Is one of my bunnys depressed???

[Zack Rayne]

(on the suggestion of the general advice of the board) I seperated Shadow and Ninja, I plan on letting them be together again after they get fixed on January 21st, but until then well you know.

 

Anyway after seperating them Ninja the little boy has become a wonderful pet. I think he want my attention more cause he doesnt have Shadow to play with all the time……… Shadow on the other hand doesnt seem to be doing very well. She went from being an eating, hoping maniac all day long, to mainly chilling on her blanket or by the hutch door, when she isnt eating. She will come to the door during the day time hours and beg my wife to let her out, which is fine cause she loves playing with her, but litterally within an hour of taking Ninja out of her floor of the hutch shes just not the same bunny, I feel terrible cause it seems like shes upset.

 

Shes eating and pooping, but she (not sure if this even makes sense) just seems bummed out. Is there anything I can do? Or is her behavior unrelated? Just looking for some suggestions. Ninja is doing great but shes just ………. sad.

[Helenor]

I think it’s possible that she’s sad without Ninja. Maybe have them near each other so they can see each other?

My new boy Panko isn’t neutered yet but he lives in an x-pen divided into two parts with my girl Lago. They really like being near each other, but he’s getting to be very amorous. I only have to wait until Thursday for his neuter though.

But she could also be tired out from all the activity from earlier.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yeah sounds like she’s missing him. However you did the right thing seperating a male and female who aren’t fixed. There are 1000’s of homeless bunnies out there-no need to add 8-12 more!

I agree with allowing them to see each other…however rabbits can breed through cage bars. Is it possible for you to set up a gate-with nic cubes or baby gate-that has at least two inches between sides? That way they could see each other and smell each other but not mate?

Another thing you could do is give each one a blanky or a towel -and then switch the blankies back and forth-that way they could smell each other and maybe take some comfort from that?

I also think it’s prudent for you to try to console Shadow to ensure she feels company and eats. Its not uncommon for a grieving rabbit to stop eating-so try to keep an eye on her eating and ensure she’s feeling loved enough to eat-it’s very important

[Beka27]

You could also try a simple stuffed toy switched between their pens. They may snuggle up to it.

There’s not a lot you can really do about this until they are both altered. Do you know exactly how old they are? Most vets won’t alter a female until 6 months, so be prepared to wait longer to have her done.

You’re doing great by giving them each individual playtimes with you. Make sure you and your wife both interact with each of them… (I’m feeling a “his and hers bunny vibe”) but you want to both be able to handle and care for both of them. Things can get dicey if “his bunny” chews her shoes, or “her bunny” pees on his shirt… etc… They are family pets.

[Zack Rayne]

Shes still doing terrible. We are sitting with her, hand feeding her at times, I tried the stuffed animal, I tried a scented cloth. She has literally been a different bunny since the separation. She absolutely does not want to be in her enclosure anymore and just sits at the door staring out till my wife comes to her. I attempt to console her but its just not the same, shes eating a little but nothing like she did, and she just looks pathetic. Im praying she perks up soon. She has periods of activity and doesn’t seem sick but im just hoping that this doesn’t lead to her dying. Ill be heart broken if she dies just because I had to keep her away from her bud.

Im giving it till morning, if there isnt a ton of poop and alot of missing food, then I need to figure out an alternative to the current set up. I cant go through another bunny death right now. She was 100% till they got separated it was instantaneous. I have no way of setting it up so they can see eachother either. The hutch is two story and I can only block the entrance to the top, so they each have a floor.

[Monkeybun]

Force feed her if she won’t eat. Critical care if you need to.

[Helenor]

Do you have any neat idea cubes (square grids used to make boxes to make organizing easier)? If you have something like those, you could make her an enclosure where she can see him if they’re near each other.

[jerseygirl]

Do you have more of an idea of the age of Shadow and Ninja? In your thread where you introduced them you mentioned 2-4 months…

I don’t know if this will help or make things worse, I’m wondering if you could have each rabbit on your lap next to one another. Another thing you could try is when one is out of the cage, have the other rabbit in the lower half of the hutch so they can see one another. So who ever lives up the top can come down to the bottom while that rabbit is out.

Looking at the hutch, would it be possible to turn it on it’s side? So the top opening door would be come a side door and the current bottom level side door would become a top opening door. I think I see a ramp to the top, so if the cage were turned then the opening to the upper level would become a little window between 2 rectangular cages. Obviously you’d want to cover that opening with a fine wire mesh or something.
Also, the wire sides that would become the base of the cages would need covering with a solid material.

Hope I’m making sense!

[Beka27]

I’m not sure this is because of the separation. You have to remember that bunnies are supposed to be split up at 8 weeks. This is when they leave the nest and venture out on their own (or are adopted by different families). I find it odd that such a young bunny would already have that type of attachment to a mate. I am worried she might have something going on health wise.

[Zack Rayne]

OK here our morning update.

I woke up this morning at 8am to go on a job interview and checked on them before hand. I refilled Ninjas haye and stuff, and checked on the little girl. She had only eaten the wet grass that I went and got her before bed and had not touched her hay, or pellets. It seemed like she took in some water but thats it. I called the only exotic vet within a 2 hour drive and she didnt get back to me in time so my wife started panicing. She decided to take out the divider and let them be together while she watched for a few hours to see if there would be any change.

Within 15 minutes she was eating, pooping, and drinking. They are currently huddled together next to my foot.

Im having serious doubts to this females age. I just dont understand how she could be very young if this is how she is acting. I have a feeling she is older and that the lady I got them from has no clue what she is talking about. I called her too by the way and was met with “OH dont worry about it, shes probably still getting used to being in a new place and will be fine soon.”

I told her “Yeah thats what the women who sold me my last bunny said and he was dead in 2 days.” This is so bizarre, litterally as im typing this she is binking around and eating. Could she have been bonded with a similar bunny and got taken from it? This just seems so odd to me.

[Beka27]

What is their exact story? If you’ve already posted it, can you post the link to the thread?

What date did you get them

From whom (private party: newspaper ad/craigslist/garage sale, breeder, petstore, shelter)

Are they the same breed or have similar coloring/markings/fur texture (clues they may be siblings and the same age… OR mother and child)

What did the lady say about them when you got them initially, was she allergic to them, bored with them, selling them, giving them away, breeding them, did she have others she had already sold

Since you are not sure of their ages or their sexes, it’s very dangerous to have them together. They need to be seen ASAP by a vet. Who knows… they could even be the same sex and we are worrying for nothing, but we just can’t advocate you putting them together. Since you do not know his age for a fact, he may be ready to be neutered. If testicles are visible, a vet can neuter him today. And… he can impregnate her today.

[Elrohwen]

I agree with Beka – putting them together really can’t be an option, as a pregnancy at her age could cause serious health risks, in addition to unwanted baby buns. I would get a pen of some sort and set up a cage on the floor next to the other cage so that she can see her friend and see if this helps.

From the pictures you posted previously, they looked very very young – younger even than 8 weeks – so I would be shocked to find out they were mature already. I agree with Beka that they are at the age where they would be leaving the nest and it seems very strange that she wouldn’t be able to adapt to being away from her friend.

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