learning the hard way

Question
Hello, Pam. I appreciate your profile and am glad I found this site.

I had a male mini-Rex rabbit for 17 months and aquired a second one 2
months ago. They usually stay in cages in the house or the shed, but when
the weather is nice, I put them in the backyard in a dual wire cage with a hard
plastic cover over the wire mesh to keep off the elements.  This past week
Sun. & Mon. were very nice (53-79), so they were in their outside cages.
Unfortunately, a cold front came through Monday night while I was at work
and the temps dropped to (45-55) and it rained over an inch. I had to work
all night unexpectedly and when I came home in the morning, I found that
the wind must have been quite strong b/c it had blown the cover off and the
rabbits had gotten wet. They seemed none the worse for wear after they were
dried off, so I put them back out again Tuesday (the weather remained in the
low 50s), but when I went to feed them Wednesday morning the older male
was dead. The younger female was acting a little lethargic, but eating.  
Concerned, I went home four hours later to check on her and found she, too,
had died.  :(

I realize you aren't a vet and can't see the rabbits, but do you think this was
caused by getting wet; would it happen that fast?  Nothing else had
changed--they were used to the backyard and my two dogs who are on a line
nearby wouldn't have let any unknown wildlife bother them.  I was afraid it
was too cold for them, but a friend tells me rabbits can deal much better with
cool temps than hot; she thinks it was a fast-acting bunny virus.

I just want to prevent this from happening again and feel like a failure to my
sweet rabbits.  They were wonderful.

Thanks for your advice.

Answer
Hi Callie

Well as you know I can't say for sure but I will give you my honest opinion.  Rabbits can indeed tolerate the cold better than the heat but they can't tolerate being wet.  That is why it is never recommended to give rabbits a bath unless they are disabled and get chronic poopy butt.  

They can get colds but it is highly unlikely that a virus such as snuffles would have killed your little angels so fast.  If it had been snuffles they would have had to have been carriers and the stress of being wet may have possibly brought the illness out.  Many rabbits naturally carry the virus and bacteria that cause snuffles and when they under extreme stress it can cause them to come down with a case of the snuffles.  Most healthy and well kept rabbits are resistant to the virus and are able to prevent themselves from getting it.  The only thing is that if it was a cold or virus you would have noticed some sneezing and discharge from the nose.  If you had then the time from illness to death can indeed be rapid but if you didn't notice any visible signs of snuffles then I just don't really believe your friend is correct.  As with people rabbits don't just get colds from being wet or in cold weather.  It comes from either a virus or bacteria.  However as I stated before if they were carriers (which most rabbits are) then this could have triggered the illness.

It is more likely that either the stress from being cold and wet caused them to become hypothermic.  Although they can tolerate the cold they can't tolerate being wet and cold.  Their bodies can't regulate their temperatures and they can easily go into hypothermia if they get wet on a chilly day.  Basically anything under normal body temperature can cause hypothermia in any creature.  Rabbits who are under stress have a very short time frame with which they would need professional help.  They can die very quickly when they don't feel well.  They are obligate nose breathers and if they developed a cold or just stuffed up sinuses from the stress then they wouldn't be able to breath.

Sadly I can't tell you for sure and you may never know since there was not an autopsy done.  I can give you some help on how to prevent this in the future if you have it in your heart to get another bunny or two.  I will not lecture because I am not like that but rabbits that live indoors usually live longer.  They don't go through such drastic changes in temperatures which can cause extreme stress.  If you are considering getting more bunnies and you can't keep them in the house you might want to consider a garage or an enclosed shed.  This way they will be safe from any fast appearing storms and weather changes.

I had a perfectly healthy mini rex doe who had a litter of 12 babies, which is huge for a mini rex.  I have never had snuffles in my herd but the stress of the huge litter made her extremely ill.  I was initially going to have her put to sleep because I didn't want to infect the rest of my herd.  Sometimes it is a hard decision to do that but I am a farmer and as much as I love them I can't afford to lose them all.  Anyway I took her to the clinic at the first sign of her nose running.  They gave her Baytril and she was fine within 2 weeks.  I had to hand feed the babies to prevent them from getting whatever she had and 8 of them survived. I kept them all in quarantine for 3 months and they are all completely fine now.  I had breeder friends telling me I absolutely needed to cull the mother and all the babies but I didn't and I am so happy I didn't because they are all so precious.  Anyway the point was that the stress brought out the illness and without the antibiotics they most certainly all would have died.  That is why it is extremely important to get any rabbit that shows any sign of lethargy or sneezing, fever or just isn't acting right to a vet immediately.

I just want to share a few other things.  If you absolutely have to keep them outside make sure that they at the very least have a shelter over their cages so that they can't get wet.  If you have the ability to keep them in your home then you can adopt a bonded pair from the House Rabbit Society.  They won't adopt rabbits who are going to live outdoors but they are wonderful people.  They are already spayed and neutered and they are usually already potty trained.  

If you can't keep them indoors then you may possibly be able to save a rabbit or 2 from a local shelter or rabbit rescue.  We have several rabbit rescue's here that are not part of the HRS but still follow most of the principles.  Some of them will allow you to adopt rabbits that are going to live outdoors as long as you have a sturdy predator proof shed or barn.

I am so sorry that this happened to you.  I know how sad it is to lose rabbits.  I have had a pretty rough summer myself and have lost quite a few but most to old age.  It is very sad and sometimes it makes people not want to ever have another one again.  There is no rabbit out there that will ever replace your 2 love buns but there are rabbits out there that need good homes and that will have their own unique personalities that you will learn to love.

I am sorry I rambled.  I have a site that I would like you to look at.  It will help give you comfort for your loss.  Make sure you turn on the sound.  It is one of my favorite sites and I cry happy tears every time I read it.

http://www.hgrabbitry.com/rainbowbridge.htm

If you ever need anything else at all or you need help finding new rabbits let me know.  Please don't buy them from a pet store if possible.  Often times those poor little ones are weaned to early or have genetic defects from irresponsible breeders.  It is not worth the heartache to get a rabbit from a pet store only to have it die within a few months.  If you don't have a shelter you can always get pets from a responsible breeder.  Since I am a member of the American Rabbit Breeder's association I know a great deal of people throughout the country and may be able to help you.

Please don't blame yourself.  They are fragile creatures but it was not your fault.  You gave them the best life possible.

I hope the web-site helps and if you need anything else please let me know.

Sincerely,

Pam