Rabbit in bonded pair dies

[BuckyLuna12]

Recently I came to y’all in need of advice for my rabbit Bucky with a infected back. You told me I needed to schedule an appointment with the vet for this Wednesday, but he died while I was asleep last night. My other rabbit Luna, who was bonded with him, is still confused as to where he is. I know that rabbits may go into depression when their partner dies, but what can I expect from it, and what are the signs for depression? How can I help to make it easier on her? And when should I get anouther rabbit to bond with her? Thank you guys so much……

[Melissa Rabbit]

so sorry about your sudden loss. luna might be eating less and might be less active for a little while. when my bun tibbers lost his girlfriend, he started acting normal after a week. i adopted him a new friend about two months later. tibbers and i got a lot closer during that time as well. i made sure tibbers had extra greens and gave him a lot of treats to encourage him to eat. i sat with him and talked to him for a few hours every day. i gave him new toys to encourage play and rearranged stuff to make exploring more exciting for him. i think you and luna need each other right now, so spend as much time with her as possible.

i did notice that after tibbers was bonded to his new friend, his personality changed a bit. he became a bit of a grump. im not sure if it’s because i bonded him to another boy or he took on a different role..still such a sweetheart and a gentleman but he’s very grunty if he does not get what he wants. i just wanted to bring that up, in case you notice that luna also seems different.

[Sirius&Luna]

You should spend extra time with her, and make sure she is eating a normal amount. Monitor her poops, and if they get smaller or she stops pooping, you’ll need to take her to the vet. Has she been eating and hopping around as usual? Is she active or lethargic?

Please don’t get another rabbit unless you can commit to actually taking them to the vet when they need it. You also need to be much more careful when bonding, they should never be allowed to fight.

[sarahthegemini]

Is this the rabbit that wasn’t really moving and had infected spots on his back from a bite wound? Because if so, you updated that thread on the 12th of this month to say you’d get an appointment. “This Wednesday” would be the 25th. Two weeks after. Why did it take so long to get an appointment? Were the vets unable to see him sooner? If so, I would really consider finding a better vet for if Luna ever needs one. Any vet that knows rabbits wouldn’t make you wait a fortnight to be seen.

[BuckyLuna12]

I couldn’t get Bucky in sooner. I will looked around for a vet that could be a better fit. Thank you guys for your advice. Luna is running round as much as she was, and is eating as much. I will still monitor her closely in case she becomes inactive. Thank you so much Sirius and Luna for your advice, but aren’t rabbits supposed to have partners to be happy? Are you suggesting I should let Luna become unhappy or depressed because you don’t think I should have anouther rabbit? Bucky was my first rabbit ever, and I did not know how serious his injury was. If I had known I would have taken him to the vet sooner, but I couldn’t find anything online or otherwise talking about infections on his back. When I realized he had signs of pain I asked y’all for advice, because I live in a small town and the closest certified exotic vet is and hour and a half away, and I can’t drive. If there is a next time, and if my next rabbit shows any signs of pain or sickness I will be sure to take him to the vet.

[Deleted User]

Not every bunny is happier as a pair. Bunnies can live happy and healthy lives as singles. It’s not worth taking on an extra bunny if you don’t have the means to take on an extra bunny (I don’t know your situation I’m just saying generally). It would be much better to focus all your time and love into just one rather than 3 hours a day to this one and 3 hours a day to that one. Bonding can’t be rushed. So even if you do decide to bond her again, it will take months of two separate buns. At least 2-4 weeks to let the new one settle in (without prebonding), another 1-2 months of prebonding once they’ve settled in, and then you start the actually bonding sessions, which depending on the buns could be 10 minute sessions for months without progress or an easy bond that takes 2-3 weeks. And you’d need a plan for if they couldn’t bond. Would you rehome bun #2 or keep it and have your attention/time/resources devoted to 2 separate bunnies.

There were other reasons people are saying the above. There was another thread where you talked about his poops and people were trying to help, but you didn’t really want to take their advice, and then in the post about his back people felt similarly. I’m not saying this to be rude, just what I observed.

I do think for now it will be okay to leave her as a single, considering she was hostile towards Bucky enough to give him that cut. I don’t think she’s going to welcome another bun quite so eagerly. I’d just focus all of your attention on her and really solidifying a good bond between the two of you.

[Sirius&Luna]

As A&B said, there are plenty of single rabbits who are perfectly happy. There are many people on this site who have single rabbits, it’s just important to spend more time with them.

If she does become depressed because of the lack of friend, then maybe its something that you’ll need to look into, but as you say she is eating and behaving normally, it sounds like she’ll be okay. It’s normally immediately after the death that they become depressed, so if she’s fine a couple of days after, it’s likely that she’s moved on. Rabbits don’t grieve like us.

It also sounds like you had a very tricky bond before, so it’s likely that she would be very tricky to bond again. As A&B also said, you would need to commit to keeping two rabbits separate for at least two months, which having done it myself, is extremely hard work and stressful.

[BuckyLuna12]

When I tried to bond Bucky and Luna, Luna gave him that bite when she was not spayed. After I spayed her, she was much less hostile towards Bucky. Is his normal rabbit behavior? I have also noticed that once she realized that Bucky wasn’t gone, and she is still doing this now, but she just sits in one spot of her cage all day, and I would be able to tell because I’m homeschooled and home all day. She usually runs around rearranging stuff, and chewing on everything, but she hasn’t done any of those things either. I also have had experience with having two separate bunnies. It took me six months to save up/find a vet to spay Luna. After that their bond only took two months. Thanks for your advice!

[sarahthegemini]

What do you mean by ‘less hostile’? Bonded pairs are happy in each other’s company, there shouldn’t be any hostility.

It sounds like Luna us grieving, please keep an eye on her. Is she lethargic? Eating?

[sarahthegemini]

What do you mean by ‘less hostile’? Bonded pairs are happy in each other’s company, there shouldn’t be any hostility.

It sounds like Luna is grieving, please keep an eye on her. Is she lethargic? Eating?

[BuckyLuna12]

When she wasn’t spayed, she would continually try to mate with Bucky by mounting him. After I spayed her, she only mounted him to show that she was dominant. She is still eating, and moves around some, but not as much as she used to.

[BuckyLuna12]

When she wasn’t spayed, she would continually try to mate with Bucky by mounting him. After I spayed her, she only mounted him to show that she was dominant. She is still eating, and moves around some, but not as much as she used to.

[BuckyLuna12]

When she wasn’t spayed, she would continually try to mate with Bucky by mounting him. After I spayed her, she only mounted him to show that she was dominant. She is still eating, and moves around some, but not as much as she used to.

[BuckyLuna12]

When she wasn’t spayed, she would continually try to mate with Bucky by mounting him. After I spayed her, she only mounted him to show that she was dominant. She is still eating, and moves around some, but not as much as she used to.

[Snickerdoodle & Oreo]

So sorry for your loss. I hope Luna is okay.

It seems that, taking your bunnies to the vet is a rather big hassle, if they’re so far and you’re unable to take them. Have you also searched for local rabbit rescues that you can call and ask for advice? They should have more resources for you. Even help for bonding when you and Luna are ready. We reached out to our nearest House Rabbit Society to find a bunny. (Sadly, our first bunny is a grouch, but we’re asking for bonding help as well.)

My best advice is… if anything seems weird about your bunny, take them to the vet as soon as possible. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I wish you the best of luck in taking care of Luna, and any other future bunnies you have.

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