How do you explain it?

[ladysown]

Random bunny losses.

Sell a bunch of bunnies. of about oh..20 bunnies sold in the past two months 19 do just fine in their new homes.
1 dies after the people have for nine days.

They wonder why their friends bunny is doing fine and their's died.

HOW do you explain it?

I just say "Rabbits are prey animals, sometimes they die for no apparent reason. I am sorry for your loss". (this after I've asked questions about feed intake, what's been given, what kind of bedding/housing etc).

I do explain during purchase/sale that sometimes bunnies die for no reason since they are prey animals, and this is why one needs to monitor their health, are they eating/drinking and eliminating as they should. But bunnies are GOOD at hiding illness so you just need to keep an eye on them.

But how does one explain it in a way that makes sense for the pet bunny owner?

I sometimes don't always know the words I should say in following up with such events, and am wanting some better language/care/sympathy to express I guess...

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I think the way you worded it there is pretty good...that they are delicate and a prey species, and sometimes it just...happens. Maybe tell them that some rabbits just are born weaker and more delicate than others?

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

hat is one of the 'unexplainables' in life. We can rational;ize that rabbits reproduce the way they do becasue theya re rpey, that high mortality is expected--
But then, we expect a baby that has survived weaning, a sale, and a week in a new home to be relativley viable at that point. Only the fact that there is AL:WAYS a weaker animal in a herd-- ALWAYS an aniaml that is subject to unknown ggenetic factors, can we accept the deaths by unknowen casues.

hard for a child to understand. Hard for anyone who spent money on a 'quality' animal to use as a foundation to accept..
but dang, It happens--To all of us-- no matter what... And we never really get used to it.

 

[ladysown]

indeed very true. Thanks for putting it into perspective.

 

[cathyd]

I think you did a good job in explaining. When I feel they truely cared and did nothing wrong, I offer them another pet rabbit when they are ready at no charge. I want to make the situation right, so they could not say anything negative about me or my bunnies. Some bunnies just fail to thrive.

I send home food, hay and care instructions with each bunny sale. One of the care sheets is how to tell if your bunny is sick. This can help to teach them what signs to look for, ie grinding teeth, huddled, not eating, not drinking, diarreah, tilted neck. ( I can never spell that word right :roll: )

 

[PSFAngoras]

I think you did the right thing. The lady who showed me the ropes breeding rabbits called them 'diers'. Perfect one day and dead the next. Nothing you can do. Some are just weaker. I would have also offered them one free replacement rabbit like you said, and if the conditions dictated that it wasn't their fault, but it happens. Suck for both parties, but it happens.