Help with grieving rabbit

[CooperLop]

Sadly, on Sunday morning Penny passed away suddenly after only a few hours of stasis. We brought her home last June to bond with Cooper after his previous friend, Sheldon, died a few months earlier. The bond with Sheldon was good, but more of a friendship than love. There was no change in behavior when Sheldon died. Penny was love at first sight and after one marathon day of bonding they were glued to each other 24 hours a day. Cooper was with her when she died and for a few hours after.

In the past 48 hours I haven’t seen him eat any hay except from an alfalfa cube (he’s finished 1 1/2 cubes in 2 days). He is picking at pellets here and there, maybe 2 tablespoons over the course of the day. I’ve been offering a mix of timothy pellets and alfalfa pellets just to tempt him to eat anything. He has eaten a few very small pieces of fruit but has refused all greens. His weight has always been a bit low, I would consider him thin but not skinny/underweight. He is already skin and bones after 2 days of not eating much. There is plenty of poop coming out and though I havent seen him drink a lot he is still drinking and peeing (though he refuses to go in the big litter box they usually shared, he will only go in a smaller one we used to use when he was single).

He has always been a love bug who couldn’t get enough attention. Now he lets me pet him but is very skittish and runs away if I make any sudden movements and is not seeking out attention at all. He spends all day sitting upright, never laying down or looking relaxed. I understand he needs time to grieve and it’s only been 2 days, but I am worried that I can feel every bone in his body and his hips and spine are sticking out so far you can see them from across the room. After losing 2 mates in one year I am not sure if I can handle the idea of another rabbit but I also was lucky enough to witness an amazing bond that proved to me rabbits need a companion. I’m at a loss for what the next step is. Plenty of sources say to let them grieve for a week or 2 but at the rate he’s dropping weight I’m worried he will be dead in a week. I’m going to go buy a bunch of different fresh herbs today to see if I can tempt him, but the lack of hay is really worrying me too. If anyone has dealt with an underweight grieving rabbit I’d love to know what might help.

[JackRabbit]

I have no advice but wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss and how bad I feel for Cooper. Bunny love is an amazing thing to watch. Vibes for Cooper. Poor little guy.

[Diamond]

Poor little guy, I hope he feels better soon. Have you talked to a vet?

[CooperLop]

Thanks. They were amazing together, I wish everyone could witness a bond like theirs.

UPDATE: he is now eating cilantro and parsley and asking for more! Still no hay, but at least it’s something.

[Megabunny]

Glad to hear he’s starting to eat SOMETHING
Canned pumpkin is often yummy and full of fiber, once they get a few tastes of it. They can have quite a bit ( I don’t have any set amounts to advise)
Also, I would consider even branching out and either get some of those barley treats/timothy apple treats at the pet store or even mini spoon size shredded wheat without sugar on them. Obviously, you aren’t going to suddenly start filling his bowl with this stuff (well, I think you could be somewhat liberal w/ the pumpkin) but these are crunchy wonderful treats that rabbits love and wouldn’t be totally awful for him. If you continue the greens, he probably won’t turn into a junk food addict

[CooperLop]

I did buy pumpkin today too along with a jar of baby food raspberry oatmeal. He ate the baby food as a at as he could. Only a spoonful but he really seemed excited about it. I’ll try the pumpkin tonight. Of course he seems to be turning around after I panic and post about it, but he still has a long way to go until I’d say he’s “normal”.

[Megabunny]

Ha ha Of course he does. But we’d all rather hear that than the alternative. So glad he liked the babyfood. What a great idea! The oatmeal should be good fiber, too.

[JackRabbit]

I know it’s not the same, but I wonder if a stuffie would help him get through missing his friend.

[LBJ10]

That’s a good idea JR. He might find comfort in having something furry to cuddle with.

So sorry to hear about Penny. And poor Cooper, this has got to be hard for him.

[tobyluv]

I’m sorry for you and Cooper about the loss of Penny. I hope that he will start eating his normal diet soon.

[Peony]

I am sorry for the loss and ill try to help.
Has Cooper spend any time with Penny after the passing? what did he do if you did? That usually helps them understand what happened but they will still grave. All you can do is try show Cooper ore love more pets and such.it might also help try find a new partner for Cooper but the right time to do that is different for each bunny.

[Ruby n Max]

I am so sorry to hear about Cooper and your loss. I think that the suggestions above are great about trying pumpkin and a stuffie. About 2 years ago we lost Ruby, and Max was devastated. We waited two weeks before we brought him to speed date again, but I think he would have been ready sooner, we were just worried it would be too soon. I would suggest giving a brief speed dating session a try just to see how he reacts. If after a few bunnies he is not having any of it, I would wait a few weeks before trying again. He will let you know when he is ready.

It is good that you let him stay with her for a few hours, this really does help with the grieving process.

Until you guys give dating a try, just shower him with love as Peony said and keep offering him tasty food.

[CooperLop]

Thanks everyone.  Cooper was not really improving much and my husband and I decided we loved how happy he was bonded so it was worth at least looking in to another friend.  The shelter only had one rabbit, but he was already neutered and only 1 year old (and had recently been separated from his life-long mate when he was turned in to the shelter), so we brought Cooper in to meet him and it went as wonderfully as you could hope for a first meeting.  So yesterday morning we adopted the new guy, Chester, and they rode home in the carrier together.  I’m 2 for 2 with marathon bonding so I went for it… never a fight, no fur was pulled out, just a lot of humping and a little chasing when I tried to give them too much space too soon. I slept next to their pen last night and this morning they were cuddling and grooming each other.  I steamed cleaned the old bunny area and moved them in to a small section of it (usually they are free range).  Cooper is eating tons of grain, all treats/fruits/etc that I offer and a few greens.  I’ve only seen him nibble some hay, but he definitely has an appetite and he looks like he’s in heaven when Chester grooms him.  He has a long way to go, but this was the right decision for sure.

 

 

[Cottontail]

Although it is awful that Penny had to go so soon, I am happy to see that Cooper and Chester can help comfort each other, and help each other heal a lot of hurt. Sending lots of good vibes your way, and I hope that all of you can mend and love each other as much as Cooper and Penny loved each other.

{{{ VIBES }}}

[JackRabbit]

So glad things are working out. It’s so nice that these two have each other. Chester is a big beautiful boy!

[LBJ10]

Oh my gosh, how sweet are they? It sounds like Cooper really does need someone with him and this beautiful boy needed someone too. A match made in heaven, I should think.

[Patrick]

Wow, sorry to hear Penny passing, but thats awesome Cooper has a new buddy, looks like he will re-coop

[Mimzy]

Just saw this, I’m so sorry for the loss of Penny. Hoping Cooper will continue to improve with Chester! Sounds fairly promising! He looks kinda like my Obi

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