Two bunnies died at the same time!!

[Reemy]

I CANNOT BELIVE THIS!

About 2 months ago my aunt bought two bunnies from a pet shop.
They were so active and cute. They go outside and play daily for a few hours and if they are inside the AC is turned of for them because of the really hot weather in our country.

Yesterday she went to the vegetable shop to buy them some vegetables and asked for lettuce and the guy that works there gave her a type of lettuce and told her that it was really good. My aunt is not an expert in rabbits and she bought that lettuce-I dont know what type of lettuce it was- anyways she fed them and everything and they went outside to play and then both of them all of a sudden fell down and started taking their last breath and died.

Now I am not sure if they had a heat stroke or it was because of the lettuce or what excatly. My aunt is so devastated and I am shocked.

 

[Thumperina]

can she go back to the shop and identify what kind of lettuce she bought?
I doubt they would die from the lettuce or heat stroke or anything at exactly the same time. Is it possible that something scared them "to death" ?

 

[Thumperina]

also, how hot is it there?

 

[Reemy]

can she go back to the shop and identify what kind of lettuce she bought?
I doubt they would die from the lettuce or heat stroke or anything at exactly the same time. Is it possible that something scared them "to death" ?

I dont think so, they were just playing around and my aunt was sitting observing them so that they wont go far away or eat anything they are not supposed to and there was no cat or dog.

 

[Reemy]

also, how hot is it there?

In our country in the summer in the morning to dusk its usually 42 - 48 degrees celsius, which is (107.6 - 118.4) fahrenhite. So its pretty hot. Even human’s cant stand the heat.
At night its usually end of 30s and beggining of 40s.

 

[Thumperina]

if she doesn't know what lettuce she is buying, how would she know if all the plants she has in the yard are rabbit safe?

 

[Thumperina]

In our country in the summer in the morning to dusk its usually 42 - 48 degrees celsius, which is (107.6 - 118.4) fahrenhite. So its pretty hot. Even human’s cant stand the heat.
At night its usually end of 30s and beggining of 40s.

absolutely insane temperatures I though it was too hot where I am, but compared to hers, we are all good here

However, bunny rabbits are not very comfortable when it comes close to 30 + C. In my experience, if a bunny is healthy, they can tolerate 30C and a little above if they are hydrated, in the shade and so on

 

[Reemy]

She

if she doesn't know what lettuce she is buying, how would she know if all the plants she has in the yard are rabbit safe?

doesnt have plants in the yard. They are all potted and too high for the rabbits to reach them. And as I said she was outside with the rabbits observing them.

 

[BerkleeAjax]

I'm so sorry to hear about those buns. How horrifying. Some lettuce might be okay but some lettuces, including traditional iceburg, contain a milky opiate like chemical called lactucarium that is quite bad for bunnies. I believe the darker green types of lettuce are much better, but I never give my rabbits lettuce of any kind because really there is no nutritional value in lettuce anyway. It's just best to not even bother with it. I lost a bun about a month ago. She seemed healthy as can be, including eating, pooping and acting just fine up to an hour before her death. It was traumatizing. Bunnies are extremely fragile, especially in their intestinal health.

 

[Reemy]

I'm so sorry to hear about those buns. How horrifying. Some lettuce might be okay but some lettuces, including traditional iceburg, contain a milky opiate like chemical called lactucarium that is quite bad for bunnies. I believe the darker green types of lettuce are much better, but I never give my rabbits lettuce of any kind because really there is no nutritional value in lettuce anyway. It's just best to not even bother with it. I lost a bun about a month ago. She seemed healthy as can be, including eating, pooping and acting just fine up to an hour before her death. It was traumatizing. Bunnies are extremely fragile, especially in their intestinal health.

I dont think that they sell iceburg lettuce everywhere here in our country so I dont think that’s what she got. Im really not sure what happened to them it was ll so sudden.

Im so sorry about your bun

 

[BerkleeAjax]

I dont think that they sell iceburg lettuce everywhere here in our country so I dont think that’s what she got. Im really not sure what happened to them it was ll so sudden.

Im so sorry about your bun

Other country food options definitely makes a difference. Is your aunt looking to try again with a new set of buns? It really is traumatizing. It's been a month and this Friday we have a speed dating meet up with two other rescue bunnies to see if Ajax has a preference and will want to bond with one of them. I just can't have him alone.

 

[Reemy]

Other country food options definitely makes a difference. Is your aunt looking to try again with a new set of buns? It really is traumatizing. It's been a month and this Friday we have a speed dating meet up with two other rescue bunnies to see if Ajax has a preference and will want to bond with one of them. I just can't have him alone.

No I dont think so. She is traumatized and keeps blaming herself. She feels guilty and she doesnt feel like getting another bun anytime soon. Its just too sad that both of the buns died at the same time.

 

[Bellamy+Lilah]

In our country in the summer in the morning to dusk its usually 42 - 48 degrees celsius, which is (107.6 - 118.4) fahrenhite. So its pretty hot. Even human’s cant stand the heat.
At night its usually end of 30s and beggining of 40s.

My rabbits are outdoors only because I'm not allowed to have them inside the house. Any time temperatures reach close to or above 80°F (26°C) I always plug up fans for them. Before I got my rabbits, I had talked to someone who had owned bunnies once and they said theirs died next to a cold bowl of water once and it was a little over 80° and humid outside. They believed it was a heat stroke so I always put fans on them when it starts getting that hot out. Even though they have cold water it may not be enough to help them. That's the only reason I knew about them not handling heat very well.

I can tell when my buns are getting too warm, they usually stretch out and pant fast and dont move around any.

I won't let mine play in their playpen when it's hot like that because I'm afraid they won't be able to cool down enough after running and jumping around. I make them stay in the shade in their hutch with a fan until it cools down outside.

If it gets in the upper 90°Fs (32°C). I get a big cup of ice water and dip my hand in it (or a small comb) and pet them some just to get their fur a little wet to help cool them down more if they are panting a lot.

Heat may or may not be why they died but a heat stroke is something I am always afraid of happening to my bunnies when it gets hot temperatures like that.