Really missing having bunnies :(

It's been a week and half since I lost Luna. It was fairly sudden- She was recovering well from her op until Wednesday, then was wheezing Thursday morning, and whisked to the vet, treated with anti-biotics, then ended up in the emergency vets in an oxygen tank Monday as she suddenly got much worse, and we lost her that afternoon.

I have been trying my hardest to get my head round all of this and decide what is best for the future. I lost Luna's brother very suddenly in July. Since then I had been looking into getting a new friend for her, but unfortunately she had a couple of bouts of stasis that put her spay back. I was so excited about it finally happening, so I could look into getting her a new friend, as I think she was a little bit lonely. I now just feel deflated, as this has all been taken away from me. Losing two young rabbits (they were brother and sister and around 2 years old) in as many months has just made me feel a bit useless really.

I inherited the pair of them from my sister when she got bored of them, so I only had them for less than a year, but I loved them with all my heart and I was really excited about the idea of them moving out with me when I finally manage to get a proper job and can afford to (I graduated last July, and am currently at home again with a couple of retail jobs, looking for something better paid and more permanent). I now have a empty hutch and run in the garden which I have to walk past every day and be reminded about how there's no one to live in it any more. I keep doing stupid things, like looking in supermarkets at the end of the day for cheap herbs, and then remembering that there's no one to eat them any more

I still have my chooks, who I love very much, and they do like a cuddle, but they don't really appreciate me spending time with them unless I'm feeding them, and will go off and do their own thing. That is fine, but I miss sitting and reading in the run with Luna, and her coming up to me and nutting me with her head as I was in her space. She always wanted to get past the bit of the run I was in and I was always in the way :lol:

I would love to adopt more bunnies. I've been trying to weigh up whether it's a good idea or not, so I was hoping that you guys could give me honest opinions as to whether it's a good idea or whether I'm letting my heart rule over my head.

As previously stated, I am at home at the moment. Even if I get an amazing well paid job tomorrow, it will take me at least a year to save up to move out properly. So I'm definitely going to be here for that long, and probably longer, as there are no amazing jobs on the horizon at the moment. When I move out, I fully intend on taking any bunnies I have with me. It would either be to a little two up two down house with a tiddly garden, or a flat which allows pets. If the bunnies I get are living outside while I'm here, would it be plausible for them to adapt to living inside in a new home, or will some bunnies always be happier outside? I can't have them inside while I'm here, as this house is two small for the 3 adults and 3 cats living it in permanently (plus my brother and sister who are at uni and back for the holidays). My dad has begrudgingly given up parts of his garden for my chooks and bunnies, and he would go mental if they were in the house eating things too. So it's either living indoors, or if I can get a house with a little garden, they could live out there and come indoors when I was home (but I can't guarantee getting a little house over a flat- it's all on circumstances at the time).

I'm on a temporary contract in my supermarket job at the moment, which expires in October. If they decide to take me on, then that will be the run up to Christmas, so I will probably be doing lots more hours than I am now. This makes me think that if I do get two more bunnies then it should probably be after Christmas, because with me working lots and the days getting shorter, I won't be able to spend as much time with them as I would like, which I don't think would be fair if they are just settling in.

The other thing is that the hutch, run and pen are a decent size (hutch is 6 ft, by 2 ft by 2 ft, run is not quite big enough at 3 1/2ft by 6 ft, but added pen for when someone is at home watching them is another 5ft by 3ft) but I would like it to be bigger. I can't do this while I'm at home or let them free range in the garden (we have an elderly cat who can't jump much any more so needs the bottom of the gate open to get in and out, plus the flowerbeds etc are quite deep and full of all sorts of potentially toxic plants and I just wouldn't be able to catch them to put them back in). This is something that I would 100% do when I have my own place, but for the time being, would my set up be okay? Luna did run laps around it and binky like crazy in the evenings, but we didn't have the penned off section when Neville was here, so I don't know if it would be enough room for two bunnies to really be bunnies.

Does it sound like like I want bunnies more for me than for them? I miss Luna so much that I'm worried that I'm just trying to replace her, and I know that new bunnies won't be her, so I'm trying to give myself as long as possible before making any decisions. I'm also worried that I miss being needed as much as I miss having bunnies, since all the other pets in this house (cats and chooks) don't really need me as much as I felt the bunnies did. Sorry this is so long. I'm just trying to make sense of it all in my head.

Sorry you've lost your bunnies.

I would wait. A week and a half isn't long at all. There will be plenty of time for you to let bunnies into your life again when the time is right.

I also moved home after graduating and am still there. (Trying to save for a deposit, fun!) I got my buns knowing that when I move out there will obviously have to be space for them. I don't think the moving is so much of an issue (if you are prepared to make sure you can accommodate them in your new house) but maybe wait until your job is more permanent if you are going to have issues affording to care for them if your contract does end. (I have also done Xmas temping at a supermarket, it was hardcore. I think I worked 2 weeks straight with Christmas Day being my only day off, I spent most of the day being exhausted! But they didn't keep me on after Christmas, so maybe plan for needing a new job by January) but to answer your main question, no I don't think the fact you live at home should stop you getting more bunnies, obviously you were going to work around Luna so you can work around two more.

I'm so sorry you lost both your bunnies in such a short space of time, life's really cruel at times isn't it.

From my experience of losing my beloved Dexter, my ex bought me another rabbit the day after he died to cheer me up. Which didn't work obviously as I was heart broken and I wanted to keep his cage exactly as he left it so 36 hours later to be cleaning it out and putting another rabbit in it was really hard.

I do love Slipper - the bunny he bought me - but my feelings for him are complicated. I'm not as attached to him as I am with my other buns and he's not the friendliest bunny in the world. I think because of how I was at the beginning had something to do with it. I wasn't mean to him, I hasten to add, but I didn't spend as much time with him as I should have because I was so grief stricken over Dexy. I'm now trying to rectify this, two years later as its only been very recently I've felt able to really open my heart to another bunny and now I adore my new babies, Badger & Blueberry, but it's taken a long time to get to this stage. I wasn't looking for anything in my new bunnies that I could describe, but I did a lot of research into breeds and contacted a lot of private breeders to help build up what I wanted so I knew when I saw them they were "the ones" if you know what I mean, we just clicked. Like it was meant to be.

Only you know how you feel, but I think it might be too soon. You don't want to rush into something to then realise later you weren't ready and then have to make the best of it like me & Slipper.

I hope this helps, I find it very difficult to explain this kind of thing without it sounding like its not meant to. If that makes sense?

Regarding your other questions, I've had indoor bunnies move outside and then back in again and I've not seen them have any issues, but obviously time of year helps. You don't want to be evicting indoor bunny in the depths of winter. Mine have all been swapped over in the summer so it's less of a shock.

PS, I know how you feel with missing them. When I split with my ex, I was bunny less for a year (long story) and still grieving for Dexter, I've now got myself a bit of a reputation where I live for stealing people's dogs when they bring them to the pub when I'm there with my new OH and spend hours & hours playing with them & cuddling them so I had something warm, furry and affectionate to cheer me up when I missed Dex. When I first met a Lhasa apso puppy called Fudge, I cried buckets over him as it was like cuddling Dexy again for a minute. So believe me, I know what you're going through.

Thank you for your replies.

I don't think I was clear as I meant to be with my job situation. Basically, I work in charity shop (paid) for 10 hours a week. The supermarket job I got about 6 weeks ago and I am doing that alongside my charity shop job. I've got a basic contract of 7.5 hours. When I started I was on 23 hours a week roughly because it was the summer holidays, but I am now averaging on about 11.5 hours a week as the kids are all back at school and it's not as busy. I am on a 'temporary contract' at the moment as they give everyone a trial contract before making them permanent. My temporary contract will end in mid- October so I am hoping that as it will be heading towards Christmas at that point that they will make me permanent. If that is the case, I may give up my charity shop job and just work there (as I know otherwise I will be doing 7 day weeks up until Christmas and having done that for the last month, I know it may kill me). But if they do keep me on, it will be permanent (unless they keep me on as temporary xmas staff, but I don't know if I can really just jump from one temporary contract to another).

I will wait until I know for definite what is happening with my job situation before deciding anything. I am hoping that at some point I will get a 'proper' job with guaranteed hours and weekends off as it would make my life so much easier. I'm just stuck inbetween a rock and a hard place at the moment as everywhere wants 'experience' but no where will give me the chance to get any experience!

I was supporting Luna and Neville and my two chooks on my 10 hours a week before, but it wasn't ideal. I only did it because the bunnies were sort of thrust upon me. But I have always made sure their needs come first. I haven't got the chooks insured (because Viv is an ex-battery hen and they would laugh at me, and even with Tilly, I think chickens come under 'exotics' or something ridiculous so the premiums were silly money) so I have always paid their vet bills and have gone without doing things plenty of times to look after them- their needs come first. I would be getting any new bunnies that I got insured which would help with costs.

I think if I wait until I find out where I stand with my new job, then it will be a month and a half and I think I will have more of a clear idea of what to do in my head then. I was filling out the insurance claim form this morning and it stirred up everything all over again. A week and a half is not long at all, but I think people are fed up with me still having moments of being sad so I feel like I should just be okay now. It's this whole attitude of 'it's just a rabbit', which I should be used to because people just cannot comprehend how upset I get when I lose a chicken. But they are all members of my family and I love them all equally.

Sorry for another lengthy post- I didn't mean to give half my life story!

Yep, I know where you're coming from with the "just a rabbit" and "aren't you over it yet?" I was even told by someone that seeing as I had Slipper, I should forget Dexy. This wasn't even a month later! The only place I can talk about him is on here, at least here we know how you're feeling and aren't going to tell you to "get over it". I don't think it matters, if you love something, you love it regardless of it being a person, bunny or even a fish! I've thought many times I'd happily swap a few people I know for Dexter.

You sound like a lovely person who always puts her animals first and that's commendable in this day and age! When the time is right, any bunny will be lucky to be with you.

Sarah1989 said:

Yep, I know where you're coming from with the "just a rabbit" and "aren't you over it yet?" I was even told by someone that seeing as I had Slipper, I should forget Dexy. This wasn't even a month later! The only place I can talk about him is on here, at least here we know how you're feeling and aren't going to tell you to "get over it". I don't think it matters, if you love something, you love it regardless of it being a person, bunny or even a fish! I've thought many times I'd happily swap a few people I know for Dexter.

You sound like a lovely person who always puts her animals first and that's commendable in this day and age! When the time is right, any bunny will be lucky to be with you.

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Thank you. It is nice to know that I'm not alone in all this. My flat mate at uni had fish that became my fish as she didn't look after them properly. When one of them died I got really upset and she laughed at me I always think that it doesn't matter what sort of animal it is, the point is that if you loved it and cared for it then you have every right to be upset.