How to tell if my rabbits lonely

[Sofia]

In November of last year I got two beautiful baby bunny girls, Bobby and Boo. They were from the same litter and got along extremely well. I never had to do any type of bonding and I had never seen them get a fight. About a month ago Bobby died because of GI stasis. Her cecum was not working at all and she had some serious health issues. She was suffering too much and I decided to put her down. I was and still am heartbroken about her death but I’m a bit worried about Boo. She has’t shown any signs of depression and to be honest I’m not sure she’s that upset about Bobby leaving. I’m still in the process of figuring out whether Boo will stay a single bunny or if I should get her a companion, but until then I want to make sure she stays happy and healthy. Although she lives outside in a greenhouse/shed that’s connected to our house, I will bring her in I’m watching tv, making dinner, or if I want to play with her etc. So that does mean I shut her up for the night time outside and she can’t be with me. I’m also still in school so she would also be alone for another 6 to 7 hours. Is that too much time for her to be alone? Is she lonely and in danger of falling into a depression? How do I keep her from being bored when she’s on her own?

[kurottabun]

Sorry to hear about Bobby :/

Bunnies don’t recognise family units and cannot bond when they are babies – any baby bunny will get along with everyone/bun up until their hormones kick in at puberty. This is when the bunnies will potentially fight or spray each other because of territorial instincts. Babies are also notoriously hard to sex so one or both of your buns may actually be male (you should get the sex confirmed by a rabbit savvy vet). There have been instances of unwanted litters because two bunnies who were thought to be the same sex turned out to be male x female.

So Boo is most likely not depressed because she wasn’t bonded to Bobby in the first place. For bunnies to be bonded, they need to be mature enough to be spayed/neutered, then go through a proper bonding process. You can read up about that in the BONDING section of this forum

As for whether you should get another bun, there are more to consider than just company. Since you mentioned you’re still in school, make sure the primary financial providers (most of the time, parents) are agreeable and willing to pay for an extra bunny, especially when it comes to vet fees (which are expensive because they are exotic pets). Both buns need to be spayed/neutered as well. The bonding process can often take months, so make sure you are willing to commit to that if necessary.

You can make her toys or give her some stuff to do (e.g digging boxes etc.) so she isn’t bored. I think there’s a DIY toy section under BUNNY INFO as well.

[Sofia]

Thanks for replying!

I got them when they were around 3 to 4 months old so they would have probably already been in puberty, and they were never neutered because every time I made an appointment Bobby would get sick and she was never really well enough. However they still got on fantastically. Also when Bobby died they were both around 10 months old, wouldn’t that be past the puberty stage? And I did actually get them checked by the vet they were both definitely girls.

It never came across my mind that they weren’t bonded at all and just thinking about makes me feel sad, as I thought that they were best friends all along (they sure looked like it).

Thanks for the tips on getting another bun. I have taken all factors into consideration, but I’m still just figuring out if she’s happy enough on her own. And of course I have to get her neutered first.

About her being bored, I have given her toys, loads of chew mats, a diggy box, hidey houses etc. But she never really plays with them, and I don’t have the money to go to the pet store and get all the expensive toys there. I will look for some other DIY toy ideas, but again, she doesn’t seem interested in anything i give her.

[Bam]

If she isn’t interested inthe toys you have for her, she probably wouldn’t be interested in expensive pet store toys either. Many buns are completely indifferent to toys. My bun likes to chase his treat ball and he loves gnawing on apple twigs -but both those activities involve edibles, so it’s not like he is actually playing.

I don’t think you have to be sad about the two sisters not being bonded. Two females that have grown up together can sometimes be successfully bonded. That was how rabbits were kept together before girls could be safely spayed – two girl siblings or an intact girl + a neutered boy. If Bobby had lived, they might have fallen out as they grew older -but the risk of that is over now, of course. Boo should still be spayed for health reasons.

Not all buns go into depression when their pawtner dies. Is she eating, drinking, pooping, peeing etc like normal?

[Sofia]

Nothing has really changed in her behaviour. Although she isn’t drinking that much water compared to how much she did before. Should I be worried?

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