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rabbits and humans combined in grief making rabbits ill and causing behavioural issue

purplebumble

Warren Veteran
Mods i am sorry...this is one that wasnt purely health or behaviour but both!! move if you feel you can decide!!:wave:

As you know we lost our gorgeous boy bertie on 17th february.....our grief has been immense...but our pets have been just as badly affected..dylan kitty has never been the same.....but berties wifey bluebell lost her soulmate...her reason to exist and the will to live. She seemed to be coping ok at first and even now people look at her and think shes ok..but she is far from ok. She went so bony losing so much weight pining....depressed and lost....aggression at anything and everything and frustratingly heartbroken...refused to use his food bowls anymore and wouldnt leave the litter tray he died in. She swung from bad to worse.

We had seen this before in another widowed bunny we had...her life was saved ironically by bertie!

No luck finding a big bun...bluebells so dominant that a smaller bun wouldnt be a good match. cat n rabbit recue in sidlesham said too many big buns are fashionable right now...very few come into rescue or if they do..theyre the first ones adopted.

i couldnt find a big bun nearer her age. id found some young giants....but they were still babies really....id seen a bun at the rescue id got lily from but getting a bunrun to collect him and bring him here was proving a bit problematic. the lady said a couple had wanted to adopt him and his unbonded brother...but wendy had given me first refusal on baxter. She knew from first hand experience what bluebell was going through...so she brought baxter down herself with her mum...all the way from essex!!

bluebell suddenly picked up...chased him and nipped him..in front of wendy.oops! its ok i said...this is usual...settling down and bonding come later!

bluebell began eating if only small amounts...but she was up..moving around etc. For his own safety he is a rottweiler dog crate until he has 5 hrs maybe more of being out and about. bluebells decided she likes to stay in the crate for that time!! they used to fight right away...then sniff and run away...it got so theyd be out about 6ft away or less from each other and just snooze..then one night a terrible fight ensued and bluebell got injured in her eye corner..vet said she would have lost her eye a mm or two more!

she was on meds for it but it healed so fast.

with her grief for bertie...and our grief..it had affected her the vet said...and agreed baxter had come along just in time.

now with the pain and grief of losing my mum too and the funeral etc......bluebell had developed severe aggression problems....esp towards us. i was so scared one night she chased to to the kitchen and i couldnt find a chair to climb up on!! yes i mean THAT bad.

she wants lots of hugs then next second is biting and attacking us. I went through this with bertie when he was in pain. twice the vets checked her gave her metacam in case.....shed even broken off an inscisor but its almost grown down fully..vets cant see its a problem.
her high temp thing came up again....she was treated but things got worse..two vets had now told me it was grief affeting her...she was still grieving for bertie despite having baxter around. Bluebell got so bad i took her to a lady vet that she loves..and is always good for...even lets her carry her around..off to kennels etc too!!

she said in her opinion there was nothing physical that she could see...she was convinced that bluebell had also soaked up our grief over my mum and the stress and upset of the funeral and house clearing chimed in too.
To tell..they kept her in overnight and for a day....it wasnt pain related..definately behavioural and she was going to ask john chitty for help and advice. but i need to ring her back to see if he did reply.

opinon seems to be shes grief stricken for herself...for us..losing my mum and our grief and severe stress from me is being soaked up by bluebell.
i dont disagree...oscar died end of august even tho hed been with bif since the end of march. the loss of my dad..the grief..my mum round here from morning to night rehashing it all etc....the stress got him and he went into stasis several times then the last time he died from it. So sadly i know it affects them.
Lily has had stasis signs..ive got her tummy ok again...and now a week on her tummys affected again. she lives in my bedroom sharing it with mums bunny and each taking turns in exercise. me crying..having a huge meltdown a few days after losing mum...it keeps snowballing.
so poor lily upstairs soaks up my emotions...but so does poor bluebell downstairs.

has anyone else had a rabbit go through behavioural problems related to grief of either the buns or humans or other pets in the family? ive found different types in our buns but this time its really so scary with bluebell.

i was hoping next week when mums house is back in the hands of the housing association that things would calm a little...and im going to get help for my grief....maybe bluebell will be ok to bond with baxter. But i dont know when the grief will lift enough to be faor on them both trying top bond?
 
My household, human and animal, has been under high level stress for the last six months. I definitely see how my own mood affects all my animals...mostly my Yorkie, Jenna, and Mimzy. Mimzy and Fiver will also not eat properly if I am stressed or away. Sadly it's a vicious circle when I don't realize my mood has set them off, then they begin to behave as if ill...which then doubles my worry and compounds upon them threefold. :(
The mercurial strength/fragility factor of some animals...particularly rabbits...never fails to leave me with more questions than answers.

Sending continued vibes of healing and support your way, Debbie. I hope everything settles and your horizons brighten soon.
((((((((((((((((((((((Hugs&Smooshes ))))))))))))))))))))))))
 
Oh, Debbie. It all sounds a bit of a nightmare. Wish there was something I could do.

The only bun I had who had behavioural problems due to grief was Sue who bit me after Peggy died, which was totally out of character but I think she blamed me. She also stopped eating so I had to bond her with Dylan, Molly and Munchkin straight away - much sooner than I would have wanted. Fortunately, that worked to a degree, but I don't think she ever really got over Peggy's death - and they are together now at the Bridge.

If you would like me to bond Bluebell and Baxter here in neutral territory, I am happy to give it a go. I will probably be bonding Marnie and her husbun (when Sam finds somebun suitable) over the next week or so but after that it should be OK.

I could also come over and give Bluebell and any other fur baby some reiki? I can do 'hands off' for Bluebell if you think she will try to eat me, although she has always been OK with me so far.

I am doing some grief and bereavement work with a private client using hypnotherapy at the moment and would be more than willing to come and do that for you (at no charge, obviously). She has fed back that she feels much 'lighter' now.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, Debbie xxxx
 
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