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Caring for pet rabbit

22 9:46:00

Question
I bought my daughters a pet bunny only to find out when I got it home that it had maggots all over it anal area. The store I bought it from said thy would replace it because it will die. I took it to an emergency vet and spent over $1000.00 to try get it well but in the end it had to be put to sleep because it was so ill. I then went to a different store and got a new bunny. We bought a big outside hutch. The pet store told me it could be kept outside all year round. When winter came I felt so bad that I bought an inside cage so it would not. Out in the cold. I was at the pet store picking up supplies and I asked the lady if I should have the bunny inside or out. She made me feel bad that th rabbit was not outside in the freh air. So for th last week I had him in his outside hutch. I fed him and gave him freh food everyday. Tonight when I went to go feed him he had passed away. Needless to say my children and I are devasted. I went on the Internet to see if I could find out why a healthy bunny would just die. I think it was probably the heat. Is it possible for a rabbit I die that quickly from the heat? I feel so guilty that I didn't know the heat would kill him. I am also upset that the pet store gave me inaccurate advise. Do you know if the bunny suffered? What I mean is ...is it painful for a rabbit to die from the heat? I want to get my daughters a new one but I scared to believe anyone in regards to how to take care of it. I have dogs and I love animals but I need to know where I can get correct information on how to take care of them because I don't ever want to go through what we did today. Please help.

Answer
I am so sorry for your losses. That's why it is best to buy from a reputable breeder rather than a pet store. Pet store employees really do not know very much about rabbits in general. If possible, the rabbit would be better off in your home in a large cage. Heat will kill them much quicker than cooler weather. And yes, he probably suffered. Heatstroke is a painful thing. If the rabbit must be outside in heat, the best thing to do is provide shade, a frozen 2 liter bottle for it to lay against to cool off, air circulated by a fan, and LOTS of fresh, cool water to drink. When we had our recent heat wave, we went through about 88 pounds of ice per day putting it in their water crocks every 2 hours and using it as a swamp cooler with the fans to keep them cool. You can also mist the head and ears lightly with tepid water.
Our rabbits live in our garage. We have a small heater we use just to keep water from freezing in the winter. They handle the cold much better than the heat.
You can go to the ARBA website and look for a rabbit breeder in your area that would possibly have pets for sale.
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that you do get another bunny for the kids; they make wonderful pets.