Lonely rabbit

[Echo]

Hi.. one of my rabbits passed away this week :tears2:she was only 2 and a half but had been very thin for a while for no apparent reason.

She was eating, there was no diarrhoea and she was in great form and vet had no idea what was wrong. We've been feeding her critical care which she loved but just as we thought she was getting better she slipped away

i'm devastated but worried about her buddy who she has been with from the start and was very close to. I know it is very soon to be thinking about a new rabbit but im scared he will get really lonely and then get depressed and stop eating or something

I don't know whether I should leave him as a single rabbit, get a new companion now, or a new companion later.
He is still quite young and I think i'd feel bad if he was alone as he isn't a house rabbit though where he lives is indoors and centrally heated but still it means less interaction than if he lived in the main house. A switch to being a house rabbit is impossible due to our dogs.

Health wise I doubt she died from something contagious as her buddy is a chubby healthy bun with no signs of illness, and they are both vaccinated.

Any ideas/opinions?
She is my first rabbit to die since I was very tiny and im not sure what to expect from Pip. (her pal)

If I was to think about getting him a friend soon would female be best?
(he is neutered.)

Thanks for any advice

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm sorry that you lost your rabbit and that your other rabbit lost his companion.

Iwent through the same thing this year with a bonded pair.
Difference is that I have other rabbits around ..so the rabbit whose companion died still had other rabbit noises and odors in the house.

Usually a female and a male bond better than male -male but you were lucky and I was lucky once to have a bonded pair of males.
I would not do this immediately (get another rabbit). as if it was a really close bond the remaining rabbit often needs to grieve the loss. Did you let him see the body of his mate ? that helps a rabbit to know his companion is gone and he won't wait for his return

What some shelters do here is allow a person to bring their rabbit to a shelter and 'pick " his mate. In other words your rabbit tells you which one he likes.

Even then it is not predictable what will occur once you get home and although you can go through the regime of bonding them you have to be prepared that you may have 2 rabbits living separately. Rabbits , like humans , just don't 'taket to any other rabbit and will not like any rabbit that you introduce.

For now i would give him a whole lot of attention as much as possible and wait a bit and then maybe start letting him date at local shelters. You may also want to give him a temporary stuffed animal as a companion 9(as long as he doesn't chew him)

I have used stuffed animals (stuffed rabbits animals ) many times and even my chewers don't chew them but often groom them.
I really do think a bonded pair is happier than a single.

 

[Maureen Las]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=16988&forum_id=27


http://www.rabbit.org/journal/2-1/loss-support.html

 

[Echo]

Hi thank you for your reply, and the link

Sorry to hear about your rabbit

I actually do have other rabbits in the room with him so he does have rabbity smells as comfort. They are a bonded male pair but unfortunatelyI already tried (been trying for a year) to bond the 4 of themall together and it never worked because pip didn't like sharing his food or his girlbecause she got on great with them.
I doubt he'd get on with them even without shadow there because he seems to dislike one of them in particular and kept chasing him when they were out together.
He has seen her body and nudged it a bit but seemed more interested in me filling his bowl.
There's no rabbit shelters or shelters that keep rabbits really here, nor any breeders that I know of so any new bun would be a pet shop one.
I'd love to adopt or let him pick a new friend but its rare to see a rabbit in a shelter here, people just usually just give them back to the pet shops when they get bored of them. Shadow was one of those rabbits.. someone had her till she reached puberty and then handed her back in.

If I got a female and it didn't work out for some reason she would probably get on with my other 2 boys because they are both ridiculously laid back

The reason im not sure what to do is that though i'm on my christmas break now, come mid january i'll be back to myfinalyear at university, 200km from home, so I'll only be around at weekends until july. My mother cares for them while im away, and I don't mean just throwing in hay to them, she really really cares for them but wouldnt have a lot of time to handle apart from a few cuddles here and there.
So im caught between doing nothing and him being lonely and boredtill july, or get new rabbit to keep him company, but not being able to interact with her as much as i'd like until I graduate

:huh

 

[Maureen Las]

I have tried to bond my remaining bun Beau, (who was extremely attached to Babette the one I lost last June) but so far he seems todislike my other female (did like her for awhile after he had dental work done and wanted comfort).

Iwouldn't worry too much about yours unless she goes into a depression and stopped eating etc. , lost interest in everything.

They do get comfort from being around the other rabbits (even though they hate some of them).
if your mother could do the bonding process it would be OK to get anotherone now but if she won't have the time to make sure that they are getting along OK I would be worried about it.
I also see your point...

but you do have another month to make up your mind and see how your rabbit is doing.

 

[Echo]

She def would be too busy to be doing bonding on top of everything else, so the reason im posting so soon after Shad died is I really only have thismonth to use asa bonding period while im home.
I think im leaning towards company as I feel bad thinking of him with nobody to snuggle against or binky with especially now it is winter as he's never been on his own before and was lonely before when Shad got sick and I was nursing her in the house till she was getting better.
Where they live does have central heating but still. anic:

ill upate once I decide.. thanks for your help