Re-bonding a bunny who lost a friend

[Stephable]

Hey guys, 

My bunny boston has been sick for a while (he has a tooth root abscess that’s already through the bone, so his care has been palliative) and it’s looking like he has maybe weeks left before his quality of life really deteriorates. He’s getting antibiotics and analgesics so he’s well looked after and has had a good life with everything I could possibly offer.

My actual concern is how my female bunny Poppy will cope with losing him and how to help her. She’s never been a very personable bunny, she tolerates me in small doses but never really enjoyed our interactions so I worry I won’t be able to give her any comfort. I’m open to getting a new friend for her and would like to organise the adoption asap if I should bond them soon after he passes.

What sort of timeline would you guys recommend for bonding after a loss? Also Poppy is about 4 and I’m not looking to get a baby bunny, would an older bunny be harder to bond? Would bonding to a female be less likely?

I’m also worried about bonding because she’s a netherland dwarf so she’s super tiny and tiny bunnies are harder to find for adoption. Would bonding a larger rabbit be a big no-no or just see how it goes? She’s pretty tough

Thanks in advance!

[Bunny House]

Im sorry you’re going through this, I just lost one of my buns so Ill be going through bonding too. His partner actually doesn’t act like anything happened, she’s eating normal but I do sense she is a little lost, she saw his body because I wanted her to have closure. And she isn’t very personable. Your bun might act like mine did or she may not act like it, you just won’t know.

I would say, since I’m in the same boat but have other buns, I will try and bond her with. I would wait until she is okay and through it and wait until you are mentally okay to do it. I would try and stay within a year of each other as older buns often do not have the energy as younger buns do and can get irritated at each other. I always try and do female-male bonds as they are often the easiest, its not impossible though.

I have a new Zealand(dominant female) and a dutch(submissive male) pair and they work just fine, its funny seeing him mount her, its like he’s mounting a mountain haha.

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