6 year old's pet rabbit died - How would you have handled it?

LMad-Season on 08/03/2014 - 23:19

My housemates (husband and wife) bought their 6 year old girl a mini lop rabbit. It was kept outside in a cage and I provided an old t-shirt to drape over the cage during the night. She only had it for 13 days and was quite attached to it. Unfortunately she didn't place the t-shirt over the cage when she finished playing with it the night before and come morning it had died from hypothermia (breezy and chilly during the night).

We noticed the rabbit had died at around 9am that morning. The husband had already gone to work and phoned his wife to dispose of it before their daughter woke up (around 11am) and tell her it had run away during the night. His wife chose to let her daughter see what happened and hold a burial for it.

Come 11am the girl was upset, teary eyed, and wept all morning/afternoon. We held a burial and we explained to her why the rabbit had died and how it could have been prevented. Soon they will get her another rabbit.

TLDR:

If you knew your child's pet rabbit died before they did, would you dispose of the body and tell them it ran away during the night, or, let her discover the rabbit as is (cold/stiff/eyes open/yep, it's dead)?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • retiredfeline on 08/03/2014 - 23:28
    +31

    Tell the truth. Sooner or later kids will find out about mortality and then wonder if you lied years ago.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 10/03/2014 - 09:54
      +5

      Lying to your children constitutes lazy parenting. The mother did the best thing.

      • stumo on 10/03/2014 - 11:18
        +18

        What kind of parenting causes a 6yo to only wake up at 11am?

        • Scrooge McDuck on 11/03/2014 - 09:21
          +3

          Are you making a different point or does that somehow relate to my point?

  • ProspectiveDarkness on 08/03/2014 - 23:28
    +24

    I think it was the right thing to do. The daughter would've been upset about the rabbit's disappearance anyway, so you may as well throw a life lesson into the mix. Owning a pet comes with some responsibilities, and she may as well be taught these things when she's young and the opportunity presents itself. Now, she most likely won't let it happen again.

    Maybe letting her see it wasn't entirely necessary, but I dislike the whole 'it ran away' copout. Children can be surprisingly resilient, and I don't think it's necessary to coddle them quite that much. And wouldn't it be better to intimately introduce them to the concept of death with a 13 day old rabbit, rather than a person? But I'm not a parent nor do I have a huge amount of experience with young children, so…

    As a side note, perhaps the parents could invest in a better cage / living situation so that the animal isn't risking death every night through a simple act of forgetfulness? It isn't getting warmer, after all…

    • Scrooge McDuck on 10/03/2014 - 09:53

      Now, she most likely won't let it happen again.

      I disagree. The rabbit may live for 10 years, an adult is likely to forget to place that T-shirt over the cage at least once in that period. Now a 6 year old would presumably be more forgetful than an adult.

      As a side note, perhaps the parents could invest in a better cage / living situation so that the animal isn't risking death every night through a simple act of forgetfulness? It isn't getting warmer, after all…

      Yes, definitely!

  • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2014 - 23:30
    +18

    I'd tell mummy and daddy to tell their daughter that mummy and daddy didn't put in the effort to understand how to look after a rabbit, so the rabbit died from their ignorance. At least the kid will learn the hard way what happens if you aren't responsible enough to learn how to care properly for an animal.

    That poor rabbit. I find it really upsetting to hear stories like this where people don't seem to have much understanding before bringing home a cute little animal.

    Rabbits are best off indoors. Heat stress, mosquitoes, wild animals like foxes, roaming cats, stress in general, all these things can kill a rabbit that is housed outdoors. I keep both of mine indoors and they go into their cages at night. They're litter trained and act almost like dogs… they follow you around, come when you call them, go into the cage when you want them to (if you bother to train them), and they're much safer inside (assuming you've also put in the effort to make the house rabbit safe).

    Maybe suggest that your housemates look into things more before bringing home another pet. Please. They'd be doing their kid a big favour as well, cos that animal could end up living years and years with that kid. Nothing more awesome than that :)

    • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2014 - 23:32
      +20

      Soon they will get her another rabbit.

      Just read this. PLEASE make sure your housemates do some proper research about how to house rabbits properly. Mine are thriving past 7 years old. Proper care makes such a big difference.

      Also, adopting a bunny from the RSPCA or similar might be a good idea as they generally come desexed and vaccinated. Female rabbits are always best off being desexed due to the incredibly high risk of uterine disease and cancers in their life. Males are alright not being desexed but prepare for lots of humping of your hands, legs, any object really lol.

      Good luck. Apologies for my posts being snappy or harsh. It's just sad to hear that something like this could've easily been avoided (both for the animal and the daughers sake).

      • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2014 - 23:57
        +12

        At the risk of sounding like a total nut (which I probably am anyway), please feel free to PM me if your housemates have any questions about housing/care tips. Diet is another important and simple one which makes a big difference in the health of the rabbit - lack of care with this will just mean more heartache and vet bills down the line.

        One word: Oxbow. Stick to their rabbit pellets, along with Oxbow hay (they have a variety to choose from). Never lucerne hay for an adult rabbit, and ideally not even for young rabbits. Lucerne is everywhere and cheap, but it's not good for bunnies. Straw bedding is great and they will love chomping on the straw as well. It's not very absorbent though so bedding will need to be changed every couple/few days to avoid issues from ammonia build up being breathed in by the rabbit. Pet store mix foods with colourful things are nutritionally poor. Lucerne based pellets are also poor (hence Oxbow being an easy and good brand to stick to safely).

        The rest is easy once you get housing and that staple diet right. I'm gonna shut up now lol.

      • Mad-Season on 09/03/2014 - 00:02
        +2

        When I say "Soon they will get her another rabbit", I mean it will be dependent on me organising to get another rabbit as I organised it the first time around on their request as they're computer illiterate (got it through Gumtree).

        • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 00:09
          +2

          Cool. This might help in the future :)

        • arcticmonkey on 09/03/2014 - 10:51

          Please don't get them another rabbit and allow them to inflict more pain and suffering on an innocent animal.

          The owners should be forced to sleep outside with no clothing or warmth to get some perspective.

          The fact they are considering another rabbit so soon makes them sound like incredibly naive, self-centred people..

    • itajac on 09/03/2014 - 18:06

      Well we had our pet rabbit die just this afternoon, I researched lots about mini lops, diet, healthcare, companionship, etc,.Built them a two storey house with an outside playpen, gave them fresh water,veggies&hay.My husband gave the rabbits some cut up broccoli and I think the rabbit choked on it, we found him stiff inside the cage only an hour or so after. We told both our children (5&8) what happened and they saw him too, and they were actually quite calm and understanding. Nobody wants a pet to die but sometimes ,we humans make mistakes and accidents happen. They need to be honest with the little girl and teach her a few lessons about responsible pet ownership, life and death.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 18:47
        +2

        Sorry for your loss :(

        • itajac on 09/03/2014 - 21:16

          Thank you, we had a proper burrial for him too, dug a hole in the backyard under a rose tree, gave everyone a rose to throw inside the hole and said some nice last words to him.My daughter even said 'I hope you are happy… in bunny heaven' :(

        • ilovepizza on 09/03/2014 - 22:31
          -3

          i don't mind your beliefs but i find it ironic that people talk about teaching kids life lessons early on, only for them to tell the kids that when you die you get to go live in a place called heaven where there are puppies kitties rabbits dead family members angels lots of rainbows and butterflies, and if you behave bad in life and don't believe in the invisible sky daddy you will burn in hell for eternity so you better believe and behave or else

        • itajac on 10/03/2014 - 09:02
          +5

          Actually I have never told my children that people who don't believe in God or 'our' God as our religion defines it will go n burn in hell. I teach them acceptance for other peoples beliefs or non beliefs, kindness,forgiveness and love. I like to leave all the negativity out of religion also not to judge people before knowing them, lets say I'm not a conventional Christian.

    • rabbitlurk on 11/03/2014 - 17:43

      Cold didn't kill the rabbit.

  • Mad-Season on 08/03/2014 - 23:55
    +1

    I think the daughter learnt a valuable lesson having known what had happened rather than being shielded from the rabbit's demise. I'm guessing I'll have to teach their daughter how to properly care for the rabbit as I'm the one that has done all the Google research, despite me not being the owner.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 00:00
      +4

      Good on you, but it does seem very unfair that you have to step in and do what her parents are failing to do. Good luck dude.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 00:49

    Blanket +1 from me to every comment in the thread thus far - doesn't happen too often.

    Love rabbits, though haven't had them since I was a kid - live in Qld now, so state ban anyway…

    Perils of buying certain pets for young children - even some dog breeds (and particularly dire in the case of guinea pigs and mice) is the inevitability of them encountering the whole 'pet death' thing before you would wish them to. Alas.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 01:07

      Never had guinea pigs or mice myself, but I have rats at the moment too and I've found them to be the most incredible pets ever - but I would advise strongly against giving them to children as pets purely because all rats in Australia (probably the world?) suffer from respiratory illness during their short lives which, if left untreated or in the hands of a keeper who isn't aware of these issues, can end pretty horribly. I adore them and think their shorter life spans is probably better suited for young children (less long term commitment for a growing child can be a good thing sometimes), but the range of issues they encounter during that short period is more trouble than it's worth unless you're absolutely dedicated. I've heard similar things regarding mice but can't say this from personal experience.

      I've found rabbits to be pretty darn hardy and very easy to look after. The many many years I've kept mine, they've never had any health issues. It's amazing. Get the basic care right and it's a breeze (apart from the unlucky animals that get sick despite your best efforts).

      Main thing is to have motivated, educated parents who keep a close eye on everything and don't simply expect or hope that their young kids will somehow know instinctively how to look after their pets. We should guide them rather than have them learn from our mistakes.

      Shame about QLD - no bunnies or ferrets! Though I can totally understand why, and despite having rabbits, I do feel conflicted about the issue of them being introduced and causing such environmental damage. Might help if fewer people allowed their pet rabbits to escape or be set free and multiply (then face mass culling).

      anyways… lol

  • jc8 on 09/03/2014 - 01:11
    +3

    Tell her it ran away, and make her a really nice stew to cheer her up. What's in the stew mommy? It's, uhh, chicken…

  • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 08:48
    -8

    How would you have handled it?

    Easy. Blame Tony Abbott.

    Seriously, tell kids the truth. I can't stand it when people lie to kids about things that really MATTER to them. My parents lied about lots of things. As I grew and discovered each new thing they'd lied about, all I learned was I couldn't trust anything my parents said.

    QLD: Not allowed to keep rabbits!? What about the homesteader crowd in the south-east, that raise them for meat!?

    Rats: Can't understand why people want to keep something that's a feral pest, and that urinates on you constantly. I can't stand politicians for the same reason.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 18:53
      +3

      Rats: Can't understand why people want to keep something that's a feral pest, and that urinates on you constantly.

      I can't stand people that don't know the difference between wild rats and domesticated pet rats. They're different species, you prong.

      Plus they're intelligent enough to be litter trained. They don't urinate anywhere except their litter box if you train them to (which isn't very hard). See that blue litter box in the background? See any piss puddles or poo lying around the cage? No? Cos they're all in the litter box.

      Don't be hatin' the rats cos they smarter than you, bro.

      • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 11:17
        -1

        …

        • Yarkin on 10/03/2014 - 14:15
          +2

          Looks like the prongs left a mark.

  • c64 on 09/03/2014 - 08:55
    +1

    Rats: Can't understand why people want to keep something that's a feral pest, and that urinates on you constantly. I can't stand politicians for the same reason'

    they are just another pet. they only live 2 years and are easy to manage. the rats people keep as pets are usually not feral.

    the are feral cats & dogs as well which are pests. kill all cats! kill all dogs!

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 09:27
      -4

      Yeah - just being funny. Is it true they urinate (leak) constantly? I knew a couple that kept rats. Had them crawling up their arms, around their necks, in their hair… yuck!

      • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 18:57

        Now I read you were just taking the piss. In that case, I retract my "you prong" bit earlier (in response to your post)… but they don't wee on you unless A) they're babies, B) they aren't used to being out loose and/or aren't litter trained, or C) they're male and 'mark' territory with a little trail of wee.

        Not all males mark, though. If you have them desexed (like one of my boys is), marking is pretty much eliminated completely.

        :)

        • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 11:19

          Oh, ok… I saw something on TV once (forget what is was now). They said they "leak" constantly as they walk/move!? You learn something new every day.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 09:27
      -3

      Rats that is - not politicians. Already know they urinate on everyone in sight.

  • WT on 09/03/2014 - 11:22
    +1

    Never had one of these but had heaps of dwarf rabbits when I was a kid. Never had a rabbit die from the cold and that would include newborns in the middle of winter

    Hypothermia in summer?!

    is this some sort of tropical breed that cant stand anything under 20 deg c?

    • Mad-Season on 09/03/2014 - 14:06

      I'm talking Melbourne weather, not Sydney.

      Admittedly we aren't as experienced in rabbit handling as you would be however given the facts we have deduced the probable cause of death was the cold weather (cool, drafty, cloudless night).

      It's diet was 70-80% hay or dry lawn grass and rest made up of lettuce and a little bit of carrot. It was really active at 11pm the night before and was being picky about eating dry hay and mostly nibbled on carrot. This was the only time the t-shirt cover had been left off the cage. When I went outside around 8:30am the next morning it was chilly for me, so I think it would have been pretty cold for the rabbit during the early hours of the morning. I also think the rabbit didn't eat enough food/sustenance to keep warm.

      • WT on 10/03/2014 - 14:01
        +2

        Rabbits have a lot of fur and have no trouble living in colder climates then what most of Australia sees.

        Even if it snowed where you lived, I wouldn't think hypothermia would be the root cause.

        The diet sounds pretty bad, perhaps its immune system was down

        • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 17:15
          +2

          Same thing I thought. Rabbits tolerate cold quite well, its the heat you have to be very careful with as they're prone to heat stroke. I never worry about my bunnies in winter (though they are indoors). No matter how cold it gets, they're fine.

          Sudden death could be related to a few things. They can die of panic too, so it might have even been a wild animal outside the cage that spooked the bunny. Could have been diet (though you do see rabbits eat really crap feeds and they don't keel over that fast). Could have also been bad luck and due to an issue the bunny already had - having nothing to do with how it was looked after… but that still doesn't change the fact that it was housed inadequately.

          Unless it was very young, I don't quite think it was hypothermia either. hmm

  • JediJan on 09/03/2014 - 14:36

    I would be inclined to purchase a book on bunny care for the parents and a similar one for the child. Unfortunately too many people purchase pets before getting educated on their care. Never had rabbits but we gad 2 male neutered guinea pigs for 8 years, which I understand is good innings for them. They were kept outdoors but their accommodation (2 levels) included snug sleeping quarters out if any drafts. I lined the upper level with layers of newspaper, then specially prepared dust free wood shavings and hay for tunnels. Hutch cleanliness, regular cleaning is essential. Found the newspaper, which they didn't access, was handy in drawing wetness (urine) away. They were snug in there every night; would sometimes check their body temps on cold nights to make certain. Personally I wouldn't opt for 1 pet due to the loneliness factor and theee 2 kept each other happy. They were purchased young together so they never fought (males can have some rather nasty battles). Of course, being brothers they would have the occasional quarrel when one was stealing food from the other and didn't appreciate a nudge in the hind quarters. Unfortunately, as expected, when one died the other became depressed and no amount of additional hand feeding, care and attention rallied him although he managed a few more months.

    think your friends did the correct thing by telling their daughter the truth. We held little funeral services for our piggies too. We were prepared for our piggies deaths through the knowledge of their possible life spans, care and knowledge on just about every aspect of adopting them … well before we adopted them. Guinea piggies need extra attention paid to their diets, with their vitamin C requirements (different from bunnies). You also have to provide suitable chewing wood (like plum tree vranches) to keep their teeth trimmed; these continue to grow througout their lives and can be cause of death through starvation for those piggies whose owners are not educated. Our biggest problems were keeping the piggies cool enough in Summer. Adequate shade and Ice bottles are essential plus the ability to be very observant.

    Just writing these few notes to offer some advice for others to consider; it certainly is not ALL a prospective purchasers need to know, a reminder that it is essential to do their homework first.

  • shannonn54 on 09/03/2014 - 15:09
    +4

    tell the child the rabbit died cause the child didn't care for it as her parents viewed it as a cuddly toy not a living creature and never explained to the child it needs caring for. What selfish irrestponsible pet owners to leave a pet in thecare of a 6 yr old. Hate to think these ppl having another baby and giving it to a 6 yr old to care for and leave out at night?

    I had a rabbit in sydney when I was a 12 yr old also had a dog the animals where never allowed in the house, but bedded down on a wooden verandah with blankets etc. The rabbit thought he was a dog, went for walks (on a lead with the company of the dog) eat meat, vegies all the same stuff the dog did, never fought and lived a long life for a rabbit. and no we didn't eat him when he died.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 20:46
      -1

      Great idea, actually just punch the parents in the face and scream MURDERERS!!! Then throw blood on them before running inside and waiting for police. Or just let it go and MYOB.

  • AmericanDad on 09/03/2014 - 17:00
    +1

    As some people have posted above, please think hard about getting another rabbit for your friends. Pet rabbits should be kept indoor not outdoor. Its hard for them to survive the weather- particularly with the weather getting too hot; they struggle with anything over 25 degrees. And if it was too young it may have died because its not used to the weather being too cold without any warm bedding for eg hay/ blanket etc.staying outside also means they will be susceptible to calsyvirus or myxomitosis. If your friend is getting another rabbit be prepared that without proper care, environment and diet it may die very soon too.

  • eneloop on 09/03/2014 - 17:37

    Make a nice stew and feed it to the kids

    • donga100 on 11/03/2014 - 09:31

      Eating animals that have died from unknown causes is usually a bad idea as they could be carrying dangerous diseases. Much better to eat something that was healthy at the time it was killed. Eg. A shot animal or roadkill.

  • KingstonTheNotSoWise on 09/03/2014 - 18:29

    I would have told them, I probably wouldn't have showed them though. The reason I'd tell them is to teach them proper responsibility. It's not like losing an iPhone or something, this is a life we're talking about. In all honesty the parents should have been helping to look after the rabbit too (I'm not sure if they did or not it wasn't mentioned), you can't just pass that kind of responsibility onto a 6 year old and expect them to deal with it on their own. There's a lot to learn about looking after any pet, not just rabbits. It's probably the reason my parents never let me have any pets, they knew I wouldn't have been responsible enough on my own and they hate pets as well. They told me I was allergic to shut me up.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 19:02

      I reckon people would be more distraught these days if they lost an iPhone rather than have a rabbit die.

      lol @ your parents telling you that you were allergic to animals to shut you up. Clever.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2014 - 20:37
    +1

    I've heard somewhere that psychologists say it is a good learning opportunity for kids to be introduced to death through animals. It seems to make a lot of sense. I remember my sisters son and also my cousin being super awkward and leaving the room feeling ill after finding out one of their relatives died because they couldn't handle it (what I mean is they didn't know what to do, they could handle the actual news itself). I also remember my friends dad telling me his mother had died the day before (when I was about 11-13) and feeling super awkward and just leaving the room to avoid the situation as those boys had (this left him quite upset because he really needed someone to just say it's OK).

    I know it sounds stupid but it's important that people know how to comfort each other and not feel awkward about it, or that it shouldn't have happened or it was this persons fault, etc.

    SO much flaming. It was an accident! BTW people die all the time from accidents as well i.e. people don't usually take their kids to work and then it happens to be their turn to drop off junior and forget leaving them in the car, etc. It's natural, it happens all the time and there's no need to find a person to blame or to "react". Shit happens, there is NOTHING you can do about it. The only thing you have control over is your intentions not the results.

    • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 15:03
      -2

      I gave you a +1

  • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 06:02
    +3

    Needless to say the issue here is the stupidity of the parents. The issue here is obvious to anyone who isn't stupid. The little girl is also a victim of their stupidity.

  • ethereal88 on 10/03/2014 - 08:20

    Cook it for breakfast. Waste not, want not.

    • JediJan on 10/03/2014 - 10:35

      My mother would have a case of the horrors. In the UK during WWII with food restrictions enforced many people supplemented their rations with home grown produce. Her parents with a large family to feed had rabbits. Mother often tells of her disgust when they were the daily fare; couldn't cope with them at all. I have never tried myself; guess it must require an aquired taste. Took some convincing to get her to get close enough to feed our guinea pigs (pets not tucker) when we really needed ONE short holiday. She mellowed eventually with them but still won't go near rabbits.

  • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2014 - 09:09
    +1

    If you want your child to grow up to be an adult start treating them like one. Tell the truth.

    Our children have had pet rats that only last a few years. They are the perfect pet to teach the circle of life. They breed easy, produce some babies, then die a few years later. Our children have seen that lot including the dying part. They are much more aware of what life is to people now and I think they are much stronger and open eyed than before.

    This almost falls into the cotton wooling department. If you wrap them in cotton wool and shield them from everything your children with grow up completely ignorant of the world and have a really hard time coping with it.

    • Mad-Season on 10/03/2014 - 14:29
      +1

      Unfortunately it is not my place to tell my housemates how to raise their child however sometimes I drop hints here and there and did teach the girl what the rabbit should and shouldn't eat.

  • gummibears on 10/03/2014 - 11:53

    This issue arose in an episode of "Everybody loves Raymond", though it was a hamster. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764395/

  • cruise on 10/03/2014 - 14:12
    +1

    Monty Pythons Parrot Sketch comes to mind

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218

    • JediJan on 11/03/2014 - 19:30

      Classic! … although I don't think you should show that to a grieving child. My teen grew up on my Monty Python videos (at an appropriate age) … couldn't pass a white rabbit at a pet shop without the "killer" rabbit comments.

      Bring out your dead!

  • sparkles on 10/03/2014 - 15:34
    +2

    When you can't keep a rabbit alive longer than two weeks YOU SHOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER RABBIT.

    JFC

  • SydStrand on 10/03/2014 - 21:04

    When I was a kid, one of my rabbits got swiped out of its hutch by a local cat (clever girl). Sadly, I was the one who find what remained in the morning so my parents couldn't do a switcheroo, nor could they pretend my rabbit just decided to go to rabbit heaven as a pile of entrails. Horrible memory but kids are more resilient than we give them credit for.

  • qwerty on 10/03/2014 - 22:47
    +1

    Rabbits can and do live in the snow - you are in australia in the summer so no matter what temp it was it would not killed it - so you not putting a blanket on it at night would not have done anything

    It most likely died from mosquito/mites - calicivirus virus or was sick from something else

    • diddy50 on 10/03/2014 - 22:53

      Not true, heat is no good for them. They live under ground normally in a burrow where it is cooler. In a hutch or house it gets very hot. So that probably did kill them.

      • qwerty on 11/03/2014 - 11:53
        +3

        Heat can kill

        But op is saying it died overnight due to the cold because they didnt put a shirt over the cage - which would not happen in australia during the summer.

  • diddy50 on 10/03/2014 - 22:51
    -1

    Our rabbits died when we had high temperatures before Christmas. We got the kids to come out and see the rabbits dead and told them so. The asked about them for a while and said they are not coming back.

    2 weeks later we have 4 rabbits. Still alive but the death was no buggy to them when it happened.

    The cat on the other hand would be much worse when it dies. Ouch

  • wortho on 11/03/2014 - 09:15

    My Wife had Rabbits as a kid and when the novelty wore off and she stopped looking after them her Mum made a nice Rabbit stew and the kids all ate the pet Rabbits without knowing. She found out afterwards but still thought the stew was tasty! True story.

  • devilbabies on 11/03/2014 - 12:01

    re-enact the "get inside the animals" scene from freddie got fingered. chase the kids around the house. fun times.

    http://www.replikultes.net/medias/uploads/films/vas_te_faire…

  • forever saving on 11/03/2014 - 13:55

    Going to offer a different perspective because I already agree with most of what's being said.

    The girl is 6 years old. The younger we are, the more easily influenced we are.
    * Does she really need to face the harsh reality of mortality at her age?
    * Can she even comprehend what actually happened?
    These kinds of events will affect how we grow up as a person. So is this going to teach her the lesson she needs?
    * Is this how we want to teach children a lesson?

    Is there a way to teach her about responsibility without the need to take a part of her childhood innocence away? Probably.

    I don't think it was neccessary to go about it the way they did. If the girl was older, maybe in the early teens it may be more appropriate.

    • [Deactivated] on 11/03/2014 - 16:54
      +1

      IMO, a 6 year old understands death. I had my first pets around that age, one I recall finding dead myself (a goldfish). I knew what had happened without my parents telling me. I was distraught (more so because I knew my mum had killed it accidentally by not changing the water properly). Still am very sad when I think back to that night, and I'm 26 now lol. Though I am female and very emotional by nature :P haha

      I don't think it's necessary to shield children from the realities of life, though. Kids are resilient so the sooner they learn about these concepts, hopefully the better they will be able to adapt to difficult situations as they get older.

  • rabbitlurk on 11/03/2014 - 17:42
    +2

    I breed my own meat rabbits (pure New Zealand White) here in Melbourne and I can tell you now it wasn't the cold that killed this bunny, they are fine even in the coldest winter Melbourne nights let alone a cold summer night.

    My guess would be a cat harassed it, it got stressed and died.

    Rabbits are fine to have outside (despite some greenie suggesting they are best inside) whether pets or for meat. Just ensure nothing like a cat can get their paw through the cage to harass the bunny and get some fly/mosquito traps from bunnings to attract the bugs away from the bunny cages. You can put up fly/mosquito netting around the cage but it's overkill for suburbia, you won't find calici in the burbs and myxomatosis is usually contained to breaking out in hot spots - neither are worth worrying about.

    TBH they are a cheap source of quality, lean meat. They taste good, easy to take care of, reproduce rapidly, much easier to butcher than say a chicken. Check out youtube, it's a good little hobby and $$ saver.

    • Mad-Season on 11/03/2014 - 18:48
      +3

      Thanks for your opinion. It is somewhat reassuring that its death was probably not a result of cold weather and could be from some pre-existing condition or external factor. The cage was positioned about a foot and a half off the ground, and I actually haven't seen a cat on our street for the whole time we've lived here (about 7 months). There are possums that roam the trees and fence-lines at night and they do hiss loudly.

      I did expect some people to start attacking my parenting and rabbit caring skills despite the girl not being my child and me not being the owner of the rabbit. My housemates are actually kind-hearted people and first-time rabbit owners. For what it's worth, they have successfully cared for dogs for more than a year without them dying. I over-saw the feeding of the rabbit according to recommendations as instructed by the rabbit breeder who sold the rabbit.

      But hey, this is the internet, where asking what would you do in a certain situation will spark a debate about parenting skills and condemning people to never own a pet ever again.

      Thank you to everyone for their advice and opinions.

    • JediJan on 12/03/2014 - 10:45

      I feel you are more on the mark than those that suggest it was the cold (Summer in Melbourne) that killed the rabbit. Our 2 level guinea pig hutch offered security (draft free in sleeping quarters) from any possible predators … cats, birds of prey, scary possums and rats (some metropolitan areas have fox problems too) … and we secured wire around the base to prevent any digging into the hutch, and double locks to the doors. Our guinea pigs were quite tame and apparently unafraid of any creatures visiting. Strange enough they didn't seem to react to the odd cat I have chased away. I even noticed butcher birds hanging onto the outside wiring of the hutch seeking an easy meal, but the guinea pigs didn't react to these either. One has to be perfectly confident any grass you place a hutch on has to be free of weed killer or other animals droppings too. Wonder if the grass the rabbit was given may have been affected by dog or rat (they are everywhere even if you never see them) faeces. Dust, not only urine, can cause a number of breathing illnesses too.

  • scandalous on 12/03/2014 - 09:51
    +1

    Our 18 year old family cat died last year during the night in a storm. He had been in poor health for a while. I feared the worst when he didn't show up for breakfast. My 4 year old son could see I was upset so I told him what happened he didn't understand at first but asked to see the body. He was upset but we just talked about what a good cat he was and how he had a good life and how we would bury him. At the time I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to let my son see the body but looking back I think it was for the best.

  • morpheu on 12/03/2014 - 12:58

    Since the rabbit probably didn't die from the cold, my money is with Option C, you have a very cunning and diabolical 6 year old(with a macabre sense of humour) who let the bunny die(blaming the parents) so she could (emotionally)blackmail her parents into buying her a pony for her birthday….

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