When to re-bond

[lyndym]

Hi everyone, I am new to the community!

This past Monday, my boy bun Doc and I suffered a great loss in the passing of my girl bun Dora. It was rather sudden in that she was very young, but she had been facing gassy/stomach issues since Thanksgiving. (We had been to their vet for meds and I had been watching her diet and behaviour, but it must have been too much for her little body.) Doc is doing fine, actually way better than expected. Nothing has changed in his personality or habits at all! (They had been together for a little over two years, since I first got both of them.) I am not ready to find another girl for him yet, but I was wondering when the best time to re-bond would be. Like I said, he hasn't shown any signs of depression or other types of distress at Dora's absence, so I am mostly concerned that he might get used to living alone and wouldn't be open to sharing with someone new.

Thanks!

 

[Imbrium]

welcome to RO! I'm so sorry for your loss... it's SO hard to lose a furry friend.

they usually show signs of depression after losing a bonded friend, so in most cases getting another bunny ASAP is the best route for them even if you're not ready yourself... however, since you say he's not showing any, I don't think there's any harm in taking some more time to grieve before you look for another companion for him. preferring to be solo vs paired seems to be hard-wired into each individual bunny - I've heard of bunnies who were solo for months or even years who were later successfully paired. as long as he continues to eat, drink, poop, pee and exercise/play normally as a solo bunny, there's really no rush to get him paired up again.

btw, when you do go to find him another companion, I highly recommend finding a shelter that allows you to bring in your bunny for play-dates with their adoptable bunns so that Doc can pick out his own friend (shelters who allow bunny-dating also almost always allow you to return/exchange the bunny you get if the bond just doesn't work out, which is an excellent fail-safe).

 

[missyscove]

Hi and welcome to RO! Be sure to post in the introductions forum so everybody can get to know you.

I'm sorry to hear about your girl. I lost my only bun a few months ago so I do know what it's like to lose a bun. Personally I had new furry friends within the week, but his empty cage was in my room and I just couldn't stand looking at it anymore.

Even if you're not ready to replace her, he is probably still grieving to some degree. Did she pass away at home? It has been said that if one rabbit doesn't see the body of its bondmate (e.g. if the sick rabbit is taken to the vet and euthanized), it might not know that the other rabbit isn't coming back.
Be sure to pay extra close attention to him and watch for changes in his eating habits to make sure he stays healthy. If you're not ready for a live rabbit, consider offering him a stuffed toy that he can snuggle up to now that he's a single bun.

 

[lyndym]

Thanks for the advice! I'll make my formal introductions soon, I wasn't feeling like introducing myself with Doc and no Dora yesterday.

I am definitely going to take Doc with me when the time comes, he'll need the final say in our new friend! I've heard of some rescues that will allow a return/exchange when the bond doesn't take, but since I'd rather not get to know one bun and have to bring her back, I'm welcoming any re-bonding tips! When I first got D&D, they started fighting a lot after getting fixed, so I'm experienced in bonding, but nervous about this upcoming situation because my apartment has since been established as Doc's territory.

I'm pretty sure Doc realizes that Dora is gone. I talked to my vet about letting him see her body, and we decided that since he probably knew she wasn't doing well and since she passed in front of him, he'd understand the situation well enough without having to say goodbye to her body.

 

[missyscove]

Now that I see that you're in Los Angeles, although I don't know what part (I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and now I'm in Pomona for vet school), I have to recommend The Bunny Bunch. My pair is actually from the ventura county animal shelter and I've previously adopted from LA Animal Services shelters and LA county shelters. The Bunny bunch is a rescue that my school works with to do spays and neuters.
Anyway, on the Bunny Bunch website, they offer to bond your rabbits for you and they certainly have a good selection of rabbits.
http://www.bunnybunch.org/

 

[lyndym]

Thanks for the referral Missy! I've been on their site before, probably back when I was originally shopping for buns. I ended up getting my pair from Bunny World Foundation, which is a great organization that rescues baby buns from illegal vendors. However, they mostly have young buns, and I'd rather find a new lady for Doc that is closer to his age and already spayed. I will definitely keep Bunny Bunch on my list!

Also, do you attend Cal Poly Pomona? I had a friend from high school there who was a part of their vet program, and my boyfriend studied music industry there! I actually just drove past the campus today on my way to Claremont to play a concert.

 

[missyscove]

I'm at Western University of Health Sciences in their DVM program. I believe the program at Cal Poly is a vet tech program. I've driven by there often on our way to Mt. SAC where we use some of the animals from their vet tech program to practice physical exams, etc.