Bringing in a new mate after a death

[Buddyndaddy]

Hello all.
I have a 3.5yr old cage free indoor male dwarf lionhead named Buddy. yesterday, we lost our dear sweet Olivia, a 3yr old Holland lop. She was on critical care for a few days due to overgrown teeth caused a weight loss. She was bringing the weight back on and being an amazingly sweet girl, barely giving any attitude during feedings. Later in evening she had a huge burst of energy, and suddenly our of corner of my eye, I saw she was in convulsions or a seizure. My sweet angel looked at me with her last breath.
Olivia is the only bunny that buddy has ever known. They bonded instantly and fell deep in love @buddy_n_olivia on IG.
I am going in two days to look at a mini lop, that is an outdoor, free roam with Hutch bunny, approx 3yrs old. If the bunny date goes well, I plan on bringing her home the following day.
My buns have an entire BDRM set up, as well as free access to the rest of the condo. I plan on setting up a large space for her inside the BDRM to allow buddy to adapt and bond.

***Is this too soon to introduce a new mate?

I know he is grieving and don't want him to be like that for too long.

***How difficult will it be to adapt this outdoor free roam bun to a indoor condo life?

I love the look and sounds of this girl and I really want this to work, but I also don't want our condo wrote off. Corners in room have already been chewed and have everything they require and more

 

[Blue eyes]

Sorry for your loss.

If it were me, I'd definitely want to wait awhile and give bunny a chance to deal with the loss. But that's just my gut and what I've done in the past with other rabbits. I have no other reason, just my opinion. I usually waited a couple months to see how bunny does.

As for the transition from outdoors to indoors, that shouldn't be too difficult. The harder part will be the bonding process. They need neutral space for bonding which is somewhere not in the current bunny room. Once (if) they fully bond, the tricky part will be allowing them into the bunny room.

Normally one would confine them to just the cage for a few days (after bonding) so they don't squabble over too large of a territory and disrupt the bond. It also allows new bunny to get used to the idea of a litter box. Then they should be allowed out of the cage but probably not the whole room. A limited space around the cage will allow that transition to more (but still limited) space with less likelihood of territory issues. It will also (again) help new bunny in that litter box situation.

Whenever you do a bonding, the current bunny room should be made as neutral as possible so your current male won't feel the need to protect his territory. Move things around, wipe down with vinegar -- whatever can make it seem unfamiliar to your boy.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sorry for your loss.