# Seizure/sudden death in rabbit, help?



## eatingabook

Hello,
This morning I found that my new rabbit had passed away. I have only had him for about a month or so. I am new to owning rabbits so I couldn't tell you what kind he was, he was all black with fairly short hair and ears that pointed up (instead of the floppy ones). He was absolutely fine last night when I saw him last, he ate and drank normally and was as active as ever, totally fine. I went to bed earlier than my boyfriend, whom I live with, and he said that around 2 in the morning, the bunny was making a lot of noise/jumping around (in his words, "freaking out") but he didn't check on him. And this morning when I went to feed him and change his water, he was dead. 

I've been reading a lot of things online but nothing seems to fit the circumstances totally, except maybe an unexpected seizure, although I can't find a reason for it. I would just like to know what happened if anyone has any ideas because I am very upset and want to know if I did anything wrong or if I should have done anything differently. 

Every day I would feed him timothy hay, small amounts of rabbit pellet food, and romaine lettuce (some days he would get more veggies, mostly carrots). There were no other rabbits with him or near him, nor any other pets that could get to him and there are no bugs in the cage or entire room for that matter, not that I have seen. I clean his home once a week or more if it looks like it needs it.

The only possible problem I could think of is that his home is in the kitchen, and I have read that rabbits are very sensitive to high heat and I was thinking maybe since the kitchen is where we cook that it got too warm? But I always checked the temperature of the cage/him and it never seemed to be anything to worry about seeing as it was never too warm to the touch. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much.


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## pamnock

With such general information, only a necropsy could help to narrow down the cause of what happened.

Very sorry for your loss . . .


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## Nancy McClelland

hi, we used to live in Tracy. Bunnies are different from most other pets and are very adept at hiding problems. Your bun could have had something wrong or just had a seizure or heart episode. We went out to dinner a few months ago and our son came over to feed the "crew" and our youngest , Bonnie, was on her side dead. No warning at all and I'm pretty good at spotting problems after eight years of bunnies. We're sorry for your loss.


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## Happi Bun

Another possible cause is if the bunny was spooked. Sometimes all it takes is unfamiliar noise or quick movement. I have seen a caged rabbit in flight mode twice, it's not pretty. They run around in a blind panic, throwing themselves into the walls if they cannot get out. In their blind panic they can very easily break their neck or have a heart attack.

I'm sorry for your loss.


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## tonyshuman

There are many possible causes, but I would ask if you have a cat and the bunny could have gotten into its litterbox. Toxoplasmosis can cause this. Other things to think about are a genetic seizure disorder, although that isn't extremely common in black bunnies. Other parasites can cause this, or nutritional deficiencies, although it sounds like he was fed ok.


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## eatingabook

Thank you to everyone who responded. 

The litterbox is not a possibility seeing as the only time the bunny was out and about, he was under close supervision by me, and tended to just like to sit in my lap anyway during this time. I think it's possible that he could have gotten spooked and that is what caused it. The only other possibility is that he caught something from some chinchillas I was handling earlier in the day, however I don't know how likely that is because I washed my hands several times before going near the bunny after that. So I'm still not sure, I think the best answer is that he was scared of something and maybe thrashed himself around too much in the process 

Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it.


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## Oreo330

Hi I think I can relate to what's happened to you're rabbit . All three of mine have died within the past three months of a random seizure . It was like they just started seizing for about and hour or more and then they just past . Please be careful becuase I think it might be contagious to other buns. I'm so sorry for you're lost and please keep well.Tell me if you find anything out about this strange thing that's happening .


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