Rabbits suddenly dying after neighbor watched them!

[ladysown]

pertinent information

rabbits are around 2-3 months old.
Acquired in the last three weeks.
Neighbour provided care, giving feed as instructed. (whether you believe this is or not is your decision)

Could simply be delayed stress from moving.

Some rabbits it kicks in late and they go "ACK! I'VE MOVED!!!!!"
For some rabbits that's a killer.

OR it could be sudden switch in the weather... that can also kill rabbits unexpectedly...worse when temps go up, less so when the temps go down but it's still a factor to consider.

just different things to consider....sometimes rabbits that move can't handle the switch. For some it means an attitude change, or others it's "nope, not going to eat, not doing it". I do not know WHY that happens.

 

[skysthelimit]

That is prime age for rabbits to die, even in a breeders own home.
I've had 8-12 week olds die after moving them to a new cage.
Stress of moving, death anywhere between 10 days to 4 weeks.

I no longer buy rabbits under 4 mos old. And I hold my breathe for a month until I am sure they won't die.

Could have been them. could have been unfamiliar faces triggering stress.

 

[HansenHomestead]

There was nothing left when we got home. My rabbits never leftovers, haha. Their poop is normal. I try to give her food from my hand, and she headbutts it away. I try to give her food in a little dish, she kicks it away. No I do not know 100% that they were drinking while we were gone, but we have been back for a few days now, and they were all eating, and drinking normally until today.

Thank you all for suggesting different things to try to get her to eat, and drink. I'm still working with her. Hoping she will take something.

 

[HOWsMom]

I'm not sure if it would help anyone help you, but could you post a picture that shows your rabbits habitat ?
Maybe someone can spot something that way ?

Just a thought.

 

[HansenHomestead]

I literally took this pic the day we got we back, because my husbands mom was wanting a picture of them.

This is a temp cage that we are going to use for pregnant does. We are in the middle of building the big hutch that will give each rabbit their own cage.

 

[Zass]

It's a nice pen But, do I feel the need to warn you about chicken wire.
There is a good chance adult rabbits (or any predator that wants in) will tear strait through the stuff. Newborn kits may wander very far and become caught in it, so a finer wire is recommended on the bottom 4 inches of brood pens.

All of my cages have baby saver wire on the bottom 4 inches of the walls...everywhere except the door. Go figure, what do I find when I checked my rabbitry a few days ago? A harlequin kit stuck in the door wire, waving it paws helplessly..Poor thing, I'm lucky to have gotten to it on time. (It made it.)
So, now I'm installing hardware cloth on the bottoms of all my cage doors too.

This may not have been the cause at all, but, any soiled hay left on the floor of the pen can grow a dangerous amount of mold in just a few days time. Or unsoiled hay in rainy or humid weather..

 

[HOWsMom]

That is a super cute pen !

 

[HansenHomestead]

Thank you very much Zass! The new hutches are going to be completely different from this one. Wire bottoms, and all the wire used will be a hardware mesh.

It's very true that the hay leftover from while we were gone could have caused something!

 

[Marinea]

I can't add anything to the great advice you've gotten about the kits. *fingers crossed they get better*

I did want to add a quick comment on "hardware mesh". If you mean hardware cloth, you might want to re-think that, at least when it comes to the floor wire. It is rough, and not the strongest wire. I would strongly recommend you find some good 1/2"x1" cage wire for the floors. If DBA is close to you, he can likely tell you some places where you can find some. Trust me, you do not want to be tearing apart cages to replace floor wire.

I am sorry for what you're going through, but happy you found your way to RT. Hope you stick around.

 

[DBA]

Becca, keep us posted on how the cal is doing.

 

[HansenHomestead]

**Update**

My husband brought home fresh Parsley from his bosses garden. She ate about 2-3 leaves at first, then I noticed a small amount of food missing from he bowl. I fell asleep for about 2 hours, literally just checked on her. All of her food as been eaten, and all of the Powerade has been drank, and there are finally little bunny poops in her cage!

Thank you all so so much! She will be under close observation for the next few days to insure she is still eating, and drinking!!

 

[Susie570]

Yay! Great news!!

 

[Galadriel]

:bouncy:

 

[katiebear]

:cheer1: :cheer2: :wr_sweat: Thanks for the update been on pins and needles over your buns...So sorry the buck didn't make it though..But it looks like you have a good turn around going on!

 

[DBA]

Great news!!! Glad to hear it.

 

[HansenHomestead]

Ugh I'm sure this question doesn't belong here, but how in the world do I change my picture? Everything I've tried it either says it's too big, or the URL is Invalid. :angry:

 

[DBA]

Wish I could tell you, but you can see what my avatar picture is. I get the same messages whenever i try uploading an avatar pic. I have shrunk pics down small enough you can't see any detail at all, and it still says they are too large, yet the are perfectly fine on any other forum, without shrinking them.

 

[HansenHomestead]

I tried searching the forums to see if there was a help page about the avatars, and couldn't find one. It bugs me not having a picture, lol.

Also #9 is still doing well this morning. I tried to pick her up to take her to the porch with me, and she was back to her usual don't touch me self! Haha. She got another small leaf of parsley to insure she would eat, because I tried to give her fresh pellets a little bit ago, and head butted the bowl away. She'll eat the pellets if she has too, but lately she has more interest in fresh greens.

 

[DBA]

Sounds like she will be fine. It's amazing how standoff-ish californians can be.
Like I said yesterday, my brood does all hate to be touched, petted, etc, until a couple days after giving birth. Then they love to be petted, scratched, etc. That lasts until they are ready to get their litter taken away, then they go right back to being stuck up little butt heads.

 

[HansenHomestead]

I'm shocked at close 9 is being with me today. I put her on my lap a little bit ago, and she hopped up on my chest, and licked my nose! ^^ I love bumbum kisses!!

Here she is right this moment just hanging out! Lol.