<p>DD’s rabbit died last night. Never appeared sick or injured. We haven’t told DD yet and aren’t quite sure how to do it. She’s was hysterical when one of her rabbits died a few years ago, so we’re not sure how to handle it long distance. BigGirl was a house rabbit so she was a member of the family, unlike some that are kept in a hutch in the yard.
Suggestions welcome!</p>
<p>Oh, no, I am so, so sorry to hear this. This is the sort of thing I have prayed to be spared over the years. </p>
<p>How far away is school - is a personal visit out of the question?</p>
<p>If a visit cannot happen, can you find the widest possible vacancy between classes, and talk to her when she has a quiet moment?</p>
<p>We were with her last weekend at a family wedding in another state. Unfortunately, DH and I are both working this weekend and can’t make a personal appearance. We were thinking of waiting to tell her over the weekend when classes and tests aren’t an immediate issue…</p>
<p>My condolences to you and your family. As I type, my cute little bunnies are sitting on the rug snuggling together and watching me. I definitely know how rabbits can become family members.</p>
<p>I think that you should tell her now because when she learns that the rabbit had been dead for several days before you told her, she may start constantly fearing that there’s bad news that you’re hiding from her.</p>
<p>Is there some way one of you can get there, if it isn’t too far away or overly expensive? Losing a beloved pet is very sad, and work will always be there…</p>
<p>On the other hand - is she a freshman, or is she further along? Does she have close friends at school that are a guaranteed source of support over the weekend? Maybe a phone call works, and it might even be better considering it’s part of growing up, if she has friends nearby and can rely on her peer group for support…</p>
<p>Either way, I agree with NSM - make a decision quickly, don’t let it come several days before she finds out…</p>
<p>I’m so sorry, herbrokemom. It’s a tough call as to when to tell your daughter. I’ll be in a similar situation soon with a beloved 21-year-old cat who is starting to fail. Our daughter is 5 hours away at college. For us, if the timing is bad (tests, stress, not feeling well), I’ll probably wait a day or so to tell her when the end finally comes. Again, condolences to you all.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear. Was it the food? I have heard aobut ear infections in rabbits. My cats throw up sometimes after they eat. I always thought it was the fact they were eating more than their little stomachs could handle.We give them Friskies and that is not on the recall list.
How old was the rabbit? May I suggest, recently I visiting our local SPCA there were so many rabbits there. Some were wild rabbits hand raised, tame and so charmingly looking for human affection. Of course I couldn’t take a rabbit home as I have cats but it’s such a shame that people take these animals from the wild and then lose interest. Please consider your SPCA, there are so many unwanted pets there like birds, gerbils, rabbits, ducks who wear diapers, etc. All so tame and cannot live in the wild anymore.</p>
<p>We really don’t know what happened. She was very “hoppy” yesterday morning.
Our buns have always been adopted from rabbit rescue. We really don’t want to consider another bun now, but are worried for her bondmate. LittleGirl will be getting lots of extra hugs…</p>
<p>I’ve heard that bunnies can be literally scared to death. Any chance that the rabbit saw something such as an animal outside a window that could have frightened her? Could she have eaten a poisonous houseplant?</p>
<p>I also understand that rabbits can get sick and die over a very short period of time. I guess that’s why they have such large and frequent litters: They’re the bottom of the food chain and aren’t the healthiest of beasts.</p>
<p>You might want to take her carcass to the vet to make sure that she didn’t die from something that your other rabbit could catch.</p>
<p>My youngest daughter’s favorite dog was hit by a car last summer while she was away at summer program. We thought we would just wait until she got home and tell her, having no idea how she would react. Unfortunately, one of her friends heard and posted something on myspace or facebook about how sorry she was to hear about the dog. We were really in trouble then.</p>
<p>Oh, my. You were caught in one of those “darned if you do, darned if you don’t situations.” I know my daughter would be extremely upset if I didn’t inform her immediately of Gata’s (our cat’s) passing. Still, I intend to use my best judgement in terms of timing, and risk facing her wrath.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter’s rabbit.</p>
<p>Sometimes the facts about rabbit life spans really help. A typical life expectancy is 6-10 years. Unfortunately, our pets don’t live as long as we do.</p>
<p>I often tell children whose pet has died of old age that they did a really good job giving that animal a long and happy life. (And also – that since they did so well taking care of that pet, they are OK by me to have another pet when they are ready. Since I am the pet store lady, my blessing is often helpful.)</p>
<p>If you are worried about why the rabbit died, ask the vet what it would cost for a necropsy or post-mortem exam. Sometimes it’s not as much as you think, and a small price for peace of mind.</p>
<p>Maybe tell her at the beginning of the weekend, that way you know she doesn’t have a big test or something like that staring her in the face.</p>
<p>My kitty died while I was in college and I remember my mom telling me. It wasn’t that big a deal, because I had pets before her that had died. I mean to say, it’s sad and everything but…the circle of life and all that. </p>
<p>You don’t want to deliver bad news right before she goes in for an important exam or lab.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t wait much before tell her; if you wait too long, it becomes an insult to her maturity. Also, my kids occasionally check my postings here; it would be awful for your daughter to find out that you told CC before you told her!</p>
<p>I’m sorry about your pet.</p>
<p>I remember when my mom told me that my cat had died while I was at school.
I wasn’t that upset til I got off of the phone. </p>
<p>My d is a soph in college. She told me before she left the first year that if her now 16 year old cat dies, do not tell her. She said that it would be better for her to find out not while away at school. However, her sister would want to know immediately.</p>
<p>You know your child best, and will think of the right way/time to tell her.</p>
<p>herbrokemom~</p>
<p>{{{{{{{{gentle hugs}}}}}}}} to your precious D and to you. I’m <em>so</em> very sorry to read about BigGirl’s passing so suddenly and unexpectedly. We went through this recently with our beloved English Setter, Patch, so I can totally relate to how your must be feeling.</p>
<p>Since you are the one who knows your D best, I hesitate to personally suggest “the best” way to handle this with your D away at school. What works for one person doesn’t always work for another. Even among my own six children, I’d handle the situation a bit differently with each one.</p>
<p>I hope that you are able to come up with the least painful way to let your daughter know about your sweet little bunny. We have a bunny too (and had two others in the past), so I do know how the little critters can burrow their way into your heart! Again, I am SO very sorry to hear of this loss to your family.</p>
<p>Let us know how it goes, and we’re here if you need to “talk.” </p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Here is a good article for you <a href=“http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/death.shtml[/url]”>http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/death.shtml</a></p>