Help grieving the loss of a rabbit

[Nibbles' Mom]

Hi,

I’ve never posted before, but my bunny passed away yesterday and I don’t know how to stop crying.

I just left home for college about 2 months ago, and when I left my parents said my rabbit had been very depressed, and I’ve spent the two months I’ve been here waiting to visit for Thanksgiving so I could see her again. Yesterday my parents called me and told me she had gotten very sick very quickly, and the only option was to put her down. I’ve been crying and crying and I feel like I won’t be able to move on until I go home and see her grave and that she’s really gone, but I don’t want to feel this sad while trying to make friends.

If you have any advice on how to cope with the loss of a beloved bun, please share.

Thank you!

[Bam]

I’m so very sorry you lost your rabbit. Grieving is a process and it needs its time. There’s no one-size-fits-all for grieving, as I’m sure you do realize, of course. I think it’s ok to cry and be sad for a while, we’d not be who we are if we didn’t feel very sad about losing a beloved pet.

You could light a tea light candle for her in the evenings. Get an electric one, so you don’t accidentally burn your house down. (I have electric tealights now for that reason, that’s why I recommend them).

You could craft some small ornament to put on her grave or for you to wear, like a bracelet or pendant, commemorating her. You could post a picture of her here to let us bunny loving BB members see how beautiful she was.

And also, try to distract yourself. Grief comes in waves and it’s often overwhelming when it hits. Go out and meet people, do sth new that you havent done before. Study, I’m sure you have a lot of studying to do at college, and it can actually be very restful to concentrate on sth that’s fact-based and non-emotional. Keep going even when you dont want to, but also try to have self-patience and self-compassion.

Those are the things I can think of that helped me a little bit when I lost my bun in August.

[Gordo and Janice]

I echo everything bam said. Very good advice. When you can’t seem to stop crying because of the pain of the loss, try to remember the things about your bunny that make you smile and laugh. Those good things and times were and are so awesome. They are what made having the bunny and your relationship with her so worth it. Not everyone gets to experience such a thing. It is painful and will always be when losing someone we love. But as you go through the stages of coping and healing remember that when we pass we want all of those we love to be happy and not suffer. I’m sure she knew she was loved and she would want you to be happy as well.

I am so sorry for your loss. Words aren’t sufficient in times like this. But there is a lot of good actionable advice in what bam wrote. You are in my thoughts…

[Author]

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