• 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.

New mate for rabbit - not sure..

Norma

New Kit
I would appreciate thoughts on this, if anyone has the time. You may have seen my earlier post on the Introduction thread, where I explained that my adored rabbit Little Wilbur died last Friday. He was about 7 - ish, a rescue bun, and I had him for 4 1/2 years. His mate, who remains with me, is Hetty, a sweet natured agouti type who is most likely around 5 -ish.

I had been planning to get Hetty an older bun as a new mate - she to have the final say, as had happened with Little W and Hetty when Little W and I went back to the rescue home after his previous mate died. However my vet rang this morning - the local vet who had referred us to the vet who did the dentals, to commiserate, which I thought was very kind of him. He asked why I wanted an older bun and I said that it was partly that I have heard of young rabbits being a bit overawed by older mates and partly because I think that I will in the future need a period when I don't have a pet, as I finish my working career.

So he said that his advice was that in that case I should not get a new mate as it would mean facing loss in a shorter time than if I got a younger bun. I don't want my dear Hetty to be lonely but my vet said I should beware of being a martyr by caring too much. That sounds hard written down but I know what he meant and he meant it kindly.

I'm not sure and I have asked the local rescue home again - the Mayhew - for an older bun. But I am thinking about what he said. I love seeing rabbits snuggled up together but does anyone have experience of a single houserabbit, particularly after a mate has died?

Thanks,
Norma
 
i have a single house bunny but she has always been herself since i got her she seems to love it all the attention etc lol and she gets spoilt bcoz of it i have two guineas but i dont keep them together.... if shes used to being with someone maybe u shud get another although im not very clued up on bonding bunnies ages etc
 
Thanks for your reply = I am out at work most weekdays though not invariaby and I spend most of the rest of the time with the rabbit/s by which I mean I am rabbit bothering and stroking, cleaning up etc.

She doesn't play, none of mine have, so toys are no use, but she does alterations on cardboard boxes and sometimes for unknown reasons takes exception to the bottom of the kitchen door - so I put wedges of paper under that for her which she tears out.

If she stays on her own it would be easier to take her away with me to a friends house for a holiday where she could stay in the conservatory, simply because there would be less to carry.

I know that people do have single housebuns. She is also on daily meloxicam so there is a possibility that she may get kidney trouble in the future. But she could go on for several more years so it's important to make the right decision. I live on my own and the rabbit/s are really the focus of life here.

Norma
 
i am the same also live on my own and i feel like its good bcoz i can give her 100% of my time as there is only her... well the guineas but they dont like coming out so they just get a wee pet and cleaned out ,, maybe in the garden now and again... i work all day but when i come home she gets let out untill i go to bed and loves lying up on the couch with me lol
 
Hello! It's tricky isn't it, I often wonder the same thing about mine. It's a bit of a morbid topic because it involves discussing what happens when one of your loved buns passes away.

Is there a possibility that you could enter an arrangement with a rescue to 'foster' an older bun until the time that either that bun, or Hetty, passes away. Rescues sometimes have older buns in that are really tricky to rehome because of their age/potential health problems, and because they are effectively permanent residents, they slow down the rate at which rescues can take in other cases. You could see if you could come to an agreement that you take on one of these buns bonded with Hetty as a fosterer and you 'give the bun back' if Hetty passes away first. That would obviously be tricky to do but it could help the rescue out by freeing up a hutch, and it would give Hetty a friend without giving you the longer-term commitment. Might be worth considering if you feel it would be possible.
 
If I did that Alison I would have to commit for the long term. I can't countenance the idea of a bun having a home and then having to leave because it's of no further use. Something in me gets stirred at the thought of cast offs and not - wanteds. I love rabbits I really do but I feel that I would like to re-enter this when I am retired - in the unlikely event I can afford to do that.. Also I worry about what would happen if I am out and get knocked over or something, as I live on my own.

Funnily enough, the idea of not having a mate for Hetty re-stirs my feelings about losing Little Wilbur (it was only last Friday that he died) - such an end of an era.

I don't know if the Mayhew will contact me after my letter or will wait for me to contact them - from memory they can sometimes be a bit take it or leave it.
 
If you are undescided I would leave it a while so that you can have time to gather your thoughts and also see how your remaining rabbit copes with being by himself.

From my own bonding experience I dont think that age really makes a lot of difference From reading your post I think from what you are saying about your short term future it needs to be seriously weighed up and thought paid to where you feel you will be in a few years time. That way you may be able to avoid rehoming a rabbit if you discover that you are no longer able to look after it which you may find difficult. In a few weeks time you may be able to make a more informed descision than you are able to at the moment.
 
Back
Top