Hi!!
My name is Caroline, and this is a long, somewhat complicated, sad and probably terrible story. I tried to bold the high points. Still, I would appreciate any advice anyone has for me!! I am new to Binky Bunny, but have been reading your articles and advice since we got our bunnies about 14 months ago.
My sisters and I, who are/were roommates, each adopted a bunny a little over a year ago (3 bunnies for 3 of us): my sister Kate got Benedict (18 months), my sister Sarah got GusGus (3 years), and I (Caroline) got Horatio (a very gentlemanly if skittish bunny who would now be 2). They are all mini rexes, beautiful and — for the most part — very playful. While I do the bulk of the care on all the bunnies because I work from home, Horatio had been my bunny. We gave them all both an indoor hutch and an outdoor one for when the weather was nice. They were not bonded, but seem aware of each other’s presence. One really nice, unseasonably cool day in August, we let the bunnies in their outside hutches for the day. When we returned from work, Horatio, had died in what seemed like it might have been a scare or heart attack or could have been from a malady we were unable to recognize. I was devastated. I totally dote on my bunnies, and felt I had failed as a bunny keeper.
Nevertheless, we soldiered on, and GusGus and Benedict continue to thrive. A couple months later, I felt like I could care for a new bunny. We went to the breeder where we originally got our bunnies, and I bonded with a tiny bunny that I named Percy. He was only about 3 months old, and adorable, though a little smaller than the other bunnies. He seemed to do well, even though he never quite gained weight and he never grew much bigger (despite a lot of feedings). He was happy, loved to play, loved to cuddle and would stretch and climb up to be held quite a bit. Ultimately, he ended up at 3lbs to GusGus’ and Benedict’s more normal 4.3lbs. At his check-ups, the vet said he looked and seemed healthy.
A few weeks ago, our sister and her bunny GusGus moved to a new home together. Benedict and Percy continued to live in the same space of our house but separately, in different runs and hutches. 3 weeks ago we had them fixed and had started having them interact with each other more. They seemed aware of each others’ presence, if not eager to fully bond. Then on Tuesday, I came home and found Percy, who was energetic that morning, to be lethargic. He had eaten all of his alfalfa (his favorite) and quite a bit of his food and other hay (botanical hay), and seemed to have been drinking water earlier; but at that moment, he would no longer eat — although he did poop and pee when I placed him in his run. Within about 20 minutes, I became worried, and my sister Sarah and I took him to the vet.
They took an xray, and while it appeared that he had eaten a very tiny bead, the vet assured us this was not uncommon, and he would be fine: he still had food in his GI tract and the bead appeared to be moving and almost in the colon. He was so small, though, and I worried at an increased risk for GI stasis, so I asked if I should be nervous, and the vet literally chuckled (which now I kind of resent, but I am grieving) and said no. They gave him some subcutaneous fluids, and sent us home with critical care as a precaution if he did not seem to be eating his hay, and said we could give him a light anti-inflammatory if we wanted (and gave us that, too).
They started preparing us to leave– with them saying to come back tomorrow if we thought it hadn’t cleared and they could do an xray to ensure it cleared. They said not to panic. We thought maybe we were worrying too much, but my sister and I said we thought he seemed to be getting worse. They still tried to send us home, and assured us this happens all the time and that the bead was smaller than his feed pellets, smaller than his bedding, smaller than just about anything, and clearly was moving through his system. We were nervous, but we checked out at reception and prepared to leave.
When we got to the car, Percy stopped guarding his neck. We ran back in, they checked him one more time, assured us he was fine, and then he went limp. Five minutes later, while my sister and I were comforting him, he looked up at us, squeaked, then purred and died. We were a mess.
I am trying to get over my guilt that Percy ate a bead — even though my vet keeps telling me that he doesn’t think that’s what caused this– but mostly I am now worried about Benedict.
Benedict has never been very crazy about other bunnies. Before we had him fixed, he was extremely territorial, and sometimes would bite (we think) out of jealousy. We have since started a process of greeting and petting Benedict first, and giving him “seemingly” preferential treatment. This process and getting him fixed seem to have calmed him.
But, now that Benedict has had so much change so quickly, I am unable to tell if he is okay without Percy for the time being. Since he was born to a breeder, he has always had other bunnies around if not with him. We can’t tell if he is lonely. He still plays and eats and runs, but he seems to look at the empty cages a lot.
This has made my sisters and I urgent to find a new bunny — even though, we have no idea if Benedict needs a new bunny to live in the hutch and run beside him AND I am not sure I am ready for a new bunny while I am grieving Percy and so soon after losing Horatio. Maybe some of you will see me as a bunny-killer, but truly, I did try to take great care of them. I’ve read so many articles and tried so many things!!
I guess what I am asking is this: Does anyone have any advice regarding getting a new bunny as a companion for Benedict? We have brought GusGus over several times for playdates, but my guilt right now over Percy and for Benedict is making me crazy.
Thanks for reading this long note. Please help me become a better bunny carer.