Bereaved Rabbit.

[jake1616161616]

Hi I'm Jacob and this is my first post. Sorry if it's a bit long.

We've had two pet rabbits, Bea and Sophie, in our family for 8 years who are from the same litter and had been with each other ever since. Sadly, Sophie died two days ago, leaving her sister behind. This death coincided with the loss of our beloved family dog (who didn't live in the same house as the rabbits).

The problem is that after these losses my mother is adamant that she never wants anymore rabbits because she doesn't want to replace Bea and Sophie or any big commitments with pets for a while. This means that Bea will be on her own. Mom, bought her a stuffed toy as companion but she doesn't seem interested.

We kept them indoors in a cage in a room of their own, but they were allowed to roam free outside from 9am to 5:30pm. When Bea is outside she seems okay (don't worry we haven't left her on her own), but when shes in her hutch she a bit restless and anxious and obviously must be lonely and missing Sophie, particularly during the night when we're not there. Also I'm worried she'll be cold at night without Sophie. We need to do something to make the rest of her life (which could be several years) happier, I just don't know what given the circumstances. I'd be happy for any suggestions and any improvements to mine:

I've thought that maybe Mom could be convinced to get a guinea pig as a friend for Bea. However I'm not sure she'll want that commitment - Guineas can live for up to 10 years and when Bea dies we would need to get another Guinea, beginning an endless cycle of loss that she doesn't want. If we do and Bea and the guinea don't get on, it could turn into a bit of a fiasco. This seams very possible as Bea is quite grumpy (Sophie was the easy going one) and my mom and dad go out a lot and might not have the time to bond them every day.

Another option is that we get a small rodent like a hamster and keep it in a cage next to Bea's bed. The hamster would be up at night, so hopefully Bea would feel its presence and not feel alone at night, but I don't know if she would really bond with the hamster, especially since they wouldn't be able to touch each other.

Are there any other animals which get along with rabbits which you think might be suitable? Do stuffed toys really work?

I'm convinced that Bea needs a new friend and I need your help!

Jacob

 

[Hermelin]

Sorry for your loss. Maybe you can get an old rabbit as a companion . They often have harder time finding a home than younger ones. If your doe aren’t spayed it might be harder bonding her with another bunny.

Also a stuffed toy somtimes work. One of my bunnies when her brother died, I adopted her to be companion with one of my bucks. So she didn’t have to be put to sleep.

But she didn’t accept any other buck as a companion. A grumpy queen, spent every night for 2 months with her jumping up on my bed and disturbing my sleep.

But she loved her cat bed she had, grooming it and sleeping next to it.

Myself could often see her walking around with the bed, shoving it around the house. When she free roamed in the house. She lives outdoors now.

You shouldn’t introduce any other pet that aren’t a rabbit to live with a rabbit. Especially a guinea pig, rabbits can hurt them badly. Don’t remember if it’s the and guinea pigs or rabbits that can make the other sick if you are unlucky. Also guinea pigs are supposed to be two. At least in my country it’s law on that. So it’s nothing to recommend on.

I hope Bea, will feel better soon.

 

[JenGibs]

Hermelin- why would the bunny have to be put to sleep? That doesn’t make sense.....
Also, why is she outside now? It’s like you have abandoned her since her brother died. Not meaning to be rude but that’s the context I’m reading in your post.

Jacob, see how far your state House Rabbit Society is. They do bonding “dates”. They can pair Bea with a bun similar to her age and they can try bonding her with the MANY buns they have based on personality and so on. I have seen it take a few dates but I don’t think I have seen them be unsuccessful with finding a bond. Our Georgia chapter is amazing! They are 3 hours away from me but have been a god send several times for various reasons. Maybe your mom would be more receptive if she knows the bun is close to Bea’s age and she won’t have to worry as much about a bond not working.
Let your mom know that bunnies are bonded for life- kind of like penguins. They can become severely depressed and go down hill fast.
Maybe in the meantime, introduce Bea to a new set up in your room or something. The night time home May smell too much like her lost brother. That was their familiar place. Take a bed or blanket they shared with her but maybe a change in her environment? Does she have any toys she likes to play with? Keeping her mind busy may help too.
I would talk to your mom and ask if you could just try finding her a buddy. Call your state HRS and if they are not ridiculously far away, it is worth every mile to see them and let them help you. If they are too far, I’m sure they could recommend a rescue for you. Call them nonetheless and tell them your story and they are sure to have suggestions for you in the meantime.
What state are you in?
Give Bea our love! Thank you for being such a great bun-dad!

 

[Hermelin]

Hermelin- why would the bunny have to be put to sleep? That doesn’t make sense.....
Also, why is she outside now? It’s like you have abandoned her since her brother died. Not meaning to be rude but that’s the context I’m reading in your post.

She lived on a farm that often had kids going to pet them. They was going to get two new lion heads kits because long hairs have become more popular among people. So my doe took up space living in a big cage alone.

So if they didn’t find a home to her, she would had to go. Myself was going to get a kit of same breed as her but they took contact with me and I took her instead. She was really thin and dirty, when I got her.

She lives outdoors because she got really stressed during the night. It was either finding a new home or moving outside. She was free roaming indoors but now have a 3 sq m hutch with 10 sq m run attached to the hutch.

It got quite bad when she lived indoors and she had to live in my room during the night to not disturb the rest of the house. I can’t sacrifice my sleep to her, 2 months was all I could endure. Even though I don’t sleep that much during the night. She’s a lot happier outdoors than indoors, but comes in 2-3 times to roam around.

So that’s why she lives outdoors instead of indoors [emoji5]