Screaming rabbit

Question
Greetings,
I am not sure where to send this email but hope maybe you can help me with a question...My wife and I had a Rex rabbit who died at 4:00 this morning. He was perfectly fine the morning and afternoon before. Yesterday evening, we walked past him(He was a inside rabbit) and he was just laying on his side not moving. I thought it was kinda of suspicious so I opened his cage and picked him up. He was limp but still breathing. Eyes stayed shut. Now when we first got him, we saved him from a pet store that was to use him as snake food. This was a 15-20 lb. rabbit easily. Very large. He was full gown then and had him another 3 years so not sure how old he was. We fed him very well and also gave him some carrots a couple of times during each week. I dont understand why he was so limp. Well, all through the night I held him on my lap and never let go of him. I tickled his paws to see if there was any reaction and there was but only a couple of times. Finally, at 4:00 this morning, he started twitching and then it appeared went into full convulsions and screaming a horrific scream. I will never forget it for the rest of my life. I have had alot of rabbits in my time and never heard this type of scream. It sent a chill down my back..While he was going through this, I held him tight and pet him and talked to him. The he stopped screaming after about a minute and then passed on. My question is, Do some rabbits go into seizures as they die? and if it is, is it normal for a rabbit to scream while in the seizure?  I do not know the cause of his passing either. His fecal pellets looked a little soft. Another strange thing is, last week I picked him up and was looking very well. I picked him up last evening and I swear he lost alot of weight. Now he ate well the whole week. I dont understand this and pray that maybe you can help me..

Thank you so much,
Charles Carter  USA  

Answer
Yes, many rabbits do have seizures right before they pass, although I personally have never had one scream.  I wonder if he was in a lot of pain and that is why.  It sounds like a child screaming, it is not a sound I ever care to hear again.

He could have had something going on internally that you weren't aware of, such as a blockage or torsion so that the food wasn't being absorbed.  Or a parasite that took a very long time to do damage.

You could, if you have not already buried him, have a vet perform a necropsy to see why he passed away, but it doesn't sound like anything that you did.

Kim