Keeping a single bunny?

[Bingaboo]

Hi. I’m just looking for thoughts and feelings on keeping a single rabbit.

One of my bunnies died unexpectedly 2 days ago. The remaining rabbit appears to be doing well, he’s still eating normally and interacting with us well. He’s approximately 7yrs old, we’ve had him for 3yrs.

I do not want to adopt another rabbit, the current one I have was originally adopted to replace my boy that passed to make sure my girl wasn’t lonely. I don’t wish to continue the cycle. I signed up for around 12yrs, not a lifetime, Ha!

I love my rabbit very much. I’d love to keep him as a single bun. But I’m worried that single rabbits can never truly be happy. If putting him up for adoption is what is best for him then I’m willing to do so. But really hoping I can keep him.

Any thoughts?

[LBJ10]

I’m sorry for your loss. I don’t think there is anything wrong with keeping a single rabbit. I guess it just depends on how attached he was to the other one. If he doesn’t mind being alone, then it shouldn’t be an issue. Our last bunny spent the last 3 years of his life alone. We did try introducing him to a rabbit at a shelter, but he wasn’t interested. So we left it alone and he seemed content being an only rabbit receiving all of our attention.

[DanaNM]

It really depends on how much you are able to spend time with him and his personality. If he seems content and you are able to spend lots of time with him, then he will be OK.

You may consider adopting a senior. At 7 he could still have many years left, and there are often many senior rabbits in shelters that need homes. There is of course the certainty that one would eventually be left alone again, but they wouldn’t have as many years alone.

I do hope you can find a way to keep him and keep him happy.

. . . 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.  

[Bingaboo]

Thank you both for your thoughts.

I am in a fortune position where I’m able to spend a lot of time with him. I only work 6 hours per week and my husband works from home. We don’t have a busy social life so our wee guy will never be short of human attention.

Adopting even a senior rabbit isn’t on the cards for us. We are certain we don’t want to bring any more pets into our life for at least a decade or two. There’s a mix of reasons including but not exclusive to the inevitable heartbreak 💔

He mostly appears to be getting on fine without her. We’ve treated him to some new things. He’s as greedy as ever, loving being groomed with his new brush and has been chinning everything – old and new. However I’ve yet to see him flop, binky or zoom since her passing. Hopefully he’ll do one soon.

[DanaNM]

That’s great, it sounds like he will be very happy with your company. Some solo rabbits like having a stuffy to cuddle with, so you could see if he likes that as well.

I have a recently single girl who I do intend to bond again, but needed a break from bonding for a while. She seemed sad at first but after a few months has started acting more like her normal self.

One thing you could also try if you notice he gets depressed is to foster temporarily. I’ve done that in the past with widowed buns and just having another rabbit around temporarily can help them a lot with the transition. But it’s not necessary in most cases (only when the bun stops eating out of depression) and it sounds like  your bun is doing well, so that’s great. 🙂

. . . 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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