See the related question below for more information and helpful links.
Possible signs a rabbit is dying include:
- if it doesn't want to eat anymore (or not as much as it used to do)
- if it doesn't react to sounds it used to react to before
- if it stays one place more than it used to
- if it looks very tired
If you suspect that your rabbit is dying or is sick enough to die, immediate medical care is required. A rabbit can fully recover from most illnesses that would kill it if you allowed it to sit and suffer for days or weeks until it died.
If your rabbit is so ill that you wonder if she's going to die, bring her to a vet immediately! Ideally, go to a vet who has special experience and knowledge with rabbits, because they're very different from cats and dogs; however, if it's an emergency, any vet is better than no vet. See the related questions below!
One big sign that your rabbit is close to death is if she's stopped eating. Rabbits should be eating all the time -- not just their meals, but also they should graze on hay all day long. Rabbits can't safely fast like humans can: if they stop eating, they quickly become seriously ill and will die within a day or two if they don't see the vet. All sorts of different things might cause a rabbit to stop eating: for example, pain (for any reason, like from an illness or injury, or even just digestive gas!), overgrown teeth that get in the way of eating, a big hairball or some other blockage in the guts, or even emotional trauma (like severe anxiety or depression). If your rabbit has been unwell, and now she's stopped eating, that's a clear sign she is not going to improve on her own and needs immediate medical attention!
A little baby rabbit who has diarrhea will probably die very soon. (With adult rabbits, diarrhea/mushy poop is still a problem and you should go to the vet, but it's not necessarily an emergency.)
Like all animals, if your rabbit has a wound that's gushing blood, or has any uncontrollable bleeding, he will die soon if you don't get him to a vet.
If your rabbit has been unwell, and now she's hiding in unusual places, that means she thinks she's going to die soon. She's probably right, so bring her to a vet!
Signs that your rabbit is dying include unwillingness or inability to eat, move, or walk; severe bleeding; seizure; or unconsciousness.
In most cases, illness or injury can be detected in rabbits before they reach the point of dying (for example, blood in the urine -- there are many more signs). Rabbit owners should be prepared to seek veterinary attention in the event of illness of injury (know where to go, and have the money to pay for it. See the related questions below for more info.
When it reaches the end of its natural life (around 10 to 13 years), a rabbit could have a peaceful, unexpected passing.
They are not moving and there is no heart beat.
if its heart has stopped beating and it's not breathing
A dying baby rabbit acts much like a dying adult rabbit. See the related questions below for more info and helpful links.
they don't move
they go cold
they are stiff
everyone knows that
it makes a humming noise and its body shrinks up
If it doesn't move when you poke it it's dead.
It will stay in one place and its nose will twitch slower then usual it wont take food and it wont play
Edmund Bunny died in 1619.
Rupert Bunny died in 1947.
Henry Bunny died in 1891.
Bunny Nunn died in 2008.
Bunny Lewis died on 2001-09-07.
Bunny Berigan died on 1942-06-02.
Bunny Fabrique died on 1960-01-10.
Bunny Hearn died on 1959-10-10.
Bunny Roser died on 1979-05-06.
Bunny Roger died on 1997-04-27.
Bunny Austin died on 2000-08-26.
Bunny Madden died on 1954-01-20.