rabbit death and solutions

Question
i have had 5 rabbits. 4 of them died in the same . first they started to lose hair then  they stopped moving around as they usually do and stop eating as much as they used to then they began to die one by one and the last one is about to de please help me

Answer
Hi There
Immediately after reading your question I googled disease.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html#mange

Here is a link. Sometimes this can be caused by parasites and if this is the cause it will be relatively easy to treat. They show pictures of mange and mites. See if this looks like what is going on from the pictures of the rabbits you can compare how yours looks. Do you have a photo of him. It's hard to eliminate things while just reading a description online.

The most important thing is that you keep the rabbit eating and drinking.

A rabbit has to eat every about every 6 hrs to maintain proper blood sugar. when they stop eating their organs can begin to shut down in as little as 24 hrs. The liver actually releases an enzyme in a rabbit who isn't eating which will start shutting down the organs. To prevent this you need to force feed.
First try all his favorite foods to entice him to eat. Bananas, dandelion leaves etc. He likely doesn't have much stool in his lower bowel right now, so it would be normal for him to have small poop or none at all if he has stopped eating.
To entice him to drink more fluids, you can try adding 50% apple juice or mango, any fruit juice, even Gatorade... Any fluids you can get into him the better. I know how frustrating it can be trying to feed a bunny who won't eat.... If you still can't get food into him then try adding water and applesauce to pellets to make a mush. Either with the tip of your finger or a syringe, let him lap it up. The apple sauce should help him along because he'll enjoy the flavor.
A dehydrated rabbits coat will look raggedy and when you pinch and lift his skin at his shoulders, if he doesn't have enough fluids the skin will stay lifted for half a second rather than snapping right back into place.
To correctly syringe feed, make sure there's no needle on the syringe. You want about a 5 CC syringe so you can suck up the food. Try allowing the rabbit to lap it up himself. Put the syringe right in front of his mouth. Let him eat it. If you squirt it right into his mouth then you risk it going into  his lungs, fluids or food. They also sell critical care at the vets office for herbivores and is a good supplement that my rabbits seem to enjoy. You just add water to it and its ready for you. Feed your rabbit this way twice a day until his weight comes up. You want to see him eat at least 25 Cs of food at first at each meal. Let him eat more if he so desires. Using a 5 CC syringe you would fill it 5 times or more to ensure he's getting adequate calories. This is just to sustain life.
The problem still needs to be investigated. Both causes listed on the website are parasites. Parasites can eventually work their way into the central nervous system causing the rabbits to not be able to use their legs. There was one poor bunny I read about here who was dragging its back end around. The hind legs had stopped working just prior to death. The parasites eventually impact the brain. They list a few options available to rid the rabbit of parasites such as revolution which they use on cats and dogs. Don't use a conventional flea bath. quite often there is way too much toxins in them for a cat let alone a rabbit. The flea bath itself could kill him. That's why you want to have your animal examined. Revolution, a common flea treatment is sometimes used, for a month costs about 11.00 for a cat. It will cost even less for a rabbit. Call around about office exams and how much they cost. There is quite a difference between some vets offices. Rabbit.org has a link which will help you find qualified rabbit vets in your area rather than a vet who treats rabbits in emergencies. Often the rabbits are treated like the cats and dogs at these offices which is inappropriate because certain medications that a cat can take can kill a rabbit, such as amoxicillin.

Any questions and let me know and I will be glad to help! If you have any problems feeding let me know and I will guide you through the best I can.
Good luck! You can save him!

Alice