Sudden Deaths

[p-z]

Lost 6 rabbits yesterday.
Daughter checked them in the morning and filled their water bottles. Son checked them just before 2pm. Refilled the water bottles with fresh water. He had a fan going in their house.
Rabbits were acting normal, hopping around their cages and were eating.
Temp was 86 degrees.
Around 5pm a thunderstorm hit had 3 close hits by lighting. One bolt hit about 50 yards from the rabbit house.
After the storm son found them.
They were laying on their sides and around their mouths it looked wet. 1 had a funny looking bubble that was bloody around her mouth.
Lost daughters 2 mini rex does and 1 cross breed doe.
Son lost 1 standard rex doe, 1 mini rex buck and 1 mini lop buck.
The 2 neatherland dwarf does survived.

Would the close lighting strikes cause them to die like this?
kids are heartbroke.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I couldn't imagine losing so many at the same time. I know that if they are frightened to a high degree that heart failure can occur.

 

[Pipp]

Ugh, so sorry. Really sounds like they overheated. (ETA: wet muzzles and the bloody bubble are symptoms).

Its just a guess, but Montana is usually dry, and the humidity would have been high with the thunderstorm, that combined with the high heat is really a problem.

You'd need substantial airflow and frozen water bottles and other tricks to bring the temp down.

How big is the house? How many rabbits? Where was the fan and how big was it?

Hopefully the info can help others.


sas :rip:

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

It's difficult to say since you lost so many at one time. The symptoms may be of heat stroke, like Pipp mentioned. However, it could also be from stress if they were frightened by the thunderstorm.

Do you get storms often? Was the storm more violent/louder than usual?

Did you only have 6 rabbits total, or are there more that survived the incident?

 

[Must_Love_Pets]

That is horrible news, I am so sorry. It does sound like heat stroke to me. Anything past 80 and I get worried even if they have frozen water bottles and a fan. I am just a paranoid rabbit slave though.

So sorry for such a big loss, your kids I know are just beside themeselves. Are they in 4H? My heart goes out to you and your kids durring this difficult time.

 

[p-z]

My daughter is in 4-H. Guess she's going to have to drop her rabbit project this year. She was going to show her 2 mini rex does in Jr and Senior class.

I was thinking heat at first, but I wonder if the stress of the storm was also a factor in it.
We normally have frozen water bottles in there, but not yesterday.

The rabbit house is 8 feet by 16 feet son had a large box fan going. He had the fan in the door way blowing air in.

Oakridge son's 2 neatherland dwarf does survived.

One lighting strike was just a flash, pop and the boom all together. Scared all of us. Son was trapped in the shop above the house when that bolt hit and he said he felt the concusion from it inside the shop.
That is what makes we wonder about the lighting strike.

Could it be both heat and scaring them?

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I would guess that it is related to the storm, somehow. It will be tough to know exactly what happened, but that is my guess.

Many exhibitors have their rabbits in buildings with fans over the summer, and very rarely have losses when temperatures are in the 80's. That is rather fair weather for the summer. Usually in the 90's is when you have to really start taking drastic measures to keep things cool. So if temps were in the 80's, I wouldn't think that you would lose so many suddenly to heat stress.

 

[Happi Bun]

The symptoms point to heat exhaustion. The storm could have also played a role, adding more stress to the situation.

I'm sorry for your losses. ray:

 

[mistyjr]

I am sorry for your loss! Its hard to loose the love ones!! But I have heard a lot of breeders are losing their rabbits from the heat and such! :hug2:

 

[majorv]

I would guess it's a combination of both. They may have alreadybeen under somestress from theheatwhen the storm hit so close.Temps in the 80'saren't that bad, unless they aren't used to it.

 

[PickleJuice]

Oh no... so sad to learn you lost so many of your rabbits at once. Terrible.

 

[Jacqueline Ribnick]

How sad! I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[jujub793]

That is terrible! How heartbreaking! I can't even imagine losing all (or almost all) of my buns at once :feelbetter::rip: