house. If you would not try to save your toddler, then it is acceptable you would not try to save your pet. If you would save your toddler, but not your pet, you have a twisted idea on what a life truely is

Let your cousin know not to let the kids in first. Should your cousin find what is to be expected (sick, dieing, or dead rabbits), it will be up to her to explain them to her kids what happened, why, and how to prevent it from happening in the future. If the buns are alive, they must be rushed to any open vet office because what they did is considered animal cruelty/animal violence/animal neglect by the state of FL and they could be charged with a hefty fine for what happened, or an even larger fine (and possible jail time, as i look through the law further) if they choose not to rush the living ones to the vet. They should explain to the kids along the way to help them understand responsibilities, safety, and consequence

[Odette]

This is not the best solution, but I’d personally let someone break a window to access the bunnies and give them water and food. If they have window units, a friend or aquaintance can get in without breaking a window.

If they check their FB, they’ll know who is still there. Pm so the message doesn’t alert potential burglars. That’s what I’d do. I know its a bad option. I just don’t know a better one. I also wouldn’t presume the rescue groups won’t help. I’ve seen the amazing work they do after hurricanes. They’re tireless.

I don’t think the heat was bad, but bunnies turn over water bowls when stressed. I doubt bottles would last almost five days. It’s a bad situation. My thoughts are with the kids and bunnies. I hope for a positive outcome.

[Odette]

Also, yes…a few hours could make a difference. GI Stasis can kill within hours.

I completely agree with Mikey on all counts.

[Vienna Blue in France]

How sad – Always the optimist I am hoping that the owners left overly excessive amounts of food and water so any bun not suffering from GI stasis will have had enough to keep them going and will be just needing lots of TLC.

It’s clear any buns weaker or having suffered GI stasis will not have survived this long.

Some buns may be in between the two and need emergency IMMEDIATE treatment.

NO time should be lost in returning home once the car is fixed if there really is no other alternative (breaking in etc).

Your cousins must be aware by now that they did not have any emergency plans in place and they MUST make some without fail.

I have all fingers crossed that they have been extremely lucky with minimum casualties.

If they have been ‘lucky’, this is NOT a reason to repeat this in the event of another evacuation.

@Kim – please keep us updated with the outcome. I think we’re all thinking about these buns. (And all other animal casualties during the hurricane.)

[LittlePuffyTail]

I hope they are okay! Please update when you know!

[Zio]

Cousin just texted after being on the road for 16 hours they just got home all bunnies are alive even the 5 4 week old babies all still had food and water although some didn’t eat much if at all but that was probably stress or surivial instinct
But she said they all look OK

[Candle]

Thank the Lord, that’s incredible!

[Mikey]

Not eating for days doesnt make them ok. That means they have stasis and need to see a vet for medication. Glad they are all alive, but a visit to the vet is still very needed (((((vibes)))))

[Azerane]

That is so very lucky. I’m very glad they are all alive, to be honest it really surprises me. Hope they recover well from their ordeal, vet visits are probably in order.

[Odette]

Thank you for updating us. I absolutely did not expect a positive outcome and I am so glad I was wrong.

[jerseygirl]

Lucky! I hope others have been so lucky with their animals.

So good to hear they are alive. Hopefully there won’t be any more issues. Thanks for the update.

[LittlePuffyTail]

So glad to hear it!

[Vienna Blue in France]

Hallelujah – I hope the family had the sort of fright that will never let them forget that frightened feeling – and NEVER do that again

[Author]

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