Rabbit found dead in hutch : (

[Smowball]

Son let rabbit out yesterday morning while he cleaned her hutch out. She hopped round garden quite happily. Then son went out with a friend. An hour later I also had to go out with OH so checked where rabbit was and she was sat on decking, looking half asleep. Picked her up and put her on the clean hay in hutch and she went straight into the little bedroom section, which I have never ever seen her go into. So we went out.Got a call on my mobile a while later from son, crying his eyes out saying he was back home and he thinks the rabbit is dead as she wont move. Got home and checked and yes, she was dead. Son is so upset, he was so attahed to her. I just dont know what could have happened. She was perfectly fine in the morning. And she was only a couple of months old.

[dotty.]

probably shock killed her, domestic rabbits are quite prone to that I beleive

[MarkRae]

That's awful... You don't have any rhubarb growing in the garden, do you...?

[MASS1961]

So Sad, sounds as though the rabbit may have eaten something in the garden?

[chaptazbru]

I have to admit my female rabbits never lasted as long as my male ones (apart from one), I checked on the internet when one of my females died and it says they are prone to sudden deaths, sadly. I've never had one go that quickly though - such a shame and she had such a good life with you as well.

[Smowball]

To be honest Im gutted, she was such a character. No we dont have rhubarb. I did look up poisonous plants to rabbits online and its quite a long list but didnt think I had anything on the list.

[dotty.]

more likely she encountered a neighbours cat and ended up racing around the garden trying to get away from it and went into rest mode which is how you found her, rabbits collapse naturally to avoid pain but their heart is already exhausted through stress

[ummmm]

Cats and rabbits will happily play together.

[pastafreak]

Oh-that's such a shame!-I had a real giggle over her antics last week...I feel really bad for your son.

[Smowball]

Our 2 cats and the rabbit would happily sit together and eat together. He got her in August and she was supposed to have been a baby then.

[NOX]

It was a living thing, sometimes living things die suddenly- we had it with hamsters- one lived to 4 1/2 and the other to 6 months. It happens, don't beat yourself up o0ver it or over analyse it and let your son grieve for his pet and decide if he'd like another.

[ummmm]

Mine do. They are not at all bothered by the cat.

[NOX]

Depends on the rabbit, depends on that cat.

[Smowball]

Now we have a new hutch, a run, and a new waterproof cover - and no bunny : (

Don't know whether to offer to get him another one or not.

[Smowball]

All I know is that the rabbit was the same size as our cats

[pastafreak]

Let him bring it up...he needs time to get his head around this. And do warn him it might happen again-small rodents/mammals are not long-lived.

[ummmm]

gemma - why are you being nasty?