bonding advice for older bunnies

[AZrabbitlovers]

First post!

Sadly we lost Bdub our 11 year old  male Dutch on Friday the 7th. Been a sad time for us, but also his mate, a 10 year old Florida White named Kira. Kira is very healthy, although not as active as she used to be, she is still full of energy at times. We can tell she is grieving. How long should we wait to try to bond her again? It didn’t take long for her and Bdub to become soulmates, but that was 6 years ago. Can she be bonded with a younger neutered male or would we be asking for trouble? We live in NW Arizona and we adopted her from the NSPCA in Vegas. We will go there again to adopt, no rescues in our area.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff & Suz’Ana

 

[DanaNM]

I’m sorry for your loss. 🙁  I’ve been in your situation before, it’s tough. It’s really your call as to when to start trying to bond her again. I’ve found that my buns that have lost their partners usually benefited from me bringing home another bunny relatively quickly, but you also don’t need to rush out and get another rabbit as long as Kira doesn’t seem super depressed. If she is eating and pooping normally, it’s normal for her to be a bit more “quiet”.

I think you could try bonding her with any neutered male, age doesn’t matter too much. Personality matters more, so I would talk to the shelter/rescue staff to see if they have any insights on buns that might be a good match (such as a bun that was previously bonded or seems to like other buns). The bonding process is the same as any other bond, you just want to be more aware of stress levels and take things slowly.

Does the shelter have a foster to adopt option? That could be a good way to trial a bunny.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[AZrabbitlovers]

Thank you Dana! We are taking it slow for now, Kira is definitely quieter  that’s for sure. We are spending more time with her and she has started hanging out in my office. She is getting more human interaction and we are fine with that.

Thanks again,

Jeff & SuzAna

[AZrabbitlovers]

Just a little update. Wednesday, 6/20/24 we drove down to Phoenix and adopted Mallow & Sage from the Arizona Humane Society. They are bonded, 4 year old male/female and are very sweet bunnies. We hope to bond them with Kira. Will keep you all posted. Sorry, I tried to post pictures but was not allowed for some reason.

Thanks,

Jeff

[DanaNM]

Awww that’s great! Good luck!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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