Rest In Peace Thirteen

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Lydia

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Jun 8, 2012
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Location
Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
I'm very sad to announce the death of one of our 10 week old babies. He never really had a name, since I was trying not to get too attached to him, knowing that he would have to be adopted. I affectionately nicknamed him " Thirteen", after his number on the adoption listing I posted in the Rescue Me! section here.

We don't know for sure what happened, but it appears to have been a freak accident. On Tuesday evening, I went out on our sun porch to check on the bunnies, and noticed that a large board we had built up as part of a little lean-to for the bunnies was down on the ground. Most of the bunnies were sitting on it, which they tend to do when they are trying to bring your attention to something, or when they are celebrating "vanquishing" it. I was immediately worried it could have fallen on one of the babies, and scooted all of those sitting on it away. No bun's were under it, so I breathed a sigh of relief thinking I had dodged a bullet. None of them seemed injured, since they were all running in circles and playing now. I decided to catch one of the babies to snuggle, and started walking towards a corner across the room where a couple of them were congregated. I saw 3 in a corner, so I reached out to pick one up, only to have 2 of them dart away. One of them just sat there, so I carefully picked him up, thinking that I just must have caught him off guard. The moment I picked him up, I knew something was wrong. He was limp in my hands, and his head was flopping back, with no apparent sign of breathing. Increasingly upset and worried, I cradled him in my hands and carried him inside. Once I was able to see him in better light, I could tell he was dead. He had what looked like wood particulate stuck in his teeth, and his neck was more limp than other dead babies we have had in the past.

Needless to say, I took away that lean-to set up immediately after that. They loved that thing, but they are all getting bigger and I don't want something like this to happen again. I believe that Thirteen had the board fall on him, and that or the other bunnies jumping on top of it with him underneath caused a head injury or possible broken neck. Then in fright, he ran in the corner to hide and eventually die.
It was definitely a freak accident, and it's something that both my husband and I feel terrible about.

Here are some pictures of Thirteen in happier days, taken about 2 weeks ago.

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2012-06-09%252021.43.16_Rock%2520Hill_South%2520Carolina_US.jpg


2012-06-09%252021.43.34_Rock%2520Hill_South%2520Carolina_US.jpg



Rest in peace sweet baby!
 
Thank you everyone for your condolences. Thirteen was a beautiful, adventurous, happy little guy. We may never know the exact events that led to his death, but can only hope that he went quickly.

We frequently use cardboard boxes with our bunnies, and the lean-to had been an attempt at something more sturdy and permanent. It's hard not beat myself up for what happened, as I feel that if I hadn't built the lean-to in the first place, Thirteen might still be with us.

Anyhow, thank you all once again.
 
We're so sorry for your loss, he was a beautiful little boy and reminded me of our Bonny--she had a little white patch under her nose and one white foot too. Rest in peace little man.
 
On no so sorry to hear of this accident. No ones fault, just an accident. Hang in there.
 
Awwww. So sorry to hear of the loss of your little one. As others have said, it's not your fault. It's clear you were giving him the very best of care and love and that you really appreciated him while he was with you. I know it hurts. Awwwwwww. Binkie Free, sweet little boy!
 

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