Grieving rabbit - what to do for the best

[WetAugust]

Our mini lop died last night. She was bonded to a young (14 months) Rex/Lop.

We're distraught and so is he.

I'm trying to think what the best thing for him would be in the future. I don't want him to remain lonely for the rest of his life, espcaially when he's proven he's a very loving companion.

At the momment he's trying to find her - heartbreaking to watch. I think he does know she's no longer with us.

Should I give him some time to grieve before trying to introduce another female?

If so, how long is recommended?

He's neutered and I would like to find him a female of roughly his own age. His previous partner was older than him.

If anyone has any advice or experience I would really welcome your help.

I'm sorry for your loss, it's very sad. Rabbits are incredibly social animals and do need the presence of another. They don't have the same grieving processes as humans, so he won't need months on his own. If you are sure she didn't pass away from a contagious illness then I would probably give him a couple of weeks max (as he's probably a bit stressed) and in the meantime book him into a rabbit rescue for bonding with a spayed female. The rescues are adapt at bonding (which can be a little unnerving) and can try him with various females until there is a good match (it's very often love at first sight). You will have back-up from a good rescue and they will have given the new rabbit a full health check. You can find a list of rescues near you on www.rabbitrehome.co.uk. Good luck!

Thank you bunnyspolier

No, it was nothing contagious. It was just a shock to all of us.

He's very lethargic and not eating. I've put a soft toy in his hutch. He spent the day sniffing around every inch of the garden trying to find her. Very very sad.

I would really like to book him into a rabbit rescue centre to try to find him a hutch-mate when he's ready. But the problem is that every rescue centre in my area insists that their rabbits go to homes that have a hutch with free access to an out door run.

My hutch does not have that arrangement because I've never thought it secure enough. I don't understand why they insist on this when we're told that a rabbit can die with fright at the sight of a predator. Surely a predator could get very close or even on top of a run at night.

Instead I put the rabbits out every morning at 7-8am without fail into a 6' x6' run on the patio. It's very duty and has a covered roof over part of it, sheleterd sides and a small animal house full of straw inside it. It provides warmth and shelter. When we're home they have free run of the garden. They go back into their hutch just before dusk.

That wouldn't meet the standards of the rescue centre.

So I'm a bit sruck. I won't go to PAH or another breeder and I'm very wary of the private ads.

I just can't bear the idea of him being alone. He's only 14 months and he loves rabbit company (more than human company actually).

I don't really have many options left.

You could ask a local carpenter (or if you have DIY skills it's quite easy) to attach the run to your hutch, as long as it's all sited on concrete and made from weldmesh it's pretty predator-safe. The rabbits will run up to their hutch as soon as they get wind of a predator, whereas in a run alone they feel pretty exposed. To be honest your bunny is probably already used to foxes and cats as they come in and out of the gardens during the day and night. Mine aren't bothered anymore by the sight of foxes or cats, normally i find next door's cat lying the other side of the run and they are all pressed up together for warmth, lol. There are various deterrents you can buy to keep foxes and cats away, a google search usually brings all the options up. I usually put corrugated plastic sheets on top of the run to stop the fox sitting on top looking down/peeing onto the rabbits. Give your local rescue a call, they are used to helping people who want to rehome but don't initially have the required set up. Worst case scenario you could bring him inside to live as a solo house rabbit which isn't ideal but better than him living outside on his own, but I would explore the other options first.

p.s. keep an eye on his eating, if he stops he'll need to go to the vets as they can develop gut stasis easily when stressed and it can be very serious.

Thanks Bunnyspoliler. I could move the hutch onto the patio and attached the run. That would solve that problem. I don't think he'd adapt to being a house rabbit. He loves tearing around the garden binkying - when he's happy.

I'll leave it for a few weeks and then see if he'll accept a new friend. This morning he's trying to claw his way into the garage, probably looking for her.

I'll also definitely keep an eye on his eating - I don't want to lose him too.

Thank you

No advice, but I am sorry you lost your rabbit, and I hope your little bunny recovers from his grief. It's horrible to see them sad or frightened. xx

try not to worry about introducing another, he'll bond very quickly. If he's still pining for company it might be worth trying to pair him sooner rather than later. They are a bit like hollywood movie stars- they don't seem to need to mourn/respect a relationship or stay single for long!! good luck.

Well things have moved on. On Monday I collected 2 females, both 3 months old who were looking for a new home. They are very well bonded. I've had then vacinated and they are living in their own hutch next to poor old bereaved rabbit.

He's seem them and is very interested. He pushes his nose through their cage door and one of the females always comes over to see him. The other is not so interested. Since the new girls have arrived he's back to eating OK and has binkyed a few times (showing off maybe?). He seems a little happier than he was

I'll have both girls neutered. I really haven't decided what to do longterm. I don't want to upset the bond the girls already have (and which I assume they will retain as they mature and are neutered). It would be great if they could both bond with him - but that's unlikely and I don't want to leave one of the girls on her own.

Another option could be to try to bond the 'interested' female and find another male for the 'disinterested' female and have 2 bonded pairs.

At the moment the girks are just settling in and it will a few months before any bonding is attempted - if I decide to do so.

I'll probablystick with the original intention to find him another female roughly his own age.

But I've got a lot of time to see how things develop.

The main thing is that he's a lot happier just being able to visit them through the hutch bars and the girls have settled in nicely so far.

Is it possible to bond 3 rabbits?

It is very possible, certainly. it is also a little possible the 2 females might fall out at some point as girls are prone to doing, especially as they aren't adults yet. So I wouldn't dismiss a trio. If you decide to try a bond (after spaying the does, presume the buck is already done) then approach a rescue who can try it on neutral territory (very important) for you. If it doesn't work quickly then I'd get him a female of his own as they really need the snuggling and grooming of another. If you're expecting to leave it for months I probably would just ask a rescue to find him a female and not bother with the trio to be honest. A few months is a long time on his own outdoors. If the pairs fall out (very very unlikely) you always have the option of swapping partners but i think this a small risk.

Thanks Bunnyspoiler.

I asked the vet when I had them vaccinated about spaying them. He said to bring them in in about a fortnight's time. He thought the earlier I neutered the does the more likely they would be to stay bonded and not fight. Asuuming a few more weeks for their recovery it would be 2 months before I could try bonding them with him - which is a long time.

My male is already neutered. His previous doe was not neutered when we took her on from a breeder. She was an uber-pedigree 2 year old who wouldn't breed successfully. We had her neutered and introduced them very very gradually over the space of about 4-5 months. She'd be in the run and he'd be free in the garden and then we'd swap it around. Before long they were nuzzling up together through the bars of the run. Then we let them roam free together and after a while they started to cuddle up together in a spot in the garden. Then they started grroming each other. That was the stage when we finally put them into the same brand new hutch together permanently.

I thought I might try the same longterm approach this time, keeping them fully separated until they've had time to recover from the spaying but just seeing each other all day - either in the run or out of it and see what the reactions are.

Meanwhile I will contact some rescue centres and see if they have any suitable candidates for him to visit.

To be honest you can bung them in together straight away (once spayed and on completely neutral territory- many use the bathroom or garden shed), use a weldmesh partition to seperate them for a few hours so you can observe how they react to each other, ignoring each other is very promising, aggressive behaviour not so much! Rescues use this method, ultimately they are either going to like each other or not, you can tell pretty quickly. Some people persevere with rabbits which don't immediately get on, sometimes with good outcomes, sometimes not, I personally am in favour of a stress free bond.

Me too. I really don't want this to be stressful.

He's almost 4kg and the does are about 1.8 kg each. They really are not big enough at the momment to protect themselves should he become aggressive towards them, but should be larger by the time they've been spayed. But he is a bit of a softie so may not fight. I'd rather not try that approach.

The weather has been so grim these last few days they've had no contact at all.

lol, I expect they'll go for him rather than the other way round, females are usually much feistier. Especially the small ones! I have a little nethie female 1.4kg paired with a big english lop- he's the size of a large cat- don't know what i was thinking but they snuggled together straight away. Although he was the alpha male when he was with his brother who later died, the new little nethie girl instantly became the boss of the relationship. He knows to stay away from the food bowl until she's had first dibs. I'd get him his own friend to be honest, provided you can afford vets and holiday boarding fees for 4 of course.