Rabbit’s sister passed away, what should I do?

[HangeZoe]

I bought my bunnies when they were about 9 weeks old, and I got them in pairs. They came from the same litter and have been together since then. Unfortunately, her sister passed away. She was only about 4-5 months old (February 25 – Jun 17). Her sister is the same age but still alive. She seems very lonely and doesn’t do much now that her sister is gone. She still drinks her water, but eats very little, and won’t even touch her hay. She used to hop around too, but now she just lays in her corner, flopped. She is not breathing heavy or anything. Just laying there. Would it be a good idea to bring another rabbit back into the home for her, around the same age? (5 months) I really want what’s best for her, but I am unsure what to do. 

[tobyluv]

I’m sorry about the loss of your bunny. You didn’t mention if the surviving sister has been spayed or not, but probably that hadn’t been done yet due to your rabbits’ ages. The reason the two sisters were able to live together peacefully, was because they were young and their hormones hadn’t come into play yet. At 4 months of age, your bunny will soon be dealing with that. Before you can bring another rabbit into your home, with the hope of bonding it with your rabbit, you will need to get your rabbit spayed. Any new rabbit that comes in will need to be spayed or neutered. You have to wait a few, or several weeks after their surgeries before you can start the bonding process. It is usually easier to bond a female (spayed) with a male (neutered) but you can bond same sex rabbits. Bonding can be rather quick and easy or it can take weeks or months, so be prepared for all that it entails. In rare cases, rabbits may never get along and never bond, so they would have to be kept separated for their whole lives. Fortunately, that rarely happens, but it’s another thing to be prepared for.

In the meantime, spend as much time as possible with your bunny. A stuffed animal to cuddle with may make her feel better, if she is not a chewer.

Do you know what her sister died from, and is it possible that it could be contagious? It’s very important for a rabbit to eat and poop. Have you offered your bunny her favorite greens? It may be a good idea to take her to the vet to make sure there is nothing wrong with her. I know that vet visits can be scary to a rabbit, but she may be in need of some Critical Care if she isn’t eating well. Or the vet may decide to give her something to stimulate her appetite.

I hope that she will feel better soon and start eating normally.

[HangeZoe]

Thank you a lot for the information. Unfortunately, her sister was very little and passed away from a heat stroke while I was at work. Jun 17 got A LOT hotter than I expected, but by the time I got home, she had passed away. I have so much guilt for it and is why I really want to be here to protect her sister and make sure she lives on. I now keep is very cool in my room, and she seems to be doing okay.  I have taken her to the vet and they did give me some Critical Care, and I have tried feeding her little amounts of spinach, but she seems to have bad bathroom problems when I do. So I stopped giving her that, and now she gets her Critical Care one a day, a small bowl of pellets (that she never finishes) and unlimited amounts of hay, but she never eats it. I do not want to force her to eat her hay, so I was thinking I might have to get a different type of hay. 

[Sofia]

So sorry for the loss of your bun. Been in the exact same situation myself, and I made sure to spend a lot of my time with my bunny at the start hoping she wouldn’t get depressed. Unfortunately, your rabbit sounds quite affected, and if she’s not eating or pooping it’s important to get her to a vet as it might be gi stasis. Give your rabbit lots of toys, since she’s on her own now she will probably get bored easily. If you are thinking of getting another bunny, you need to get you rabbit neutered first and also think of all the other factors, as tobyluv mentioned above. You’d need to research a lot about bonding bunnies as it’s a very long difficult process. That shouldn’t discourage you though, it’s great to give a rabbit a home and also give your rabbit a best friend.

[HangeZoe]

She has been pooping and eating. Just in very small amounts. I got her a couple of stuffed animals and chewing sticks for her as well. 

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