Separation anxiety

[Yilina]

Hi guys!

I apologise for not having written here in such a long time. Tambor is doing wonderful and he’s approaching his 3rd birthday! He learnt how to open the treats tupperware and we even took him on a trip to an isolated park. He made it through a terrible case of GI stasis and had a beginning of a new episode of it when we went on holidays last June. We left him at home with 2 wonderful friends that took care of him better than I’d have dreamed of, but, still, when we got home after only 4 days he was crouching in his “my belly aches” position. Fortunately, the vet had told us how to properly care for him and he made a fast recovery with Criticalcare, belly massages, exercise and unlimited veggies.

I need some advise. Tambor is very bonded to my husband, as they share an office/room and he works from home. Tambor lets him pick him up and cuddle him, while he looks at me with a “don’t ever think of doing the same” glare. However, my husband is going on a trip for 2 weeks at the end of the year and I’m dreading another G.I. stasis episode :S. As all bunnies, he hates changes and not having my husband there all day by him is a big one.

Do you have any advise on how to make those 2 weeks easier on him? Should I give him a piece of my husband’s clothing to smell? I also work from home, should I move my office to my husband’s so that Tambor feels there is somebody there with him during the day? Or is it worst because he’ll feel I’m replacing his adored human? Bunnies has such big personalities and whims!

 

[sarahthegemini]

So sorry to hear of your struggles. I hope Tam is able to put a smile on your face through it all 🙂

I would move to your hubby’s office but leave a few items that smell like him to comfort bunbun. As you have a while to prepare, what about putting some of your items (blanket, shirt etc) in with Tambor now? It might make things easier when your hubby is away because he (Tam) will already be surrounded by your scent.

[Yilina]

Thank you, Sarah, that’s such a good idea! Does anybody else have other suggestions?

It was a big shock when he got sick the last time. We were only gone for 4 days and our friends had taken care of him wonderfully. We gave them this huge list about Tambor and they followed it 100%, they even moved into our flat! (why they still want to be friends with this bunnycrazy couple is a mystery -lol!). We thought that, if we kept everything else unchanged (territory, feeding schedule, petting time, etc.) he would be ok, but I guess we were mistaken… Is this normal bunny behaviour? That they are so bonded with a human that they get sick when that person leaves?

[Sirius&Luna]

I don’t think it’s that normal for them to be so bonded for a human they get sick when they leave – it’s also obviously not ideal. Have you thought about getting him a friend? It might help him to feel more secure and be less distressed if your husband is away.

[Yilina]

A friend is unfortunately out of the table :S. We live in a island in Africa and there are no rabbit vets here or around that can neuter Tambor. I talked about this here in an old post.

I have a friend with a bunny that is also super bonded to her and had the same issue when she left on holidays.

[Yilina]

Hi guys,

Does anybody else have other suggestions on how to make those 2 weeks easier on him? :*

[Wick & Fable]

This is quite similar to my situation with Wick. Wick is very much bonded to me but is barely tolerant of his other parent, and Wick does get very stressed when I’m gone.

For Wick, his other parent has found just being hands off and making sure to feed him during my absence is enough to not put on additional pressure than necessary. Doing your best to match routine would be good, so if there’s a certain time your husband sits here, does this, does that, etc, it would be good to mimic that as well.

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.

[Yilina]

Thank you, Wick! I’m glad to hear that this “separation anxiety” happens to other bunnies too. Did Wick ever get sick as Tambor and my friend’s bunny? Did he recover while you were gone?

[Wick & Fable]

No, Wick expresses stress by peeing, nipping, and lunging primarily. Thankfully, he’s always still eaten.

It may help to crack open fresh hay for when your husband is gone, that way there’s something enticing to reinforce eating.

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.

[Yilina]

So my husband left and came back and…. Tambor made it! I just wanted to give an update in case somebody goes through a similar situation. What we did was to leave some of my items in Tambor’s room/hubby’s office a month before he left and then, 2 weeks before, I moved to that room (I work from home too). I started taking care of Tambor 100% and my hubby stopped contacting him gradually. He missed him at the beginning (licking his stuff, reacting to his voice messages, etc.) and one night he didn’t want to eat at all. However, after a lot of nose rubs and attention (and a few hours of terror for me), he went back to his normal self!

For the weeks he was gone, Tambor acted completely normal. I gave him plenty of new hay and made him do some tricks (=exercise) when I fed him, to help his bowels move. Also, I spent a lot of time with him and he trusts me much more now (yahoo!). The very last week I had an accident and injured my leg pretty badly (a nurse is still coming home daily). However, even though I couldn’t give Tambor all the attention I’d have liked, he acted like a champ, binking and eating normally all that week long. He got a bit of an eye infection, though, but he overcame it on his own in a couple of days.

Thank you all for your help!!!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Thanks for the update.

[Author]

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