Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have (had) three rabbits, all from different litters, all about three years old. they all seemed perfectly happy. active, eating well, etc. then wednesday morning i found one dead. she was fine the night before. it appears she died in her sleep. she was on her bed in a normal position. has anyone ever had anything like this happen and know what caused it. i don't really want to have a necropsy done.

Are they inside or outside rabbits?

they are all inside rabbits. they have a large outdoor kennel they can play in, but they hadn't been outside for awhile because of the weather. i am super careful about their diet. i am wondering if it was some kind of heart condition.

I had 2, soon to be 3 rabbits (wasn't looking too good today, sho couldn't move very well) do that to me. I have no clue why they do it. Mine live outside. If you find out what it is, let me know please.
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Kel

Rabbits should not live outside.

If they so much as THINK they smell/see/hear a predator, they can give themselves heart attacks. People don't realize that rabbits are prey animals and are frightened outside, whether them seem like it to the owner or not. No rabbit should be left outdoors unattended, let alone live out there permanently, even if they're in a barn or a "secure" cage (no cage is secure enough to keep out a hungry animal, and no, fences do not keep animals out).

They also have a very hard time with warm weather. If the temperature outside is over 80 degrees, there is a very good chance the rabbit will under go a heat stroke, which can, and most of the time is, fatal.

Succubus

Yes, i know about the whole living out side thing, but I have a lot, so they have to live outside (I have no garage either). They have been living out there for 2-3 years now and have been fine with dogs and other animals going near and by them. It's cold right now so it can't be the heat. I put plastic around their cages to keep them warm (and they let air circulate through also so it doesn't suffercate them or get too hot). But the weather has been warm, cold, warm, cold, could the weather is fluctuating a lot be the reason for their deaths? I lost some last year about this nime also, but it was because it froze one night, after that I have been really careful about the weather canges.
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Kel