Prompted by a thread in gen chat, and not wanting to take it off topic, I wondered what your views on this are?
I really don't think rabbits grieve, but they do have a very strict hierarchy or 'pecking order' and if one rabbit vanishes, it causes a whole reaorganisation of who is the boss. When Maa had to leave her girls after her op (couldn't bond her back in) She had obviously been the boss, being their mother - so when she vanished a power struggle began with her daughters. Until they got the hierarchy sorted out, there was a lot more chasing etc. so I'm sure bereaved bunnies are going through this rather than the grief of bereavement which humans suffer, and it may well cause them to challenge the humans they live with too.
In addition, rabbits being prey animals, gain their security from an unchanging environment - and their partners are part of their environment, so any change in who they live with causes insecurity, which can lead to behavioural problems too. When Benny lost Pepsi, he became very withdrawn and immobile - just didn't really dare move without his 'shadow' by his side giving him confidence. Similar behaviour when it's really windy as that frightens him too.
I fixed this problem by changing his environment, as it was the lack of Pepsi in his normal environment that was spooking him out, rather than 'grief' as we know it. After bringing him indoors to live, he was fine, because he didn't associate his brother with being indoors. He was 'over it' in just a day once out of the shed.
I really don't think rabbits grieve, but they do have a very strict hierarchy or 'pecking order' and if one rabbit vanishes, it causes a whole reaorganisation of who is the boss. When Maa had to leave her girls after her op (couldn't bond her back in) She had obviously been the boss, being their mother - so when she vanished a power struggle began with her daughters. Until they got the hierarchy sorted out, there was a lot more chasing etc. so I'm sure bereaved bunnies are going through this rather than the grief of bereavement which humans suffer, and it may well cause them to challenge the humans they live with too.
In addition, rabbits being prey animals, gain their security from an unchanging environment - and their partners are part of their environment, so any change in who they live with causes insecurity, which can lead to behavioural problems too. When Benny lost Pepsi, he became very withdrawn and immobile - just didn't really dare move without his 'shadow' by his side giving him confidence. Similar behaviour when it's really windy as that frightens him too.
I fixed this problem by changing his environment, as it was the lack of Pepsi in his normal environment that was spooking him out, rather than 'grief' as we know it. After bringing him indoors to live, he was fine, because he didn't associate his brother with being indoors. He was 'over it' in just a day once out of the shed.