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KatzNetherlands

KatzNetherlands

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Mar 28, 2011
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I came home 30 minutes ago to find one of my rabbits dead, the other near death, they have been outside for 3 hours.... I can't imagine it was the heat but right now, I don't care....

Stuart was stiff and not breathing...... I cooled off his ears and feet and have been rubbing him like crazy, he is going soft again... is there ANY chance of saving him? Olive is doing okay right now but I need to know about Stuart...

He did squeak once but nothing since.... Please help!
 
Summer, I'm so sorry! I don't know if you can save Stuart, but keep trying. Put him in tepid (NOT COLD) water to bring his body temperature down. It does sound like heat stroke. Rabbits are very vulnerable, especially at the beginning of the hot season.
 
I stopped. I tried for over 30 minutes with no heartbeat... Right now, I am trying to get Oliver to calm back down, he is cooled now but super jumpy and skittish acting. And he never is that way. He is pretty freaked out.

It is not even 70 here... I had no idea it would have been to hot for them. I am devastated and I feel so incredibly guilty. I can't even explain it. I honestly had no idea a couple hours would kill them....
 
I know. It seems unbelievable, but every year somebody loses a rabbit this way. I don't know if they were in direct sun, but they just don't seem to be able to cope with it. And I suppose that small ones like Netherland Dwarfs are more susceptible than larger rabbits. I'm so sorry. I know how attached you are to your bunnies and I know you would not have left them out there if you had had any idea they were at risk. Don't beat yourself up... You're not the first to make this mistake and, sadly, you won't be the last.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss! Please, don't be too hard on yourself.
 
Oh no! So sorry to hear this! 70 degrees doesnt seem that hot to me either... where they in direct sunlight or in a shaded area? If they have been used to indoor living the sudden change in temp could have been a shock to them. Do you think there could be any other cause? Could someone have done something to their water or feed?
Again, I am so sorry for your loss... this is just terrible and I know you must be hurting right now. :(
 
Sounds like something might have scared them and combined with the increasing temps caused too much stress. It's not only how high the temps are you want to look at but the differences, sun, air flow, and anything else that might add stress. If it's 40 at night and then gets to 70+ one day out of the week you will have more problems than if the temp has been a stable 60-70 all week long. I have no idea how we didn't lose any a couple weeks back when it went from 40 and raining for weeks to 95 for 2 days. I was getting very concerned about my champagne doe. By the end of the 2nd day she was starting to look sleepy and unresponsive. I dumped a bunch of water on her which she didn't appreciate. It took 2 days of cool weather for her to return to normal activity level and responsiveness.
 
So, my putting ice bottles out in a couple hours probably isn't a bad idea-- supposed to get to 70 plus today, after a week in the upper 40 and lower 50 range. And I plan on taking a couple kits out to a Nursing Home today for a visit---
 
im more with "akane" on this one .. i dont think it had anything to do with your temperature but im no expert... we've lost a few rabbits here but none due to heat.. we moved our cages one day about a total of 20 feet.. came back out a few hours later and one of our favorites was lying dead in her cage... it just happens and there's no way to know exactly what the cause was... we live in florida and all of our rabbits are outside.. and its a lot hotter than 70 ... i dont think it was heat stroke... and i certainly dont think it was your fault.. just my 2 cents
 
I have seen several rabbits die of heat stroke.they always have wet mouth and noses.temeratures in the 70s shouldnt hurt them unless they were in direct sunlight.Most of the rabbits i saw with heatroke were at the county fair.The breeds were New zealand white and two Flemish giants.Netherland dwarfs are not more suseptible too heat stroke.in my opinion they appeared too be less affected by the heat than larger rabbits.Im very sorry you lost your bunnys.
 
curlysue":3q7b6lky said:
Netherland dwarfs are not more suseptible too heat stroke.in my opinion they appeared too be less affected by the heat than larger rabbits.
Click to expand...

You could be right about this, CurlySue. When I made my comment I was thinking along the lines of dehydration, the way it is easier for a small child to get dehydrated than it is an adult... It may not have been a valid analogy and I'm glad you spoke up.
 
MaggieJ":18rpbqo1 said:
curlysue":18rpbqo1 said:
Netherland dwarfs are not more suseptible too heat stroke.in my opinion they appeared too be less affected by the heat than larger rabbits.
Click to expand...

You could be right about this, CurlySue. When I made my comment I was thinking along the lines of dehydration, the way it is easier for a small child to get dehydrated than it is an adult... It may not have been a valid analogy and I'm glad you spoke up.
Click to expand...
I had read, too, that the dwarf rabbits with little bitty ears were more susceptible, since their ears are their radiators -- it's where they get rid of excess heat. The smaller ear surface does not allow this as well. I have no personal experience with ND rabbits, though.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss, Summer! I do hope you can save Olive! :(
 
Smaller body masses can dissipate heat more readily, while the larger ones hold on to it-- if you notice "whitetail" deer--the further north they are, the larger they are--foxes-- in the north-- short, stocky-- in the deep south-- leggier, smaller bodied. And yes, ears are radiators-- that is why spraying them helps with heat reduction--those veins are very much like a radiator core, with the cartilage and skin being the 'fins'
when lUre cousrinf my dog in the south-- it was the owners of the big dogs that employed the use of the kiddie pools to keep their dogs healthy-- my 20 pound Basenji-- heck, scratch a place up in the dirt, she was fine!
 
the ND would be more susceptible to extreme cold, as they don't have the body mass to help protect the inner organs. Add to that, the smaller animals tend to have a higher metabolic rate-- burning more calories while resting than a larger animal of the same species. In heat situations, a ND would benefit faster from a breeze than a NZ. The reason why wet ceramic tiles work well is because when the rabbit lays on them, large areas of blood vessels are radiating heat from the rabbit to the cooler tile. This is why rabbits in colony situations, will scratch into the dirt and then lay there-- the ground is absorbing their body heat. When we keep rabbits in cages, we have to make up for what Nature provides as coping mechanisms.
 

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