Could it be the thunder?

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Schipperkesue

Schipperkesue

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Messages
637
Reaction score
2
Location
Alberta, Canada
I have noticed occasional kit loss after a thunderstorm. Kits are young- still in the nestbox, but eyes open and moving around. I am guessing it is likely the doe has injured them in fear, perhaps jumping on them. Never an exterior injury, just perfectly intact and dead.

What may disprove this theory is if this was the cause, wouldn't I have injured kits as well? Broken bones and the like? I don't. Just dead.

Someone suggested they may be dying of fear of the loud noise...heart attack perhaps? Is this a possibility?

Has anyone else experienced this?
 
We've experienced something similar. Going into the barn at night with a headlight is forbidden because the abrupt shadows and light cause the rabbits to freak out. We have lost nestlings to a mom jumping in out of fear. Also, the kits themselves can run around frantically and I wouldn't doubt cause harm to one another. I think it could be just by chance that you don't see any others injured. Rarely we see one with a bruised side or a claw mark from this fright. And occasionally and unfortunately, one that passes.
 
Actually, I think most rabbits seem to handle loud noise pretty well. Have you ever seen your does scared of thunder?

Is it just with one doe, or throughout your whole stock?
Might be worth to mark thunderstorms and kit losses on the calender for a while to see if it's just coincidence or a thing of perception, like when it's always thunderstorm season when your kits are that age.

Would really interesting if it's coincidence, or if there is a real connection.

Rabbits are so different, I cant stop the rabbits I know from nibbling hay by using hammer and nails (repaired a friends barn floor last week), and have to watch out when working with the chainsaw because of rabbits getting between my feet.
 
Well it happened again. A whole litter of 8 this time. Alive the night before the storm, Dead the next morning. And they died at different times. Some were stiff, some were flexible and one was even warm. They were a month and a half old. Not a mark on them.

Rabbits are outside, under a roof, in raised pens within an enclosed chainlink area.
 
It could be a particularly skittish doe and thunder can be loud and sudden. When approaching my rabbits I always start talking to them so they know it's me and it's not a problem. However, I can walk around the corner of the colony unexpectedly and they all dive for cover until I say something and then they're fine. I find if they're startled it's a problem but they can handle quite a lot of noise if they hear it coming. I can run the gas lawnmower along the front of the colony with no problem if they hear it coming but I wouldn't start the lawnmower right in front of them. I use electric power tools while repairing the colony with rabbits all around me and it doesn't bother them in the least.

Sorry about your losses. It can be disheartening and frustrating to lose whole litters like that. Been there...
 
Schipperkesue":2k4drd59 said:
Well it happened again. A whole litter of 8 this time. Alive the night before the storm, Dead the next morning. And they died at different times. Some were stiff, some were flexible and one was even warm. They were a month and a half old. Not a mark on them.

Rabbits are outside, under a roof, in raised pens within an enclosed chainlink area.
Click to expand...

How sad and frustrating to lose a whole litter at that age. :( We've only had losses in the first few days when some kits failed to thrive and we could see it coming. I hope you can figure it out or that someone more knowledgable can help. I don't have anything to offer but sympathy and hope that you find a way forward.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top