Should I rehome my rabbit?

[Lindie Naude]

I currently suffer from depression, which has its up swings and down swings. Recently I’ve been unable to handle any of it and as a result have been unable to drag myself out of bed, let alone take care of my rabbit. I love her with every bone in my body, but because I’ve been like this I’ve barely been spending time with her, and some days only taking her out for a half hour cuddle. Like I said, I love her so much, but I want what is best for her, and if that means I have to give her to someone who can take care of her that I will, but I don’t want to if I don’t have to. I just need some opinions because this is a very hard decision for me to make, because I dont want to be selfish, but I dont want to fail her either. Thanks for your help.

[Elliriyanna]

I have depression as well and I HIGHLY recommend if you can see a Dr about getting on antidepressants. I don’t push meds … I won’t even take ibuprofen. But this is a chemical imbalance and the best way to fix it is meds that balance those chemicals. I know this is not the answer you were looking for, But Helping yourself is the best solution long term.

[Sarita]

My feeling is as long as you can give her the basics she needs every day, she is better off with you. You won’t always be “down” and the times that you are, it sounds like even just having her around, could be a big help for you – maybe it could give you the boost you need to swing back up.

It’s not being selfish wanting to keep her even if you don’t feel like you can cuddle her everyday. If you are at least able on a daily basis to feed her, give her fresh water and just keep her litter box clean as needed – I think that is good.

I hope you feel better soon and if you aren’t seeking professional help, I hope that you will. Hugs.

[gingerg]

For what it’s worth, I agree with Sarita. Provided you are able to feed her and keep her box clean, I don’t think you should part with your friend. Hopefully this wave will pass soon and you can get back to more your normal relationship with your bunny, and in the mean time I think having her around is probably best for both of you.

[So Fluffy Bunny]

As someone who has a laundry list of things wrong with her medical wise, I wouldn’t re-home either of my pets, the bun or the dog. In fact, for me having them around helps make my day better than worse. As long as you are able to take of them like Sarita says, than I believe that re-homeing your bun isn’t necessary.

Seek out the help that you need medically and it is said that having a pet can help ward off the depressive spells.

[Sr. Melangell]

I have a lot of medical problems, sometimes I can’t walk, sometimes I can’t use my hands, as long as my bunny has food and water and hay I know he is OK, if I’m on a bad day I will sit in front of my rabbits cage and talk to him give him some food through his bars, please find some help from a doctor, nurse or specialist because when you feel better you’ll want to play with him I’m sure.

[Bam]

You should see a doctor, honestly, because if your quality of life improves, it’s beneficial for your rabbit.
As for rehoming, it’s often very very hard to fins a good responsible person to rehome a rabbit to, so unless she is actually suffering I don’t think you should.
Depression is awful. There are meds. You should consider meds, since it has gotten pretty far if you can’t tend to your pet the way you want to and feel you should.

I wish you the best of luck and hope you’ll be able to “re-surface” soon.

[Roberta]

I agree with the others. Having suffered depression and anxiety I think that rehoming your bunwould only place greater stress on you emotionally. Ok, life isn’t perfect but right now she is safe and cared for.
Dealing with depression isn’t easy. I took the meds and was very lucky not to go through the week or so of adjustment sickness. It was the best thing I could have done. I was fortunate to have good doctors. My gp said to me that meds aren’t the solution they are a means to an end. The meds will help find that place inside where you can build strategies and tools to cope with and overcome the $*&!storm that is depression. I got really lucky after that and thanks to the meds was able to step back and make assesments. I discovered that my problem was caused by a food allergy, add a big dash of early menopause and life just got too hard. A few years on I am med free, also gluten free as the stuff fries my brain and messes up my body. The menopause, well, that ran it’s course and was a lot easier to manage once I wasn’t trying to cope with it in conjunction with a food induced psychosis.

[Megabunny]

Lindie…are you out there?? Hoping you are OK and will take all this good advice and get some help. Maybe you already are and it’s not working, but I hope you are able to get some help. I totally understand how you can get so depressed you don’t even want/care to help yourself. This forum has many, many people who suffer from depression or any number of other ailments and being on here can be something for them to feel a part of…myself included. Let us know how you’re doing. Send us some pictures of your baby, tell us a story, or find someone on here who could use your input on a thread and help them out. It’s worth a try…but we aren’t a cure all, of course. So please reach out to someone and get some help. Once you come out of the fog it will have been worth it. But, again, just getting the energy to think about doing something other than sleeping away the depression can be a huge job and I understand that. But it doesn’t mean it’s OK when there are so many means of help out there these days. Please help yourself. Then you can do more for your bun. In the meantime, she will be fine, from what you’re telling us. Peace and best wishes. We hope to hear back soon!

[Samicles]

I’ve had some major problems with depression in the past year. Everytime I’m feeling at my worst and can’t find a reason to get out of bed morning, I encourage myself to at least let my bun out to play. One of us might as well be happy. Feeding/cleaning the cage was difficult also. But I’ve got a wonderful boyfriend to help me out with that if I’m feeling down. As the others suggested you should go and see a doctor to get help. Good luck

[LBJ10]

Do you have a friend or family member who could come to your house? I agree with the others, your bun will be fine as long as she has the necessities. I would think that trying to find a new home for her would be stressful for you both. My thought was that if you are worried about her not receiving enough attention, you could ask a friend or family member to spend a little time with her.

[Beka27]

I’m so sorry you are having a hard time right now. I have been there and I understand how this feels. For me personally, having a purpose (even if it’s simply filling food/water dishes) helps so much.

It isn’t easy to find a suitable home for a pet. This takes a lot of work and social interaction, and in your current state you might not feel up to all of that. If you are seriously considering rehoming, I would wait this dark period out until you can think more clearly.

[Sarita]

Lindie please let us know how you are doing. I am thinking of you and I know you are a good person who wants to do the right thing. I so much want you to keep the rabbit you love so much…

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