Accidentally killed a friend’s rabbit… =(

[Zombie-Sue]

I used to post on this forum some months ago, I can’t even remember how long ago. It seems like a long time ago. Well, I had a death in the family and got busy with that, and then I accidentally killed my friend’s daughter’s rabbit and it is still a very painful incident for me to think about, so I stopped talking to other rabbit people for a while, but I think it’s time for me to sort of come back to the community.

Cleaning his cage after his death, we found an exposed pointy piece in the rabbit’s cage that we think may have hurt him. I was showing my friend’s daughter how to pick up the bunny, and we hadn’t discovered his injury yet. When I grabbed him, I touched an owie and it must have hurt him and he bit me VERY hard. This was a sweet-tempered rabbit that I’d petted before, and I wasn’t expecting it. I dropped him =( it wasn’t a very long fall but he clearly hurt himself, we think he broke his back.

They didn’t have him long, so he could have had other issues, too, maybe, but he never behaved that way before when my friend’s husband held him before.

I don’t really like to talk about it very much, this is the first time I’d typed it out in it’s entirity. RIP, Snickers… =( You were a good rabbit.

[jerseygirl]

Welcome back Sue. I’m sorry you had such a sad thing like this happen. I hope you do see that it was a terrible thing that happened to you, not a terrible thing you did. You obviously cared about Snickers and wanted his owner to do take good care. There is only so much we can control in life.

Rabbits are good escapees, especially from arms. I once had mine leap from my arms and fall on a wooden stoop. She grazed her head on something and had a mark on her forehead where the fur had scraped off. A constant reminder to me until it finally grew back. It gave me a scare and it could have easily been worse had she landed badly.

I sincerely hope time helps make it easier for you. Take some comfort knowing Snickers is binkying with the others over the rainbow bridge now.

[RabbitPam]

I’m so sorry you went through all of that. You wouldn’t be writing if you didn’t love rabbits and I hope that telling us is going to help ease the terrible guilt you are feeling and keeping to yourself.
Of course there is nothing you could have done differently. He clearly had an owie that he had been hiding, and if the skin had been broken at any time, he probably had an infection as well. A bite is supposed to get a predator to drop a bunny that is being captured, and it worked. It loosened your grip and you dropped him – what he wanted you to do. That he was unable to get away and hide is terribly sad, but he was acting as nature programmed him to, and so were you. I have no doubt that you rushed to do what you could at that moment, and was unable to save him. These beautiful creatures are more fragile than they understand even about themselves. A bunny that does not want to be held will not be held.

Please be gentle with yourself. Just your presence here shows how much you truly love bunnies, and I hope there is a sweet bunny in your future who will come to know that.
{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[Sarita]

I’m sorry that happened. Hugs to you. I will light a candle to help Snickers cross the bridge.

[Zombie-Sue]

Thanks so much for all the support. (: Getting that off of my chest has been very helpful, even if it was a bit hard. My friend’s daughter was a little bit sore at me for a while (in her eyes it looked like I killed her pet, I’m sure) but my friend has been so kind about it and has made her daughter come to understand that it was an accident and there was nothing to be done.

Whew, it’s nice to be back and that you nice people have helped me mourn poor Snickers.

*hugs*

[Beka27]

I’m so sorry that happened. Rabbits are so, so fragile… It could have happened to anyone.

(((Binky free Snickers)))

[GrumpyBun]

I’m so sorry you had to go through that, as everyone has said it was a tragic accident. When Oxo was a baby he wriggled free and I dropped him from a height; but for the grace of god, it could have been a much sadder story for him.

[Zombie-Sue]

thanks everyone (: I feel more unlucky now and less guilty. It’s still a sad thing and Snickers will be missed but this show of support has been so helpful.

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