Our baby, Bambi passed unexpectedly -extreme guilt

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Bambigirl

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Nov 26, 2019
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Location
Buffalo NY
Sorry for the length of this post,first off. We have two beautiful buns, Bindi and Bambi, both females, both little Lops. Bambi was almost 3 years. I found her in her usual spot, the second floor of her hutch, gone, a few days ago. She had passed sometime during the night. I’m still in shock and wondering what happened.

Our bunnies were a bonded pair. They were extremely close. I moved them to our basement six months ago because we now have two German shepherd pups. Not good mix. The bunnies have been happy and healthy in our basement. I constructed a 6x 8 play pen with two hutches, carpeting etc for them. It really is a nice setup. They seemed to enjoy their own space.

Bambi was the shy one, always hiding in the hutch. Bindi would chase her away from her food every morning, but Bambi would eventually return to eat together. Bambi was a sweetheart. Bindi is the troublemaker. They would run the house, resting in front of the fireplace and under the Christmas tree.

when Bindi was spayed, she had a tough time and we had the separated the two to prevent injury. Bindi would not eat after surgery. Bambi would sit next to her hutch outside her cage and get as close as possible. I finally put them back together and Bindi perked up and recovered immediately. They were both depressed and stopped eating from being separated . I learned am important lesson not to separate two bonded bunnies .

I usually checked on them, fed them 2-3 times daily . They kept each other company. Looking back, Bambi had not been coming out of her hutch first thing in the morning for feeding for maybe a week . I just figured she was letting Bindi eat first, as usual. I remember checking her weight ( seemed ok) and both food bowls were being eaten. She seemed to be pooping ok. I can’t believe that it might have only Bindi eating all they food, if Bambi wasnt feeling well and not eating. Another note is that Bambi slays had a little difficulty with messy poop but nothing major.

I’m feeling extreme guilt for not seeing any signs , or paying more attention. I loved that bunny with all my heart. She was so loving. I don’t why she passed and I didn’t have the heart to do a necropsy . Was it a hair ball, GI stasis, tumor....??? She was laying down peacefully on her belly when I found her.

I’m a 54 year old man and can’t believe how these little bunnies have touched my soul. They are beautiful, loving little creatures which relied on me for safety. And I feel like I failed.
 
It just happens. We have had some pass very young and others live with us a long time. Our Bambi was almost 19 when she went to the bridge--the oldest we know of. We have had others go around 2 or 3 that were fine in the morning and gone that afternoon with no symptoms at all.
 
I never thought that this little bunnies could touch my life the way that they have. They all have different personalities. I will miss her incredibly. She was the sweet, shy one and didn't deserve this.
 
I’m in tears reading this. I’m so sorry for your loss...Bambi sounded like a sweetheart and she definitely knew she was loved. It was not your fault at all. It was just her time to move on. But Bindi is going to really need you now. Praying you all find comfort and you meet up again someday.
 
I’m in tears reading this. I’m so sorry for your loss...Bambi sounded like a sweetheart and she definitely knew she was loved. It was not your fault at all. It was just her time to move on. But Bindi is going to really need you now. Praying you all find comfort and you meet up again someday.
Thank you so much. Bindi is doing very well. She’s a tough little girl.
A short story about her. At about the age of 6 months, we noticed her not eating well and, not knowing much about rabbits, I luckily found malocclusion of her front teeth. We took her monthly to the vet for trimmings. She didn’t like it much but was a trooper. We did this for about 1 year and noticed after about a month since her last trimming, she was eating fine. I kept checking her teeth weekly and they’ve been fine ever since- about a year and half. She figured out how to grind them down in her own !!!!! The vet was shocked and had never seen this. Just a good story to add to this forum .
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my bunny slightly more than a month ago, I still think of her every single day and it hurts me very much. I know how you are feeling, and that’s exactly how im still feeling more than a month on. My bunny that passed had similar conditions, problems with GI and messy poop, so I didn’t think much of her last incident.. Bunnies are so frail and only have us to rely on as compared to dogs/cats who are more independent. I love my bunnies with all my heart , it hurt me so much then and even now I still feel guilt on letting my bunny down by not being proactive/looking out for the signs of bringing her to the vet... It’ll take time, but slowly it’ll get better. What others on the forum have told me is that bunnies are prey animals, so they aren’t as likely to show symptoms or underlying conditions that they had. They could’ve been hiding something far more serious than we would have thought. You gave her the best life she could have had, and I’m sure she’ll be grateful to you for that. Likewise, I did not do a necropsy. I couldn’t bring myself to. I’m a 30 year old guy, and I never did think having bunnies would touch my heart so much. I hope you feel better soon. Sending love to Bindi and yourself.
 
Thank you
I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost my bunny slightly more than a month ago, I still think of her every single day and it hurts me very much. I know how you are feeling, and that’s exactly how im still feeling more than a month on. My bunny that passed had similar conditions, problems with GI and messy poop, so I didn’t think much of her last incident.. Bunnies are so frail and only have us to rely on as compared to dogs/cats who are more independent. I love my bunnies with all my heart , it hurt me so much then and even now I still feel guilt on letting my bunny down by not being proactive/looking out for the signs of bringing her to the vet... It’ll take time, but slowly it’ll get better. What others on the forum have told me is that bunnies are prey animals, so they aren’t as likely to show symptoms or underlying conditions that they had. They could’ve been hiding something far more serious than we would have thought. You gave her the best life she could have had, and I’m sure she’ll be grateful to you for that. Likewise, I did not do a necropsy. I couldn’t bring myself to. I’m a 30 year old guy, and I never did think having bunnies would touch my heart so much. I hope you feel better soon. Sending love to Bindi and yourself.
Thank you for the kind words. It really helps. The guilt is almost unbearable, but knowing that others have been through the same does help.
 
Do try to spend more time with Bindi, my male bunny was unusually needy after his partner passed, and constantly came to us for attention :( I’m lucky I am able to work from home, and able to spend more time with him. And like many of the forum members have told me, perhaps you can try getting her another partner sooner rather than later, but of course once you have allowed yourself the proper time to grieve. Don’t hesitate to reach out if anything! More than happy to help. Stay strong.
 

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