My bunny died suddenly.

Question

Alice   I woke up this morning and found my bunny dead. She was stretched out in the floor, and her eyes were open, but she was already completely stiff. She seemed fine yesterday. She was only 2 1/2 years old. She never went outside, and she was never locked in a cage. She had her own room with a litter box, a bunny bed, a tunnel, and her food. I kept her water fresh and her food bowl was never empty. I fed her fiesta rabbit food, and timothy hay. She was a happy bunny. She got plenty of exercise, and was very sociable. I feel so bad. I don't know what I did wrong.

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

I'm sorry to hear about your bunny passing.

I can't tell you for certain why, only a vet doing an exam would have a chance to tell you why.  I can only give a possible reason why.

For a younger bunny to go quickly, she probably had some kind of congenital defect since birth, like an artery weak in an area, or something with her heart, or she had a heart attack or stroke.  If she was eating and drinking and behaving normal the last time you saw her, something like that occurred.

Sometimes change of season periods of the year may screw up how much they think they need to drink, and they don't drink enough and develop gi stasis and can die from that.  However if she was eating and drinking normal and moving around normal that night, it probably was not that.

I think it's just one of those things you can't predict and you can't prepare for.  It sounds like there's nothing you could have done or anticipated about this.  The good news is her life with you was filled with happiness and love and every day she was with you, she had that.  She was loved every day with you.  And you saw that come back to you so you know she understood you loved her.   If you're a Christian like me, you can look forward to one day having her back with you, and you'll never have to be apart or miss her again.

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.