my bunnies died

Question
QUESTION: i have 7 bunnies and they are about a month old. i keep the mom outside in the backyard and i keep the bunnies inside a box in the bedroom. i bring the mother in  at least 2 times a day to feed her babies. they've been doing good. they are active and chunky. but two days ago, two of them had died within 12 hours of eachother. i didnt know why. i thought they weren't getting enough excersize since they were always inside so i took the 5 bunnies outside with their mom. i took them back in about 3 hours later. they were all fine and eating grass and running around. but after about 2 hours of bringing them inside, one more bunny died. i dont know why they are dying. and i dont want any more of my bunnies dying. do you know why they are dying? or any suggestions? thanks alot.

ANSWER: Hi Brenda. No, I don't know why your bunnies are dying but we will try to figure out the problem. What are you feeding your bunnies? Do they get pellets? Hay? Are they having diarhea? Are you giving them fresh vegetables or fruits? First, don't give the bunnies any fresh fruits or vegies right now. Give them hay and lots of it. Make sure they have pellets. If you have kept them in the box in the house and their mother outside, have they had the chance to chew on mommies droppings? If not, you need to gather up a few of the shinny little dropping that look like grapes and put them in the box where the babies can chew on a few of them. This will give the bunnies much needed bacteria for their intestines. These are the things I can think of right now. Answer back and fill me in on things.    Pat

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QUESTION: another one just died today! well no we don't put the mothers droppings in there. and we have been letting them eat grass outside and giving them fresh fruits. maybe that's why they are dying.

i'll be sure to gather some of her droppings for the bunnies.

and how long do we have to wait until we can start leaving them outside with their mother?

Answer
Hi Brenda. I am sorry to hear that you lost another bunny. Be sure to find the bunnies some hay. You can buy it at the farm supply store or pet shop but you can get a big bale from a farmer for the same price. Find a stable where they keep nice horses and ask someone there for a bale. It will cost you about $4.00-$5.00 probably. Horse people have good quality hay and someone should have just one bale they can spare. It will last a long long time if you put in down in a clean trash can and put the lid on loosely. Keep the can in a shed or garage where it will be out of the weather. It is the best thing you can do for your bunnies. No more fresh stuff for a while, and some good quality pellets. If you loose another one I suggest you have a vet check their droppings for coccidia. It doesn't sound like the problem to me but it is always a possibility. If it is not too cold where you live the babies can go out into a cage now, but don't put them out on the ground where they can eat green stuff. Be sure that their pellets are fresh and not moldy. There has been a lot of problems with different brands of pellets this year and you might try changing brands. I hope this helps I don't want you to loose any more if we can help it. Please keep in touch and let me know how the little ones are doing.  Pat