I wanted to share this since it’s been so amazing to me –
I’ve had my two now-elderly bunnies, Mr. Bunny and Ms. Rabbit, for 9 and 7 years. They were a fairly difficult pair to bond – they had several very bad fights, and the whole process took 2 months. But they did bond – and they’ve been pretty inseparable since then.
My sweet girl-bunny developed cataracts 2 1/2 years ago, and they’ve lately caused her a lot of issues due to corneal ulcers. Coupled with arthritis, she had a very hard time licking her eyes and ears. But when she hops up to Mr. Bunny, the first thing he does is to lick out both of her eyes, then both ears. He knows exactly what makes her feel good anytime she asks.
Now, she developed E. cuniculi a week ago. When she first started being unable to hop and totally stopped eating, he refused to go near her for a couple of days. He just stayed withdrawn in a corner and wouldn’t eat unless food was brought to him. I thought he was ignoring her, but then I realized that from his perspective, she was gravely ill, and he was mourning already. Once she started eating and moving around again, he spent every waking moment with her – even more than usual. He spent hours licking her entire body and making sure her eyes/butt were constantly clean until she could do more on her own. He was totally devoted to guarding over her. When I had to be at work and class, he was still there to keep her warm and clean.
Right now, they’re sitting next to my feet. She hobbled over to lay with me for a while, then Mr. Bunny joined her, and they’ve been licking each other for over an hour now. I just wanted to share this, mainly for anyone thinking about getting a second bunny but unsure if it’s really needed. These little creatures have an amazing bond with each other that lasts their whole life, and they give each other a type of attention that no human can really provide.
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