I Just Dont Understand What Happened?

I am so unbelievable heartbroken right now. My little Mew, just six weeks old, suddenly died and I just don't understand. Yesterday she was hopping around, eating like a pig and grooming me every chance she got, today before I went to work I noticed she was acting a bit larthgetic, but for the past two weeks that I've had her she was always so docile and calm I didn't think anything of it. Then when I came home she was lying completely on her side, limp. I picked her up and she was breathing, put she couldn't hold her head up or sit up. I rushed her to the emergency room, but by the time I got there, she was already dead.

I feel shattered. For ten years I had my Suki girl, and then she got cancer and four days before we were going to take her to the vet to let her pass on, her tumor burst and she died suddenly overnight. Now Mew. When Suki died I just didn't think I'd ever be able to have another rabbit after the experience of loosing Suki the way I did, but then the sanctuary I work at got these four little rabbits and I fell in love and brought Mew home. She had been doing so well, playing and snuggling and having the time of her life, now she's gone.

Does anyone know what could have happened? The nurse at the emergency room said she wasn't very experienced with rabbits so she wasn't sure what caused this since they never got a chance to check her vitals or anything. I just don't know...I'm crushed. I allowed myself to fall in love with a new rabbit and she was just taken from me so suddenly. I saved her from being euthanized at the sanctuary, only for her still to die...I feel like I failed her.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you must be really heartbroken. Honestly, six weeks is just a little too young to take a baby off of moms milk or the milk replacer if she was bottle fed. You say two weeks prior, was she 4 weeks when you brought her home? Most that I know of keep babies with mom for 7-8 weeks at a minimum or at least until they're eating well and by that I mean completely weaned. This is only a thought of course.

Another thing to consider, was she the runt baby?

She was brought into my work by some supposed show breeder who didn't want the babies because she said they weren't show quality. She gave us zero information other then the babies were lops, that's it. It was a guess that she was around 6 weeks old, because she was so small. One of my guesses was she was taken away from the mother too young, and just wasn't very healthy. It was just shocking that she seemed to be so limp, like she couldn't control her head or body and it happened so swiftly

I'm so sorry you lost your little bun

Baby buns can be prone to developing problems when they are weaned, as the transition to solid food can be hard on them. Especially considering your baby seems to have been weaned far too early. Not that you could have done anything for that, but it can possibly explain what happened. Without really seeing more distinct symptoms, it would be hard to know a possible cause. There are a few things that it could be that seem to be common causes of sudden death in babies, like e. cuniculi, coccidiosis, heart attack, and floppy rabbit symdrome. These are just guesses. It would take having a necropsy done to try and determine the actual cause.

ray: Binky free, little Mew. I'm so sorry for your loss.

So sorry to hear about this! Losing a bunny can be incredibly hard, even if you haven't had him/her for long. Like others have said, I agree it probably had something to do with her very young age. 4 weeks is extremely young to be away from her mama! Such a shame. If you decide to open your heart to another bunny, for your own peace of mind, I'd suggest adopting a bunny that is at least 8 weeks old and appears to be healthy.

Oh no not this poor baby . I'm so sorry for your loss. You did not deserve this especially trying to save the poor little guy. I'm so sorry.

Rest in peace little Mew
ray:

It's hard losing youngsters! We lost a 4 week old the other day for no apparent reason. She and her siblings were still with Mom and had already started eating pellets. Unfortunately, during that transition time, young ones are susceptible to gut issues...some babies just don't develop a strong digestive system. At that age, too, a big change in environment can have an impact on their health. :feelbetter: