Unexplained death of two bunnies

[DuckonaBike]

We are devastated by the sudden unexplained deaths of our two bunnies (3 and 4 years old respectively). We took them to rabbit boarding this morning as we’re on holiday tomorrow, with a lovely woman who has looked after them several times before. She put them in a brand new rabbit hutch (never used before) with a new cover, because of the weather. When she next checked a couple of hours later they were both lying dead. They were fully vaccinated.

Can anyone think of an explanation? I’m wondering if there could have been something wrong with the new hutch? Or could they have caught RHVD despite being vaccinated? They were absolutely fine this morning.

Could they have suffocated under the cover?

My thought is some sort of fumes from the cover or insufficient air depending on how it was placed. Or could there have been something toxic such as paint/varnish on the new hutch?
very sad for you.

Did anything shock them? Rabbits are quite easily frightened and can literally die from being shocked. Are there any dogs at the boarding that could have frightened them or any incidents while travelling?

I'm so sorry that you've lost them. It's very sad.

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m wondering about some sort of fumes from the new hutch or cover. We trust the person looking after them; she’s very experienced and has a secure rabbit area (with a high fence etc) so I doubt a fox, dog or anything could have got in.
We’re thinking of asking the vet to do a post-mortem. It would be good to have an explanation (and could perhaps stop it from happening again if it was an issue with the hutch).

Definitely sounds like something to do with the new hutch with them both being dead within a few hours. So sad for you!

Shock would be my guess, sadly buns don't do well with change. However fumes etc is a possibility. I would also get a PM, I'm so sorry for your loss.

If it was a cover specifically made for hutches, they are designed to breathable (and they're usually useless, get saturated and leak anyway). Was the hutch otherwise dry and were they bedded down? Were they given their usual food?

It could have been a shock, especially being in a new place and stormy weather.

How different was the hutch from their normal home? Personally I don't board mine in places that shut them in hutches as mine are used to a lot more space and would turn particularly frustrated and aggressive shut up in a smaller space.

Thank you everyone who has come back to me with comments. I’ve now heard from the vet and they think they may have been stressed as there was a thunderstorm, especially as they were in a different place, and that could be the cause.

Usually their time is spent either in a hutch or an outdoor pen, and the set up at the rabbit boarding was very similar. They had their usual food. So I’m thinking that storm is the most likely explanation - I guess we’ll never know for sure.

Many thanks for the condolences. We really miss our buns.