Hi All, Forgive me if I’m not posting this correctly. I had a 6m/8m old bonded pair of house rabbits. The the male was neutered early the female went for spaying yesterday morning. She had never been alone, straight from her litter to my boy. I asked the vet to put them back together ASAP. I was horrified to find out that after 2 hours, they had not been reunited and my girl had a heart attack and died after 20 minutes of attempted revival.. 

I asked that her body be put with my boy so he could see what had happened. I literally had to drag him from her, it was heartbreaking. He repeatedly licked her head and refused to budge – he loved her so much, he’s a very needy boy. Once I got him home, he moped all day. He was clearly mourning and was all day either very detached or very clingy. He slept by my head for part of the night asking for strokes repeatedly. This morning when I emptied out her hutch (I had separated them in adjacent hutches for the 2 nights before the op due to her humping – which is why I was now spaying her), he just sat in it for hours, until I soaked it in vinegar and her smell was gone. 

Today I searched high and low for a new spayed female to bring him some new company – to no avail. I ended up rescuing an 8 week old male. My adult (neutered) male was interested in him instantly. As I got him out of his carry case he came and nuzzled the new buns head briefly, before I put him in his new home for his settling in period (in a cage right next to my adult male). My older bun was instantly happy, began eating again, binkying again and climbing on the new rabbits cage/poking his nose through the bars. He seems very eager to be closer. I understand that the new bun will eventually become ‘adult’ and I’ll need to keep them apart until they are both neutered/have recovered, but my question is this… Over the next week, during my big buns grieving period and whilst my new bun is used to being with other buns and still small (8-9 weeks), can I introduce them in a neutral space and allow my big boy to have some contact with him, as he so desperately seems to be craving. I feel like I know that this would be good for him. I guess I just want some reassurance that they will be ok at lest before my baby bun is 9-10 weeks old. Also, there are still a few things in my big buns cage with her smell on, should I remove these completely or let him keep them. 

Thanks! 

Kirsty