• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

depressed rabbit?

lib

New Kit
one of my rabbits has recently lost her companion. Her run was next to another rabbit and so I put them in together and they got on really well.They groom each other and snuggle up.
Sometimes I see her looking as if she is in a daze, especially if the other rabbit is out of her sight. She lies down looking one way then slowly turning her head the other way and back again, with a sort of 'vacant expression' repeating quite a few times.

They have plenty of stimulation and and get lots of attention. She is eating but not as much as usual.(mate died about one week ago)

Im a little bit concerned about this head turning and wonder if it as a result of losing her mate. Should I be doing anything extra to help her?
 
Have I read this right, she is now in with another bun? but still seems depressed. Do you know what her previous partner died of?
 
Sorry for not replying sooner and thanks for your reply.
Yes, Muck (she was named after a bob the builder character by my sons) started this head turning after her mate died and still did it after she was put in with the other rabbit.They are both females.She did it when Lola (her new mate)was out of sight
At first I wondered if she had tooth ache or something but her teeth looked fine. I was just concerned she might be fretting and didnt know if putting her in with the other rabbit was a bit too soon.

I am glad to say that she seems to have stopped doing it and is eating fine now..
I dont know what her mate died of but he hadnt appeared ill at all and was eating the day before he died. We think he was about fifteen when we got him from a sanctuary and we had him for about four years.

Now my worry is that we took the other rabbit Lola and her mate a smooth guinnea pig(a male called Max) from people whose children no longer gave them attention and cooped them up in a hutch with nowhere to run.
We have had them a year now with no problems.
Now that Mud is in with them, Lola has given up a bit on Max.
They do all cuddle up to sleep and Muck allows him to sleep with her too.

Lola no longer bothers with him so much though, in favour of playing with the other rabbit instead. She isnt horrible to Max but he is left to do his own thing these days.

Am I thinking too much like a human and should I just leave them to it?
Or should I be taking Max out and getting him a guinnea pig for company?

I also thought you shouldnt mix rabbits with guinnea pigs but as they came as a pair we left them together.
 
Max would love a guinea pig friend :D

Glad the bunnies are getting on well and she has stopped her head tilting thing, the rabbits although used to Max may hurt him so a guinea pig friend will not only be safe for him but he will have someone to play with again :D
 
Interestingly enough it can be seen as a breach of the new DEFRA Animal Welfare Act to have a Guinea pig living with a rabbit under the 'right to safe co-habitation" clause.

My vet threatened a P@H store with this :oops:
 
Back
Top