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Advice after bunny dies

K

Karen's

Mama Doe
Hi everyone,
please advise me what is the best thing to do.
My gorgeous Coco had to be put to sleep yesterday, my heart is broken.
Coco had a close bond with Javier and as she was too poorly to come home from the vets I took Javier with me when she was put to sleep. I hoped this would help him understand what had happened.
My first question is, I want to bring Coco home and bury her in the garden but do u think this will make it harder for Javier to move on as i assume her scent will be stronger than just the scent in the hutch they shared? Or as her scent is there anyway will it be ok?
My second question is, should I let Javier spend some time with Coco's body as I have read this helps them come to terms with what has happened. I don't want to hurt him further if he already knows what has happened as we did spend 20 minutes with coco after she passed, but I worry that with the stress of being at the vets he didn't realise what was happening and will still be wondering when she will come home. But if he already knows I don't want to hurt him further by making him face it again.
Please give me some advice, I can't think properly.
Thank you
 
So sorry you lost Coco. It sounds like Javier will have realised what has happened if he was at the vet too. When my George died I brought her home and buried her, there weren't any problems. I didn't show Fred her body as it upset me too much, he did spend a couple of days looking for her but then was OK.
 
Thank you so much Jolysium, I have been hoping for a reply all day. It's good to hear u had no problems after burying George as I really want Coco to come home where she belongs. Glad Fred was ok after a few days too. Javier seems ok but is a little quieter than usual and staying in a bit more. I'm trying to keep him company. I hope he will deal with it better than I am at the minute. Thanks again for your reply, I really appreciate it x
 
Yes being coco home, I seriously doubt that Javier will be upset by the grave. If Javier has already spent some time with coco then I would not put them together again, hopefully Javier now understands ans coco probably smells different now from being at the vets anyway.

Sorry you lost coco x
 
So sorry you lost Coco :cry:

Keep a close eye on Javier to make sure he is eating an pooping OK. Some extra strokes from you may also help comfort him if he is missing her. Sometimes they can grieve and reduce the amount they eat thus resulting in gut slowdown so watch out for a few weeks to be on the safe side.
 
Thanks for your advice everyone, I feel better for reading them all.
I'm bringing Coco home tomorrow and will bury her in the garden.
Good advice Hele, I hadn't thought that Coco would smell different but of course she will, so I won't show Javier her body.
I'm keeping a special eye on Javier.
How long should I take before trying to bond Javier with another friend? I know it's probably different for all bunnies but any advice on this would be appreciated. I can't bare the thought of him being lonely.
 
I'd give him a few weeks to adjust, I think introducing another bunny too soon might be a bit stressful for him (and you!). Just give him as much of your attention as you can in the meantime. Fred actually seemed to come into his own after a couple of weeks, he was always the submissive bunny and he enjoyed being top of the pecking order for a while! :lol: You'll be able to tell whether he's ok or if he's getting lonely but I think the main thing is that you both need to be ready for a new bunny. It's such a hard time, hope you've got some understanding people around to support you.
 
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