6 weeks old.. and dead :-(

Hi,

We only had our first holland lop for 6 days.. I have took her from a good breeder, she was 6 weeks old, and she died, alone this night.

Everything was normal during the evening.. She was normally eating, but drank maybe not enough to my taste from a drinking bottle. I switched the bottle to a bowl and she drank a lot.

I noticed her poop was as numerous, but smaller ? Later that evening I was petting her while she was sitting still in her litter, and I though maybe I was making her sleepy because when I stopped petting her, she was kind of moving awkwardly in her litter, as if she was dizzy. After some efforts, she placed herself in a relaxed position, with her front legs sticking out. I petted her a bit more, closed the lights and called it a night.

This morning she was dead, in her litter. She was stretched out :-(.. I really don't know what could have happened..

She was fed with Blue Seal food, Timothy Hay and water. I'm so sad, she was only a baby and so gentle :-(

I'm so sorry for your loss. I feel an actual pain in my heart for anyone to lose a bun baby. Babies this young can be so iffy. It sounds like you were feeding her correctly. My only thought is that she might have been a bit too young to leave her mother. If you decide to get another bunny in the future, it's better if the babies stay with their moms for at least 8 weeks to make sure that they're eating and drinking well. Some breeders might disagree, and I'm not a breeder, but a baby's odds of survival are better with just a couple more weeks with mom.

Yes I know, the breeder release them after 5 weeks. That's young..

He replied to me and said she must have died of dehydration.

She had a medium sized water bottle, and I could see she was drinking it, but it wasn't much. I'm clueless as to which quantity is normal for a young bun ?

She literally drank half of the bowl I gave her after that. It was probably too late already..

I seriously doubt that she died of dehydration. He should replace her or refund you if that's what you wish. Five weeks is ridiculously young to take a baby from it's mother. I think there is your answer. I'm sorry.

Whether the baby is 6 weeks or 8 weeks, it may not have mattered. Youngsters around weaning age, and for some time after, are more prone to digestive issues, just because their system is still maturing. Stress can play a big part in youngsters dying, too.

Definitely tell the breeder, because he should replace or refund. Maybe you could get him to give you one a bit older than 5 weeks? The others are right, in that more time spent with mom, whether already weaned or not, will help.

Five weeks old is NOT ridiculously young to leave their mother. What do you think happens in the wild? They are off and running by four weeks. LOTS of bunnies are weaned at four weeks and thrive. But I digress. BECAUSE.. some bunnies you can wean at eight weeks, they are fine, you remove them from mom and they plunk over dead within the week.

Young rabbits are prone to digestive upset. Rabbits in general are excellent at hiding illness.

things we don't know.
1. what caused the wobblies?
2. did she ingest some of her litter?
3. was she hiding an illness
4. was she given something other than what the breeder recommended.
5. did she nibble on something while out and about (most owners let their bunnies out and bunnies do what bunnies do).

So don't blame the five week weaning period..

Just figure oh.. a young one that didn't transition well from one locale to another with a person who didn't know that wobblies and sleepiness in young ones is a red alert! That's what happened in a nutshell.

I am sorry that you lost your young bunny. Sometimes these things happen. I would contact the breeder, just to let them know, but after six days at your place, they are under NO obligation to replace it. Most pet stores won't either. (unless you buy their bedding and their feed).