Nora Lange

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since Sep 17, 2018
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Recent posts by Nora Lange

Keeping in mind that I don't breed rabbits, just have kept them as companion animals for the past few years--Rabbit organs decay extremely quickly and can't be autopsied accurately for more than a few hours after their deaths.

A rabbit is essentially a digestive system on legs. So, 9/10, when there's an unexpected death unrelated to temperature or predation, it's due to a digestive issue, either she ate something she shouldn't have or didn't get enough of something she needed. If she was abstaining from her hay, or wasn't getting enough, it's possible she had too much protein or fat in her diet from the pellets or was not getting enough movement through her digestive system. GI stasis can onset in 24 hours and is often fatal. The diarrhea leads me to believe that she wasn't getting enough fibers from the hay--was her poo runny, extra large, or loose at all in the days leading up to her death? Bunny poop should be matte, brown, and almost crumbly. If it's too black, oleic, etc., that indicates that their diet is *too* nutrient rich. Often times uneaten caecotrophs (nutritious poop clusters which can appear to be diarrhea) are the result of too many nutrients in the food. Rabbits have fragile digestive systems and can't handle a ton of minerals, even plants can be too much for them sometimes.

The other thing I never hear people talk about is that breeding does are very susceptible to ovarian cancer. Almost 50% of intact does get it after age 2. Since you need yours intact for breeding, its kind've a moot point, but both male and female rabbits frequently die of testicular or ovarian cancer if not fixed.
6 years ago