[Carl f k]

We had 7 babies...now at 3 weeks old and we have lost 4..cannot see any reason why..any help please?

[inncca]

So sad when this happens.  I breed mini lops - sudden death at this age could be bloat or blocked back passage area.  Unusual for 4 out of 7 to have this!  I had a bug go through a litter of mine and killed them all, over the course of a week.

What breed are they? 
Was there any symptoms?

[Carl f k]

They are mini Rex ...can't say there's any symptoms?? Just find them dead or nearly alive just about breathing but bouncing around like normal hours before

[MAK]

Sorry to hear that - we only lost one of 12 but that we tuff so you must pretty fed up.
was there any physical injury ? rats ?
Do let us know if you discover why you lost them. BW 

[Carl f k]

No injuries just look a little flat like mum has sqashed them ? Really no idea ??

[in the hills]

Sorry Carl.


Colliewoman knows a lot about bunnies but not on here at the moment.


I have kept rabbits for a long time but never bred them so can't help really.


I think rabbits do have quite a delicate skeleton and are easily damaged. Wouldn't have thought mum would do it but I suppose it's possible as other animals do occasionally squash their own young.


Is it possible that they could have been handled too "enthusiastically" by children? Sorry that's my only guess. 

[Carl f k]

No sorry in the hills..only been held by me and Heidi, and only a few times being so young, I have no idea, the two that are left seem great so I'm at a loss. they stay ok

[cloddopper]

Have you had any sudden visits by the RAF in their freedom machines at tree top height ?
 Startled does often fly out the nest /go loopy and end up damaging the kits or deserting them even if in the same cage .

 There are other causes like RHD . look at the anus any sign of discharge or redness from insect bites ??
Wash & disinfect your hands before and after handling each dead rabbit burn the bodies asap .clean the cage & disinfect .
 

As a youth(  55yrs ago )  I used to cover all my out door cages with sacking before it got dark to stop mozzies getting in 7 biting the rabbits and spreading Myxomatosis
I also changed the bedding much more ... like every three days so there was little or no urine scent to attract biting flies or other biting  insects.
 I never lost any rabbits  ....... my pals did

[confused]

Sorry i cant help you either , it 's a bit of a strange one especially at 4 weeks .

[shygirl]

we bred rabbits and stopped because ours used to die at the same age as yours. mine were unweaned, they looked a bit "tired" the day before then died. we changed the hutches locations to no avail. we had 2 postmortems done but nothing wrong with them. we stopped breeding as it was too upsetting.

[JulieWall]

Sorry to hear about this, it's heartbreaking when things go badly. I'm curious about the age of the deaths and wondering if it is related to weaning in some way? Either a foodstuff that has something their little systems couldn't handle or perhaps a pathogen that mother was giving them immunity to through her milk. It's the only thing I can think of because of their age.
Have you picked the vets brains? You can often get free advice over the phone.

[MAK]

Just a thought - we don't give rabbit nuts to mum whilst she is feeding for the first few weeks. It is a pain collecting dandilions and dock leaves etc but with the odd carrot chucked in we figure it to be a more natural diet for mum.
PS we did not loose one of our last batch of 12 - there were just too many ears in the way for me to count their noses. Mum is due her next litter at the weekend.

[JulieWall]

70% of a rabbits diet should be fresh grass or good hay. The rest can be made up of greens and weeds but the grass/hay is crucial to keep their teeth ground down, keep their gut flora correct and prevent GI stasis which can kill in a couple of days.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning this but as the pellets are mostly made of dried grass the dandelions and dock leaves suggestion might mislead a newbie if they don't have access to grass or hay - I'm sure you know this and just forgot to say 

I worry about GI stasis a lot and keep an eye on the size of the pellets, quantity of water drunk and urine in the loos so I know right away if there is a problem. You get a few days early warning if there is a problem as the pellets get steadily smaller, it gives me a chance to tempt them with things I know they like. My bucks tend to go off their feed a bit when they are casting their winter coats and the does eat barely anything the day before kindling - kind of handy to know I think.
For some reason though, my adult bucks don't have much interest in greens or grass and seem to prefer the pellets. They like hay but where the does will eat a pile of grass bigger than themselves every day the bucks just nibble and leave the rest to wilt. Has anyone else found this and is it just Bucks?

[Penninehillbilly]

Are they outside any chanceof myxomatosis?
we've had an outbreak of Myxomatosis (in the wild rabbits), finding dead young rabbits lying around, had to finish the odd one off, mainly babies, what a horrible disease, older ones must go blind with their eyes swollen, and just sit there. But we are overrun with them, we get an outbreak every few years and then not much until population builds up again.
I just wish foxes, stoats etc would concentrate on keeping the rabbits down instead of pheasants and my hens/ducks.
 

[MAK]

Ours can all get outside in their runs or nip back under shelter when its too hot or we have deep snow. Shade is important. In winter we use the hay that we collect after the council cuts the verges on the lanes - we let it dry , box it then string it up for the winter. Spring is fine for collecting fresh grasses etc but when they die back and the snakes pop out in the summer we have to use the excess veg that we grow for them. Pellets will help you understand how much fresh grasses etc OR hay to give them. If the pellets go then increase ( if you can get hold of it ) hay or fresh stuff. We chuck hard wood sticks into their runs so that their teeth get a good work out. pellets are also of help if you are not around all day to keep collecting fresh stuff.
No sudden deaths or ill health here despite the wild rabbits nightly visitst and their diet seems to have been very succesfull as our more experienced rabbit eaters tells us that the meat is very good. Actually I have just had rabbit for supper.