Do you re-bond?

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Zekeybun

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2018
Messages
45
Reaction score
37
Location
Traverse City, Michigan
Hey everyone
I’ve received a lot of great advice here even just from ghost stalking board and I thought I would reach out.
Unfortunately this past weekend we lost our guy Zeke. He showed signs of GI and we immediately rushed him to the vet, it was over two hours away as were in a very rural community in northern Michigan, unfortunately the stress of travel and a bad reaction to some medication he did not make it. We were sure to keep his bonded friend with his the entire time to lessen the stress, and she was able to acknowledge and see his loss.
Has anyone else gone through losing part of a pair? How do you know if you rebond them? My finance and I are definitely not right ready now, but don’t know how to tell if it’s best to rebond to leave her alone? She’s always been the more skiddish of the pair, and seems to have pulled back a little more than what’s normal for her, but I can understand this was also a scary and stressful time for her. I just want to be sure we have what’s best for her in mind.

Just some cute Bunno pictures attached because who doesn’t love them? We lost our French lop sadly- and his spicy personality will be missed.5A3C71D2-B73E-4A85-AF91-CD5FBA4A11ED.jpeg19465A84-031E-4996-9BA2-A3545D1840D3.jpegA91B822E-8DDF-4545-8300-E0A92B6116D3.jpeg
 
Yes, I've gone through this a number of times. I would give your remaining gal some time. See how she does over the next couple of months.

I've had the experience where one rabbit, after a couple months, got ornery and acting out of her normal behavior. She just seemed to really need a bondmate. Ironically, she was extremely picky about which rabbit she would accept. We attempted bonding her with 2 other fixed males before she finally settled on a 3rd.

I've also had the experience where a shy rabbit that lost his bondmate, in time, actually came out of his shell and became more willing to interact with us for companionship. He seemed to do quite well as a single bun.

We could have looked for a bondmate for him, but decided against it. Not only was he doing well, but he was also a bit older, so we decided against that.

It's a bit early to see how she will be, but time will tell.
 
Thank you so much, my finance and I have really been struggling with this and deciding what to do, while it’s only been a week now, we’ve noticed she’s already been much more forward and has had more zoomies and excited as a whole. I am hopi g it a good sign that she’ll be okay but we’ll certainly watch for any negative changes.
Shes only two so we luckily have plenty of time and may decide down the road to rebond but I’m not sure if it’ll ever feel quite right.
 
Hi, sorry about your loss. I would watch her if you say she looks happier alone maybe she is indeed, but watch if she gets depressed or something. Honestly I wouldn't wait if you think she gets enough interaction with you maybe she'll be fine on her own, but it is nice to see them grooming each other and I mean sure some rabbits are happy alone, you will see how it goes with her.
If she doesn't get enough attention from you and you generally want her to have a companion, I see no reason to wait until she will fall into depression. Death is just part of life cycle and I would imagine that rabbits won't need long grieving period, new friend new adventure and it will keep her busy.
It largely depends on her personality as well, so just watch her. Depression is very dangerous in rabbits, it kills, so if you see any early signs please take action asap.
 
Thank you for the response and concern, I have absolutely been watching for any changes, we had noticed them with our boy Zeke which is why we decided on the bonding process. She actually does seem to be coming around to us quite a bit more than usual. I think the bigger issue is that we’re not ready for another, his loss was traumatic and did cause a large financial impact as well. While I would get another if it creates a better life experience for our girl I would in a heartbeat, frankly I’m not sure I’m ready.
It’s something I can’t find quite a bit online for so it is comforting to hear of others experiences and that their buns may cope well. I do think she’s relying on us more for companionship. We bought a farm up north so he is only working four-five months a year, with multiple stops into the house throughout the day so we may be offering enough. She does free roam the entire lower level of our house and we do our best to provide hides and dig boxes to kee her stimulated throughout the day!
Thank you for sharing, all the info we can get right now is helpful!
 
When they lose a companion, you just have to keep an eye on them and assess their reaction to the loss each day. Some rabbits don't react much at all and are back to normal right away, some it takes a few days for them to realize their friend is gone and not coming back but still do ok and continue eating while they adjust to the change, some completely withdraw and stop eating, some will become uncharacteristically aggressive and upset at the loss, and like Blue eyes said, some shy buns will actually come out of their shell and bond with their humans more because of the loss of their friend.

From what you describe, it sounds like she's coping quite well and may actually form a closer bond with you than she would have done otherwise. As long as she's eating and doing well, I wouldn't be in a rush or worry about finding a new companion for her, until you're ready and decide it's what you want and/or what she needs. You may even decide that you're able to have a closer bond with her as a single bun, and that she is happy with this new companionship with her humans.
 
When they lose a companion, you just have to keep an eye on them and assess their reaction to the loss each day. Some rabbits don't react much at all and are back to normal right away, some it takes a few days for them to realize their friend is gone and not coming back but still do ok and continue eating while they adjust to the change, some completely withdraw and stop eating, some will become uncharacteristically aggressive and upset at the loss, and like Blue eyes said, some shy buns will actually come out of their shell and bond with their humans more because of the loss of their friend.

From what you describe, it sounds like she's coping quite well and may actually form a closer bond with you than she would have done otherwise. As long as she's eating and doing well, I wouldn't be in a rush or worry about finding a new companion for her, until you're ready and decide it's what you want and/or what she needs. You may even decide that you're able to have a closer bond with her as a single bun, and that she is happy with this new companionship with her humans.
My sweet Bunny Beatrix died on April 20th. His mate was so depressed and stopped eating. We tried a stuffed animal and that didn’t work. Then we brought home a neutered male but she didn’t accept him despite 3 weeks of trying to bond them. She is eating again though, I want to know if I should try to bring home a new female for her- or leave her alone. She is still angry and grieving.
 

Attachments

  • 5C27BEBB-7176-4CF7-AEDC-B819B302B644.jpeg
    5C27BEBB-7176-4CF7-AEDC-B819B302B644.jpeg
    178.9 KB · Views: 1
  • D5ACF3E9-652F-4F3E-910D-422A2027A3DE.jpeg
    D5ACF3E9-652F-4F3E-910D-422A2027A3DE.jpeg
    252.9 KB · Views: 1

Latest posts

Back
Top