Two rabbits passed away

[Mark E]

Hi there, I'm new to this forum and I'm posting this message to see if I can get any views/theories on a sudden death of our two rabbits this week.

We had two rabbits that lived together (about 2.5 years old), and seemed very healthy. During the night they stayed in a hutch, and during the day they had a corner of the garden fenced off for themselves. On Monday they were behaving perfectly normally. They often tried to escape (jumping the fence), which got them access to the rest of the garden and Monday was no different.

On Monday night they were left in their corner of the garden all night (it was not a particularly cold night), and on Tuesday night my youngest daughter (14) found them both dead next to each other. Naturally she was devastated, and she's been having nightmares since this happened.

The hard part is not knowing what caused their death, there were no obvious signs, it didn't look like any animal could have got to them , they had food/water and had been eating, and as far as we could tell they were not unwell. The only observation I had was that one corner (of their corner) had become somewhat messy where they used it for litter business, and it had rained a lot in recent weeks and was rather damp and unpleasant. That said, I can't say what that may /may not have done to them.

I have read here that its not uncommon to have sudden rabbit deaths however we're struggling that in our case that both rabbits died, not just one. And I think it would help my daughter to cope with her grief if she knew what it might be, so I'd appreciate any thoughts/theories here.

Thanks in advance,
mark

 

[Eve84]

Hi there,
I’m only a new owner of rabbits but both rabbits dying at the same time is more likely caused due to a infection, toxin etc. rather than anything else.

I could think so that leaving them over night in the garden, where it is muddy and wet could be a cause for it.
Did they had the option to actually go into a hutch/ stable/ house away from the muddy/ wet surface?

Eve

 

[zuppa]

Hi, sorry to hear about your loss, were they vaccinated against Myxomatosis and RHDV?

 

[Mark E]

Hi there,
I’m only a new owner of rabbits but both rabbits dying at the same time is more likely caused due to a infection, toxin etc. rather than anything else.

I could think so that leaving them over night in the garden, where it is muddy and wet could be a cause for it.
Did they had the option to actually go into a hutch/ stable/ house away from the muddy/ wet surface?

Eve

Hi there, thanks for the response. No, they didn't have that option, it was only if the kids decided to put them in the hutch (if the night looked like it may get cold).

 

[Mark E]

Hi, sorry to hear about your loss, were they vaccinated against Myxomatosis and RHDV?

hi there, thanks for the reply. I believe they were vaccinated because we bought them from a reputable pet supplier, that gave us some certificates (which of course we have now lost..), but I don't know if they were vaccinated against those illnesses.

 

[zuppa]

hi there, thanks for the reply. I believe they were vaccinated because we bought them from a reputable pet supplier, that gave us some certificates (which of course we have now lost..), but I don't know if they were vaccinated against those illnesses.

You mentioned that they were 2,5 year old how long ago you got them? Rabbits have to be vaccinated against those viruses once or twice a year so if you had them more than one year they weren't protected.
Of course I can't say why they passed so suddenly but it can be one of versions as those viruses spread by flies, birds or other animals so if you house your rabbits outdoor they should be vaccinated once or twice a year, depending on what your vet says there are different types of vaccine.
If you have or planning to have more rabbits would be wise to disinfect their hutches/bowls/bottles etc very well just to be on the safe side because you don't know why they died.
I personally don't believe that two adult rabbits could die suddenly and same time just from cold but I might be wrong. Poisoning could be possible also maybe some chemicals or something.

 

[JBun]

I agree that it was most likely RHD1 or RHD2. In countries where this disease is active, it is the most likely cause of sudden rabbit deaths, where multiple rabbits are affected.

I'm very sorry for your loss. If at some point you do decide to have pet rabbits again, I would suggest reading the info in the links below about RHD. The virus can remain active in the soil and environment for several months, so that is something that has to be taken into account before bringing in any new rabbits.
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/rabbit-vhd/
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD