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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BONDING What is best for remaining bunny now…

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    • Bewnafella
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        Hello all, I am a new member to posting on the board but have been here many times to read posts. Yesterday our sweet male mini lop who we have had for 3 years passed from what the vet said was stasis. It all happened very quickly and was so awful. He had never had any health problems prior to this and in just a matter of 24 hours he went from hopping around, to being lethargic and then having difficulty breathing.

        Along with the awful sadness of losing him, we are also wondering exactly what to do with his remaining bonded partner, a male lion head. I got them together as babies and they have been together the past 3 years. These two could not have been more different in personality. The mini lop was extremely outgoing, into everything and curious, while the other is very skittish and does not like to be handled so much and is very shy. They did really enjoy each other’s company however and were always grooming and snuggled next to each other when sleeping.

        We just are unsure what to do next. I hate for him to be alone, I keep reading all these articles about how bad it is for them after their bonded partner dies and I don’t want this remaining bunny to be miserable for the rest of his life. I also don’t know how soon would be too soon to introduce a new friend and how to do that exactly. Any advice to share from those who have experienced similar situations would be greatly appreciated!


      • jerseygirl
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          Im very sorry for your loss. Binky Free Little One.

          How has your lionhead bun been since losing his mate? 

           
          Because he has never lived alone, I would also be considering getting him a companion. BUT, single rabbits can be content, they just need a fair bit of human companionship. Some do well with another family pet also.  

          His relationship with you could improve also, being a single rabbit. If you’re not in a position to provide him that companionship, then getting him another mate is really for the best. It may help you also, in dealing with the loss of your mini lop. Rabbits can do that.

          As to when is the right time, that really comes down to when you are ready. It’s not uncommon for a remaining rabbit to become a bit depressed and this gets better as they adjust, but some rabbits cannot get out of the funk and need another rabbit to help them engage again. We had one member here whose rabbit would not eat unless another rabbit was around. She ended up having her friend visit and bring her rabbit over just so her bunny would eat and have some social time.
          There are other rabbits that don’t seem to react much at all, to the loss of a mate. They sort of acknowlege it but then get on with being a rabbit. They do strongly rely on routine to give them a sense of security though, in my opinion.

          Provided you are ready, you could get another rabbit as soon as this week. Or just take your rabbit to meet some and see how his demeanour is. That might help you make a decision if another rabbit is a good idea or not. Or if the timing is right or not. 

          I strongly recommend you let your rabbit pick out a new companion. Rabbit rescues often let owners bring their rabbits in to meet the desexed bunnies there.
          On that note, is he desexed? Most times, having 2 males together, they’d be desexed, but I don’t want to presume anything. Ive known of intact males living together. (They just must have been the right personalities).
          Anyway, it will make bonding with a future companion go easier and if adopting through a Rescue, they will require the rabbits to be desexed.


        • jerseygirl
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            To add to my previous post, you will also need to be prepared to do some bonding work with your lionhead and new rabbit if they don’t co-habit well together right away. So that may factor into your decision whether now is the right time to get another rabbit or not.

            Ideally, there will be an instant bond and you can house them together right away! That’s what we all hope for.

            Personally, Ive only rebonded one of my rabbits that lost a mate. The other loss was one of a trio so the remaining pair had each other.

            With my first pair, the boy lost his companion after being together for 4 years. Of the two, I had always thought he would be the one to not do as well if losing a companion. But he surprised me. He has lived as a single rabbit for 2 years before coming to live with me so maybe that factored into it.

            I was just observing him but felt okay about him being on his own. 

             
            About 2 weeks after we lost Jersey (his companion) I took in a foster rabbit to give a friend some respite. She has been fostering this rabbit for 2 years.
            It wasn’t long after she was settled in that I let my rabbit Rumball go visit. He seemed to gravitate towards her. I had other rabbits in the house but he sought her out and lay outside of her pen. So I thought “why not?” she needs a permanent home and he seems to like her. So I tried them together and they bonded.
            She was actually a rabbit that I thought would be fine on her own also, she was very neat by herself (but not so much once bonded!) and had been on her own for a few years already.
            But now I see them often snuggled together and its all worked out. I can separate them for a few hours and they are fine and not pining for each other. They have times where they stay apart when in the same area too or need their own space (especially her) but they definitely benefit being together also.

            I have a single rabbit too and for a while when he was younger, he had another rabbit in a pen the next to him. My plan had been to bond them but some health issues with one put that on the back-burner.  When I had to have that rabbit put to sleep, the other did react to his being gone somewhat. It was subtle but he was a bit different, even though they werent bonded. This bun is pretty bonded to me so he is still a single bun and content. He adjusted to losing the roommate. Even side by side living does give them a level of companionship though. So even if a new rabbit and yours don’t bond, if you are prepared to house them separately for the long term, it is still beneficial, in my opinion.


          • Bewnafella
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              Thank you jersey girl for your reply! Right now he seems to be doing okay, at least eating normally and pooping normally and eating his fruit treats. They were both neutered, so that would be something else to consider when bringing in a friend for it. I don’t know whether another male would work best or female? And if age would be an issue if we wanted to bring in a younger one. I guess it would just depend on how he responds. He was always very submissive to the other rabbit, so I would think with a new rabbit he would be submissive as well. Unfortunately we live in a rural area of Texas and don’t have access to a rabbit rescue like some of the bigger cities have, but there are some shelters that have rabbits so that is where I would check.

              That is so sweet about Rumball and the foster rabbit. It was always such fun to watch the two rabbits together, binkying and running, that is what I miss already about both of them together. It’s kind of hard to even think about having another rabbit replace the one we just lost, because he had the best personality and was so unique, but I really want to do what is best for this remaining one.


            • Vienna Blue in France
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                Hi B. So sorry about your lop.
                Neither age nor sex matter choosing a new bunny companion.

                Your bun will (as Jersey says) gravitate towards the bun he feels happier with. If he is shy and submissive, maybe his role may be reversed if he finds another bun just as submissive… you never can tell.

                But if you’ve got the time and love and finances, i would go see if i could find another bun to give a loving home to


              • Gina.Jenny
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                  When Pippi lost his bonded mate, Rusty, he bonded instantly (as in later the same day that Rusty was PTS) with a little girl bun we’d just adopted. The pair just snuggled side by side. Jenny was struggling with hypothermia and I think she was just glad to snuggle into a big warm boy bun.


                • tobyluv
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                    I’m sorry about the loss of your bunny. I have had several pairs of rabbits over the years and had different experiences when one of them died. I have had rabbits left without a companion who were not people oriented, and I knew that they needed another rabbit companion soon. With other rabbits, I knew it was okay to wait a little while before getting a companion. Of course, I would try to spend extra time with the lone rabbit until a new companion was found.

                    It is usually easier to bond a male with a female, neutered and spayed, of course, but you can also bond same sex rabbits. You have already gone through that. Any companion you get will have to be spayed or neutered first before you can attempt bonding. Almost all rescues will have rabbits that are already spayed and neutered and some shelters/humane societies will have them too.


                  • vanessa
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                      I’m sorry about your loss. Each bunny indeed responds differently. In my case, Guinevere lost Merlin, and she was obviously sad for the next month. I gave her lots of attention, and after a month she perked up. It took 10 months to bond her with Lancelot. He is now in poor physical shape, and I felt it was in his best interest to separate him and Guin. She has been sad, but I did let her have a few supervised play dates with him, and “weaned” her off him. When they see eachother, they both still want to groom. But I have to watch them closely. She no longer loosk sad, but she is bored, and getting destructive. She has started to hang out next to the fence where my other pair live, and I’m currently tyring to bond her with them. She seems very receptive to the idea. She and Lancelot each have a stuffy – they love their stuffies. You might want to try that. A stuffed rabbit/animal can bring a surprising amount of comfort. Lancelot does just fine as a single. He loves to groom his stuffie, and he loves to groom me and cuddle on my lap.


                    • Bewnafella
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                        Thank you all for your replies, they have been very helpful! For now we are going to try and give more time and attention to him and see how he acts. In the mean time I will definitely be looking around at shelters and rescue options to see if there are any good potential matches out there so that he can enjoy having a companion.

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                    Forum BONDING What is best for remaining bunny now…