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Bereaved bunny

HS

Wise Old Thumper
Pepper went to the bridge last night. I will write a tribute and more about that in a bit.

Pepper went to sleep in his hutch, with Salt with him. Salt has stayed with him since then, just coming out to eat his breakfast and to nom some hay. So I've left Pepper in there so Salt can get used to his being gone. Salt has just been downstairs in the run for ages, eating a hay cube, so I have taken Pepper out. Do you think Salt's had long enough to come to terms with Pepper going?
He's my priority at the moment, as they were brothers and absolutely inseparable.
 
I'm so sorry to hear of your and Salt's loss. :(

I don't have any experience to answer your question, but hope that someone who does will come along soon.
 
Oh Helen I am so very very sorry to hear that you have lost Pepper. :cry::cry::cry:

I would have thought that has been enough time for Salt.

Thinking of you and salt. xxx
 
I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. Yes, that sounds like enough time. It sounds like Salt understands because he is ignoring his body.

Thinking of you both.
 
Thank you. I'm going to pop a snugglesafe in for him now, so he can keep warm, then I can refresh it again before bedtime.
I wish he liked human company, but he really doesn't! I'll just have to keep my eye on him.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss :( I experienced a similar situation in September. I had a bonded pair of Dutchies who were rehomed together from a rescue and as they were roughly the same age I think they might have been siblings. If not they were very very close. Donovan died suddenly after a cecal impaction and Orla was very bereft. Donovan died during the night too but it was so late I felt I had best just leave him there until morning which I did. So Orla had quite a few hours. During his illness she sat by him and kept a vigil but after he died she mainly stayed away from him. I think she knew. She ate as normal but she would not play or even bond with the new buns I adopted for her. So she became a house bun and it was the best decision we ever made. I am not saying you should do the same with Salt but certainly take him in to a cool/well ventilated room for an hour or so so that you and he can bond and so that he knows he is not alone. Even if he is not keen on human company, well I would try this every day for a while as he might mellow and get used to you. I think bunnies can often become morose in prolonged solitude. Certainly one of mine has gone that way as I left it too long to re-bond him and now he hates everyone :( Either way just try and spend as much time with him as possible, it will make a difference xx
 
im soo sorry for your loss, :cry: i think by the sounds of it you did the right thing to let salt understand and accept and removed pepper at the right time,
its soo sad when we lose a friend and a bunny its companion :cry:
 
I am sorry to hear about the loss of Pepper.:cry:

You've done the right thing by letting Salt see Pepper. In my experience it does seem to help the bereaved bunny understand what has happened.

Keep a close eye on Salt, extra tlc and perhaps pop in a bunny friendly soft toy to offer warmth and comfort. I've found that they miss having a snuggly friend to cuddle to. Hopefully you will consider getting a new friend for Salt, but for the time being something comforting would no doubt help.......and keep him warm.

Make sure Salt's appetite is good, still drinking, weeing and pooing as normal, but be prepared for him to be not his usual self for a while.

Thinking of both of you.
Take care. xxx
 
Thank you everyone.
Salt has a snuggle safe and has just munched his carrot down.
I will consider getting him a friend, but without wanting to be morbid he is the same age as Pepper, so won't live forever :( So I may look to bonding him with a pair.
Fortunately my new job pays a good enough wage that I will be able to afford an extra mouth or two to feed!
 
I'm so very sorry for your loss :cry:. I recently went through the same thing with Flora and Parsnip who were Sister and Brother and never, ever parted throughout their whole lives. Parsnip recently died aged nine and a half. I left Flora with him for a few hours and then we buried him. They were outdoor bunnies and never really relished human company. They tolerated me and I could just about do a brief nose-rub, but that was the extent of them allowing me to touch them (other than me picking them up to do health checks etc).

When Parsnip died, I brought Flora indoors, even though I knew she didn't like being indoors. I just couldn't bear the thought of her being outdoors all by herself. However, after a couple of weeks, it became clear that she really wanted to go back outside. I gave her a soft toy for 'company' and she did sit with it. But after a short while, it was obvious that she missed bunny company so she is now bonded with Benji, a five year old boy. He's given her a new lease of life despite her being a couple of months short of ten years old. I'm hoping to have her around for a while yet so don't let age put you off bonding Salt with someone else.

I really hope he is OK. Thinking of you both.
 
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Just a quick Salt update a week on.
He's doing really well. He's having a snugglesafe and lots of things to play with and he seems fine.
I think he may appreciate a friend or two soon, but I'm just going to see how it goes.
 
BB grieved like a mad thing..pulled his fur out..hid all the time.
He missed Lily so much, it was awful.
I had no choice but to get Little Miss early....they are now bonded (easiest EVER) and married life suits them both.SHE wears the trousers though......:roll:

Great fat hug for you, Mrs.xxxx
 
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