Why Do I Keep Finding Dead Rabbits in My Rochester, MN Yard?

Over the past few months, I've found one too many dead rabbits in my yard. None of these rabbits appear to have been attacked, so what the heck is going on?

I live in Rochester, Minnesota, so I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else in the area. It's so sad when I come across one!

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The reason I'm writing about this now is that I just found another this morning in the middle of our driveway. The little guy was just lying there with no physical cuts, bites, or anything.

What Could Cause Rabbits to Die in the Wild?

Other than the obvious, that a predator attacks them, what causes rabbits to die in the wild? I'm most curious about what causes them to die with no apparent physical harm.

There are a few reasons I found. One in particular is concerning to me because it's something that would be 100% caused by us and is easily preventable. We'll talk about that in a second.

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One reason a rabbit could pass away seemingly randomly is Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease. The Napa County, CA website writes that it's highly contagious and "rabbits do not show signs before suddenly dying."

Another possibility is due to stress. Yes, it's possible for rabbits to become so stressed that they die.

Rabbits can also pass away because of teeth problems or digestive issues. Cottontails Rescue wrote an article about premature deaths in rabbits and says that based on their research, "teeth problems and digestive upsets are the two major killers of rabbits that die prematurely." The rabbit that I found this morning definitely appeared to be young so maybe that's it.

The one that concerned me the most, that we can absolutely prevent, is the rabbit could have eaten rat poison.

The Problem with Using Rat Poison

Yes, rat poison is a way to get rid of a rodent problem, but rat poison comes with many risks.

When a rodent eats the poison, they don't die right away. They have lots of time to go elsewhere before passing away. However, this also gives predators a chance to eat the poisoned rodent, which would then poison that animal as well.

Not only that but in the rabbits' case, rat poison is attractive to them as well. So if a poison trap is placed where rabbits can access it, they can get into it and a few days later pass away due to life-threatening internal bleeding.

Long story short, I don't know for certain what could have happened to the poor rabbits I've found over the past few months. However, if you're someone who puts out rat poison, consider another option to trap the rodents. Or, at least make sure it's in a place that the rabbits can't get to it.