• 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.

if your bunny dies is it important..

elis-mum

Mama Doe
to let your other bunnie(s) say goodbye?

seen afew threads recently asking if the other bunny said goobye after loosing one of a bond or a group.

most of mine did but mostly because of how the others died.

my first 2 Polly and Dylan were single house buns.
then i had Dorothy and Eli together, Eli died in my arms after loosing his fight with a long illness, Dot was sat near me and saw him die but i was so distressed i never actually showed him to her.

when Dot died she was very ill but still alive when she was PTS and Buddy said bye while she was (just) still alive before i took her away. he pined for her so badly i wonder now if i should have taken him with me, i feel it was more like breaking a bond as he wasn't aware she had gone.

maisie died suddenly in the shed after a thunderstorm through the night. i found her the following morning with Buddy sat nearby, but although quiet he didn't pine like he had for Dot.. is it because he got to say goodbye?

sorry for the morbid thread. :(
 
I don't have any personal experience of this, but I've read that the surviving bunny should be able to spend some time with bridge bunny to understand they've gone. I imagine this involves sniffing bunny and nudging, not getting any response and having that realisation. Otherwise they can just be wondering what's happened if bridge bunny just disappears :(
 
Jazzy and Sox weren't at all interested in Lilah when I found her dead, were just running all over her/ ignoring her:cry::cry::cry: I don't think I could have left her:cry: as selfish as it seems, she looked so peaceful. i couldnt have them running all over her :cry:
 
Normally I would say yes, although it may not always be possible or sensible, for instance if the bun died of something suspected to be infectious. Even if the bun dies at a vet surgery, for instance, where possible I would still recommend bringing the body home to allow a bonded partner to understand that the bun has died - otherwise, as previously suggested, the rabbit just doesn't know where his/her partner has disappeared to.

Those of you who have found buns dead and the other rabbits ignoring them, walking over them or not reacting, I would suggest that this is because they have already said 'goodbye' and/or accepted that they have gone prior to you finding them. Normally it is suggested that you leave the body with them until they leave them or start to ignore them.

When Santa died, Dudley was with her but he turned his back on her and completely ignored her almost straight away. I believe this is probably because he had seen her deteriorate that day and already knew that she was going, so he did not spend a long time with her body - but I know of others who say their rabbits groomed the body for ages before leaving them.

It's not a pleasant topic but it is an important one :(
 
I have just recently (48 hours ago) has this experience. I put Milo in his cage while Twinkle was going but after she was gone we let him out. He came over to her but wasn't that interested. He stayed for a second and then jumped over her and kept going.

They were snuggling right before it happened and I wonder if they said goodbye then.

This was first experience but I wanted to give him the option to say goodbye if he needed it.
 
i bought Pearl home to Alvin, he buzzed her when he first saw her, jumped over her a few times then went and sat over the other side of the room. broke my heart but atleast he knew she was gone. not sure if saying goodbye helped but he bonded almost straight away with a new wifey
 
I don't have experience of this with the buns yet, but with my rats, when I moved my old boy into a flat level cage and adopted him some new friends, his old cagemates seemed really down for a few days because to them he had just disappeared all of sudden, I guess. But when other rats have died, I've always left them together for a couple of hours, and they all seem fine every time.

Unlike myself, I might add :lol:
 
Normally I would say yes, although it may not always be possible or sensible, for instance if the bun died of something suspected to be infectious. Even if the bun dies at a vet surgery, for instance, where possible I would still recommend bringing the body home to allow a bonded partner to understand that the bun has died - otherwise, as previously suggested, the rabbit just doesn't know where his/her partner has disappeared to.

Those of you who have found buns dead and the other rabbits ignoring them, walking over them or not reacting, I would suggest that this is because they have already said 'goodbye' and/or accepted that they have gone prior to you finding them. Normally it is suggested that you leave the body with them until they leave them or start to ignore them.

When Santa died, Dudley was with her but he turned his back on her and completely ignored her almost straight away. I believe this is probably because he had seen her deteriorate that day and already knew that she was going, so he did not spend a long time with her body - but I know of others who say their rabbits groomed the body for ages before leaving them.

It's not a pleasant topic but it is an important one :(

I agree with all of this.

All those i have lost recently have been very ill bunnies and the remaining ones have not been interested, in fact, roger got the spring back in his step. I guess they knew they were dying.

When Sweep was giving back Sunshine, that was quite sad because he kept going over to the body and then coming back and looking at us.

I also saw a video of a bunny who dragged a lettuce leaf the size of her over to her conti friend and tried to make him eat when he had died. That video was heart breaking.
 
I agree with all of this.

All those i have lost recently have been very ill bunnies and the remaining ones have not been interested, in fact, roger got the spring back in his step. I guess they knew they were dying.

When Sweep was giving back Sunshine, that was quite sad because he kept going over to the body and then coming back and looking at us.

I also saw a video of a bunny who dragged a lettuce leaf the size of her over to her conti friend and tried to make him eat when he had died. That video was heart breaking.

Oh my :cry::cry:
 
I've only realised since joining this forum that it's important for a bun to know his or her companion has gone to the Bridge.

Peggy died at the vet and Sue was there too. My vet said that he had let Sue see the body.

After Sue died just prior to being PTS there is no way I could have driven her home, put her with the trio, and then driven her back for a private cremation. The crematorium were due to collect imminently so she would have then had to wait another week. Two of the three buns did go and look for her - but it is definitely easier when they still have company. After Peggy died, Sue really grieved and even bit me once - it was horrible to see.
 
My bunny had to stay indoors/over at the vets before he died. His bonded wifeybun was very distressed when he did not reappear -- it was upsetting to watch. She got herself into a tantrum like state and she was flinging things around... but not in a happy, giddy bunny way. It was like she was suffering very real distress! She was used to him occasionally disappearing for a couple of days as we nursed him through his tummy episodes, so I didn't want her thinking he would reappear or that I was keeping him from her.

She didn't really spend much time near his actual body. She seemed wary and frightened of it, actually. :( She nuzzled his face once and then sat in a corner thumping every now and then, all wide eyed and freaked. And then she was very quiet for a couple of weeks after... It's only been fairly recently that she's started to perk back up. To me I just felt like she needed that 'closure'.
 
When I lost Boo I had rushed him to the vets at about 7am and didn't have time to pack Angel in the carrier with him. He was PTS and I didn't bring his body back with me. Angel got in a tizz looking for him and it wasn't nice to watch :cry:
She was not herself for a good few days, just very quiet etc and I spent a lot of time in with her to try and give her company. She finally came round ok.

When Angel and Lily were PTS (both being Blake's partners at different times), he was down at the vets already with them both each time so after they were PTS we put the body on the floor and let him out to see them. Both times was heartbreaking as he went straight over to them, had a few sniffs and a nudge then gave a MASSIVE thump, before shooting straight back in the carrier and thumping a few more times :cry:

I think it's definately best to let them see the body where possible.
 
i not experienced this with buns but have with piggys it was so sad the day johnny died (old piggy died at 7ish) poor chloe :cry: wondered why he wasnt getting up
 
We had a GP put to sleep and I suggested to the vet that we take the body home to let the other GP see. Vet said she wouldn't recommend that at all, and I took her advice. I do regret it as the other GP died 6 weeks later and they'd been together all their lives (sisters).

One of my buns was fitting and had to be PTS. I didn't take him home but I think the other knew he was going so that wasn't so bad. With the others I have lost, the other rabbit has been there.

If I had to PTS a bun now, I'd def take home for the other ones to see so they knew what had happened.

Bad memories :cry:
 
This is all important stuff to know but I really can't bear to think about it :( I really don't cope well with death and I just can't think about it without crying :cry: I can't think of Olly or Honey being left alone, it would be heartbreaking :cry:
 
This is all important stuff to know but I really can't bear to think about it :( I really don't cope well with death and I just can't think about it without crying :cry: I can't think of Olly or Honey being left alone, it would be heartbreaking :cry:

^ This. Thankfully, I've never had to go through it yet. When our Scooby piggy died, Bobby didn't seem particularly bothered (we rescued them and they came as a pair but I know you wouldn't put a piggy and bunny together). I can't bear the thought of Rosie or Ted being left alone and wondering what's happened. The story about the bunny dragging the food over to the bunny that had died is heart breaking.
 
after reading all these replies i think i can honestly say Buddy was in such a bad way after loosing Dot because he didn't get to see her after she was PTS. he was snuggled up to her when i took her away... even when i got maisie 2 days later it was nearly a week before he started to pick up and show interest in her.
whereas when maisie went he was left with her until i found her the following morning. he had moved away from her but came over when i went to move her, sniffed and ran off again... :(
 
Having never had this before and believeing life goes on anyways and my buns can still see each other now,
We still brought Winston home so his angel could see him, she hopped in took a look gave him a kiss and ran into the garden binkying (something she never really done for so long) she knew he wa free and no longer in pain. She had took on his pain and held his paw, comforting him that she too was released and she was like a different rabbit. However thats not to say she misses him as the following day when we left to go to the crem she was so sad wouldn't play as soon as winston returned she perked up and lay in front of his coffin and she has good days and bad her words
"of course I miss him, I know he lives on and I see him but thats not the same as being able to cuddle with him like we used to"

We also showed Jack and Coco, Jack said his goodbyes very dignified looked bent his head down and stood for few mins before walking away. Coco wanted to jump all over him and wasn't that interested.
 
Back
Top