Bunny Homocide

[Zaiya]

Two English Lop brothers bonded together, about 9 weeks old, were being fed then "suddenly" one of them killed the other. What would cause this? We were thinking maybe something scared them? They are nowhere near sexual maturity, so it couldn't have been anything territorial. They were bonded well, too.

Any ideas? Any help would be great! If you need any more info, I can see if I can get it.

 

[Watermelons]

Maybe if you actually explained what happened?
And what does "suddenly" mean? It was either sudden or it wasn't. Why were they not broken up if this happened "suddenly" while being fed?
9 week old rabbits can not be bonded either.

 

[majorv]

Did someone actually witness this attack? Yea, more detailed information is needed.

 

[whiskylollipop]

I find it hard to believe that a 9 week old bub is capable of and was motivated to attack something. My bunnies were the chillest bros when we got them at 8 weeks, even with all the manhandling and posing for photos and having to share tiny bits of apple that they kept stealing from each other. No tiffs whatsoever, at least not till puberty hit.

 

[Zaiya]

So sorry I cannot give a very detailed description, I am giving you third-hand information. One of my teachers (who is a breeder of English Lops and Lionheads) said that she got an email from someone that she sold two English Lops to. These two are brothers and have been bonded. We were very confused at the email, because rabbits don't just "suddenly" kill each other! Especially 9-week old littermates! Plus, all the English Lops I have met have been very chill... And if one started attacking the other, why did she not do anything to separate them? I don't know.

All I know is that the person was feeding the rabbits and "all of a sudden" one killed the other. I'm just about as confused as you are, but I was wondering if anybody had any ideas.

 

[JBun]

Without a more detailed description of what happened, it's really impossible to know what may have happened, or even if the bunny really died the way they think it did. Is it possible they aren't being entirely truthful on how the rabbit died? This can sometimes happen, especially when a refund is being requested. Just speculation though.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I will admit that it sounds odd. 9 week old babies can be starting to get hormonal, but it would be quite rare for them to be aggressive to the point of killing a litter mate for no apparent reason. I could see 9 month old rabbits doing it, but 9 weeks just seems odd. If it did happen suddenly when they were being fed, it stands to reason that someone was there. So not trying to do something is also odd. I know rabbits can do a lot of damage quickly, but just letting them go at it, have to wonder about someone who would allow it to happen.
I would not call 9 week old babies bonded, as babies tend to get along anyway, but they would not really be at risk of hormonal issues yet.

If the person is wanting some refund, I would question it. I don't know what sort of guarantee the breeder offers, but this situation doens't seem like something that would have been the breeders fault (unlike maybe a health problem that would have been there when they were sold). A necrospy could be done to determine the actual cause of death and if there was anything else going on.

 

[Amethystkytten]

This whole situation just sounds really fishy to me.Like there is more to the story than what they are sharing almost like the battered wife at the er saying she "fell" down the stairs(sorry for the bad stereotype).

 

[Zaiya]

Yup, I agree it sounds like there is something fishy with the whole thing. Well, I have that class in the morning, so I will show my teacher all of your responses and see what she thinks and if she had gotten any more info.

Thanks for all of your replies! I'll tell you what she thinks!

 

[Zaiya]

Yup, she agrees with all of you, however there is no refund being requested. She says that she can't get any more information out of the person. They sent one text, then wouldn't respond to anything that my teacher sent back. She says that they might be embarrassed and think it it their fault, because she sold them a rabbit before that managed to escape, and now that she sold them two more, one of these is dead.

 

[luna21]

I would certainly hope that she stop selling rabbits to the person in question because there is definitely something not right about that. It could be that they are buying rabbits to feed them to snakes and are making excuses to get more. In any case she should maybe be a little more cautious about who she is selling to.

 

[Zaiya]

Haha, I doubt that she's feeding them to snakes...! My teacher knows them, and this is a family with children. Today I'll see if she has heard anything from them.

 

[Zaiya]

The family has two little girls, and I'm thinking that $50 is a bit much for a feeder rabbit...

So she did get a reply from the woman eventually. She did come up with a couple reasons this could happen, but I don't think either are plausible: the hutch being recently moved, and the fact that they are growing really fast. ( ??? )

 

[whiskylollipop]

The most plausible theory I can come up with is maybe - while they were being fed, they were at the bowl while food was being poured, and a couple pellets got caught in the crook between one rabbit's head and shoulders, the other went for it, and accidentally bit the first's neck out?

 

[Leopold_Ruby]

Why would she sell two males together? Isnt that a fight waiting to happen? Maybe her children injured one accidently and it died later?

 

[Zaiya]

@whiskylollipop - Haha, I never would have thought of that! But I guess it makes sense if you have to think outside of the box.

@Leopold_Ruby - Apparently they had two cages to separate them when they got older, but while they are still young they had them in the same cage.

My teacher has a theory that it could have a neurological disorder, but she hasn't seen any signs of things like this in her breeding stock.

 

[squidpop]

I would believe it if they said - one bit the other and it got an infection and died a week later- or it lost a lot of blood and died slowly-- but can't see how a baby rabbit could instantly kill another baby rabbit, their mouths aren't very strong.