dead bunnies :(

Question
I have 2 bunnies. The women I got them from said she bought them from a breeder. She said they could be brother and sister but not sure.and they would be okay together for few mths. I just noticed 3,maybe 4,dead bunnies in the cage. I did not know she was pregnant. I'm so upset this is my fault. I should have researched on my own and separated them. So what do I do?will she be OK? If I seprate them and she has more bunnies will they die BC they are brother and sister?

Answer
Wendy,

I'm so sorry to hear about this. I'm sure you're taking it hard, so let me start off by saying this is NOT your fault. The breeder should have known the sex of each bun before adopting them out, and if they couldn't tell, then it was too early to release them to new homes. Shame on that breeder for putting you in this position. I would highly recommend finding local shelters or rescues for future bunny acquisition.

First things first - you'll either need to separate them to avoid inbreeding and aggression, or get them fixed (at the same time) as soon as possible. If you get them fixed, they can live together in harmony for the remainder of their days. A side note - getting your bun fixed also reduces the risk of reproductive cancer which, by the age of 2, is at about an 80% chance of contracting it. Long live bunnies! She will be okay, regardless.


Unless she remains unfixed and is placed with an unaltered male, she shouldn't have any more babies. Either way, they wouldn't necessarily die. She's a new bunny mom and simply may not have been prepared to handle a litter.

Hope this helps, and please try not to dwell on it too much. As callous as it might be to say, these things do happen.

Christine