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Forum RAINBOW BRIDGE Pet bunny accidentally killed. Still in shock

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    • percythetrain
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        Hi everyone, just joined but been reading a lot about bunnies. I don’t know what to do. I guess I’m looking for support. We’re all very depressed right now, especially me and my mom. She had gotten the bunny for my children. I wasn’t familiar at all with these little animals but ended up really bonding with him. He roamed the house but stayed mostly in one room for his protection. Seemed very happy and relaxed with us. The thing us I have a 4 and 5 year old and after my mom got the bunny I found out these creatures are very fragile so when I was around I would not allow my children to pick him up. I was very strict about that, although they were allowed to pet him while he was on the floor. However, my dad lives with me and we do have some tension in our relationship because he basically will break all of my rules, it’s like I have zero authority with the kids when he’s around. He would let them hold him and we’d get into fights, he would insist these animals were strong as heck which we now realize it’s not at all true. So it became difficult for me to control whether my children handled the bunny especially if I was not around or engaged in some other activity. The day before yesterday I fell ill with a bad cold. I was feeling pretty bad and didn’t want to pass it to the kids so I tried to stay in my room while my parents watched them. My mom is generally very judicious and very much in agreement with my rule that the bunny should not be handled by the kids, but in a moment she was cleaning the cage and heard the kids chasing the bunny, she yelled at them to stop. I was lying in bed in my room when I heard the commotion and walked over there to see my son shaking the bunny, I told him to let it go and he did but it fell from about a foot, maybe a foot and a half. Now I feel horrible that it might come down to the fall. Maybe it was the shaking or from the force that he was being held with. But he basically hopped away at first but, went under the bed but then collapsed about a minute later. Did he die from fright or from an injury I don’t know but it was horrible and shocking because it all happened so fast there wasn’t any way to process it. Ever since we got him I had made it my mission to protect him because I thought about how traumatizing it would be to lose him due to carelessness as opposed to because he’s become too old. I keep thinking I shouldn’t have been in bed or I should have placed the cage in my bedroom if I was going to be resting. The reason I didn’t have him in my room is I’m a bit allergic to hay. I now think I should have teken him with me anyway. It all happened within 2 mins or so. I don’t think we’ll be getting another bunny until the kids are older because we couldn’t bear this happening again. He was a truly sweet and friendly bunny. Times like this I wish I were religious so I could have some form of comfort. Thanks all for reading.


      • jerseygirl
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          Im very sorry.

          Unfortunately rabbits are commonly bought for young children and people haven’t realised just how fragile they can be. Not just physically, but how easily they get frightened. It is possible for them to die from heart attack just from a bad scare.

          It is especially hard for you to try protect the rabbit if not everyone is on board with approapriate care. Im sorry you were in that situation.
          Your mother and yourself had a greater sense of responsibility and may need some time to really come to terms with this.
          I think it is wise of you not to get another pet for now. Not with current living circumstances and age of the children.


        • Sharmila
          Participant
          44 posts Send Private Message

            I am so sorry for your loss. Binky free.

            Bunnies can die from shock, but it really depends on an individual bunny. Also, it might be because of an injury. 

            I have one bunny who was being really naughty and fell from more than 12 feet height two times. She was fine but was in shock for an hour. I was so scared, I wrapped her around my arms and kept crying. Mom provided pain meds and after that, she became the usual “always hungry” bunny. 

            1 foot is seriously less height. So, I don’t think it’s injury. And she wouldn’t have died within a minute if it was injury. As you mentioned that your bunny was a friendly one, she may not have died due to shock. But usually, shock cases are fast acting and the bunny may die without giving you any time to mend. It’s really difficult to make a guess like that. Bunnies are fragile animals and they die due to so many different reasons and diseases. Internal problems may also be the reason behind it. 

            I would advise you to not have pets like rabbits until your children are grown up enough to realize what they might have done. You can keep other animals like dogs; they have good equations with kids. But kids and rabbits together is bad idea. But what has happened cannot be reversed. This is the way of life. But yes, it’s very difficult to handle deaths of pets. Been there!


          • jerseygirl
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              I’m going to move this thread to the Rainbow Bridge section.


            • RabbitPam
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              11002 posts Send Private Message

                I’m so sorry for your loss. That is heartbreaking, made worse by the fact that you were sick, taking care of yourself for a short time, and this happened. You deserved the rest and care you needed, so please don’t second guess and blame yourself.

                You have come away from this knowing that you will be careful not to get a bunny for the children (or your father) for a long while, and that’s a good decision.
                But so many of us have lost bunnies at a younger age for so many different reasons that it is rarely possible to tell what they died from. Some bunnies even have hidden heart conditions that happen unexpectedly. The thing to do is know that everyone needs to understand that bunnies are actually delicate and vulnerable. Now you need to focus on the love you felt for the bunny, and that you are a caring person who will see to the safety of any future bunnies you may come to know.

                Please feel well soon, and try not to beat yourself up any more. Most of us have been through loss of our bunnies at one time or another, and it is hard. You have our deepest sympathy, believe me.


              • Hazel
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                  I’m very sorry you had to go through this, and even more sorry for what the rabbit had to go through. I know you tried to do everything you could to keep him safe, it’s hard to do when there are people in the household who don’t respect your rules. I know your father initially caused this by letting the kids handle the rabbit, but I’m worried by the fact that your son wasn’t just holding him but actually shaking the bunny. From what you said, it sounds like he was being aggressive with it, which I think is very concerning. He probably didn’t realize he was hurting the bun, but I think it would be wise not to get any kind of pet for the next few years, at least not until your kids are old enough to understand that an animal is a living thing that has to be treated with respect and compassion.

                  A one foot drop doesn’t usually pose a risk to a rabbit, unless they land very awkwardly. So I would guess the shaking is what killed him, he either died of a heart attack, or he suffered an injury, either to the spinal cord or the brain (like shaken baby syndrome).

                  I’m sorry for your loss, you did everything you could. Binky free little bun.


                • Deleted User
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                  22064 posts Send Private Message

                    I am sorry for your loss

                    I imagine this post will probably get a lot of attention about the negative impact of children around bunnies. I have to say it sounds like you really tried your best to teach your children how to correctly behave around your bunny and that is a really positive thing to do, it is just a shame that they were given the conflicting information by your father that made them want to handle the bunny like this. Children, especially at that age are beginning to learn right and wrong and are able to take instruction very well and I believe that if it hadn’t have been for your father telling them they could handle the bunny in this way an accident like this would not have happened.

                    I have a three year old and a five year old and have had two rabbits since January. The children were so excited by the bunnies when they came home and they always wanted to see what they were doing, try to chase them and ask to hold them. I made it pretty clear from the start that the bunnies were my pets,they were not to be held at anytime or to be chased and they had to be quiet around them. Any interaction the children were to have with the bunnies I told them both they had to stay sat in one spot and if and only if the rabbits approached the children first were they allowed to pet them. It took a few days of me reinforcing these rules and the excitement eventually wore off and now they never ask to hold them. The children enjoying giving them their veggies and talking to them when they are in their cages.

                    I think it’s our responsibility to teach children from a young age about caring for animals as I truly believe this will be a positive thing they carry through to adulthood. By no means am I saying animals should be bought as experiments for children and their lives be put at risk but with appropriate guidance children can enjoy animals of all kinds, appropriate precautions and awareness needs to be put in place is all. My children are never left alone with the rabbits when they are out of their cages and I am always trying to educate the children about them and this works really well.

                    Try not to be too hard on yourself and I hope the children aren’t feeling this too badly either. You did your best by your bunny and your children, it’s just very unfortunate that they were given the temptation of holding the rabbit by your father. As like all children, they want to do this because they think it’s fun and nice not because they are the devil.


                  • vanessa
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                    2212 posts Send Private Message

                      Oh that is such a sad story. I’m so sorry you and your bunny had to experience that 🙁
                      What if’s and should have’s suck. It sounds like you were in a difficult situation. I really hope that time will heal your pain.


                    • Azerane
                      Moderator
                      4688 posts Send Private Message

                        I am so very sorry for your loss.

                        Please don’t be too hard on yourself, you tried very hard to enforce boundaries and keep your bunny safe. Sometimes, even when we try very hard to keep our pets safe, accidents still happen. I myself lost a rabbit to a handling incident, and I consider myself an experienced owner. It’s just one of those things where one day he wasn’t in the mood to be picked up when I wanted to groom him. He tried to jump from my arms, and as I tried to prevent him falling I held him wrong and the end result was a ruptured organ and the loss of my bunny’s life What I’m trying to say is that it can happen to anyone, no matter how careful you are.

                        I think you are right to not get another rabbit at this time. While I hate to see kids without pets having been raised with pets myself, a house with conflicting rules and allowances probably isn’t the best situation for another one at the moment. Once again, I’m very sorry for your loss.


                      • LittlePuffyTail
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                          This is such a sad story, all around. I”m very sorry for your loss.

                          (((Binky Free)))

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                      Forum RAINBOW BRIDGE Pet bunny accidentally killed. Still in shock