What to do when one rabbit passes?

Hiya everyone...
Unfortunately this morning one of my rabbits (smudge) passed away... He seemed fine when fed in the morning, an hour later he was extremely ill suddenly, we were leaving for the emergency vets when he stopped breathing in my arms...
We arent sure why he died yet but it was very sudden. He is currently at home in a box and will be cremated very soon. My question is what should i do about his companion tinkerbelle?
She wasnt there when he died, and i didnt really know you're meant to leave together for a long time when one dies... So he was in with her for around five minutes and then we brought him back out. But now its nearly 10pm, and i brought her inside because its ridiculously cold outside and i didnt want her to be out in the freezing cold by herself.
Should i put smudge in her hutch/run tomorrow? Or is that too late? I want her to understand that he's gone but i dont know if i've messed up and am too late now
Also should i get her a new companion? i think they have been together pretty much their whole lives and they are about 5. When should i do this and how do i go about it? x
Thanks for any help

I'm so sorry you lost your bunny. Having these little creatures in our lives is hard when they leave so suddenly. I don't know how long is Ok to wait till letting the surviving rabbit say goodbye but I think I've read of people doing so days after a rabbit has passed. I'd wait till someone who knows for sure can answer but don't feel like you've messed up, I'm sure you and your Tinkerbelle will both be Ok in time, no matter what.

AmyKennedy said:

Hiya everyone...
Unfortunately this morning one of my rabbits (smudge) passed away... He seemed fine when fed in the morning, an hour later he was extremely ill suddenly, we were leaving for the emergency vets when he stopped breathing in my arms...
We arent sure why he died yet but it was very sudden. He is currently at home in a box and will be cremated very soon. My question is what should i do about his companion tinkerbelle?
She wasnt there when he died, and i didnt really know you're meant to leave together for a long time when one dies... So he was in with her for around five minutes and then we brought him back out. But now its nearly 10pm, and i brought her inside because its ridiculously cold outside and i didnt want her to be out in the freezing cold by herself.
Should i put smudge in her hutch/run tomorrow? Or is that too late? I want her to understand that he's gone but i dont know if i've messed up and am too late now
Also should i get her a new companion? i think they have been together pretty much their whole lives and they are about 5. When should i do this and how do i go about it? x
Thanks for any help

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I'm so sorry you lost Smudge so suddenly.

It's certainly a good idea to leave the rabbit who's passed with his partner for a while. There's no set length of time. It's usually the right time to take his body away when the mate has looked, sniffed and then moves away and gets on with their life as normal.

If Tinkerbelle is usually an outdoor rabbit, I would advise bringing her indoors if this is feasible for you. Firstly, she now has no one to cuddle up with and keep warm in the cold nights. Also, she may get depressed left outside alone, and bringing her in makes for a change of scene for her - might help perk her up if she gets to feeling a bit lost.

I don't know whether you asked the vet about Smudge's death, or had a post mortem done, as it's wise to try and ensure that nothing was passed on to Tinkerbelle.

Once again, many condolences. You will be able to spot by Tinkerbelle's behaviour whether the time is right to get her a friend. Some rabbits adapt better than others, depending on their personalities.

MightyMax said:

I'm so sorry you lost Smudge so suddenly.

It's certainly a good idea to leave the rabbit who's passed with his partner for a while. There's no set length of time. It's usually the right time to take his body away when the mate has looked, sniffed and then moves away and gets on with their life as normal.

If Tinkerbelle is usually an outdoor rabbit, I would advise bringing her indoors if this is feasible for you. Firstly, she now has no one to cuddle up with and keep warm in the cold nights. Also, she may get depressed left outside alone, and bringing her in makes for a change of scene for her - might help perk her up if she gets to feeling a bit lost.

I don't know whether you asked the vet about Smudge's death, or had a post mortem done, as it's wise to try and ensure that nothing was passed on to Tinkerbelle.

Once again, many condolences. You will be able to spot by Tinkerbelle's behaviour whether the time is right to get her a friend. Some rabbits adapt better than others, depending on their personalities.

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Thankyou for the advice I've brang her inside for the night but the problem is i dont have a big/safe enough area indoors for her in the day...? Should i take her inside every night and out in the day?x
And with keeping her with smudge, i meant like even if he's been dead for a whole day is it ok for me to put them together? x thanks both fo you <3

AmyKennedy said:

Thankyou for the advice I've brang her inside for the night but the problem is i dont have a big/safe enough area indoors for her in the day...? Should i take her inside every night and out in the day?x
And with keeping her with smudge, i meant like even if he's been dead for a whole day is it ok for me to put them together? x thanks both fo you <3

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Yes I would still put them together. With the weather not being warm, the body should be preserved OK?

Changes of temperature are what rabbits cope LEAST well with, so I should decide to stick with either keeping her indoors or outdoors. From a warm house even to the cold in the daytime may well be enough to deplete her immune system, particularly with her just having suffered the loss of a long standing companion. If she's outside, make sure wherever she is. is insulated. Maybe get her a 'snuggle safe' heat pad to keep her cosy. I'm sure she'll appreciate extra attention from you though

Make sure you watch her for signs of stress and loneliness. I lost reggie in November, he has to be pts and ruby didn't see him afterwards, she seemed to cope fine for a week or two and then she started fur pulling on her tummy and just looked really fed up. She is an outdoor bunny too so I changed her hutch position so she got a more interesting view of the garden, this seemed to help. She also needed a lot more attention. A lot of people will say I did the wrong thing but I would bring her indoors for half an hour at a time in the evening as this cheered her up a lot (I could tell by the binkies) and she wanted cuddling and attention. She has never had ill effects as I have done this regularly in the past before. I'm not able to keep her indoors either. Ruby's hutch has kids of hay in it and is covered so hopefully this minimises the change of temperature.

She now has a new friend and I hope to start bonding today (she has had an eye infection so I have had to postpone bonding) . I have realised that after having her as a lone bunny for 2 months, she really does need a friend.

Thankyou for the advice everyone!!
I put her and smudge in their hutch/run this morning for around 6 hours or so? She completely ignored him the whole time :/ She went over and sniffed a couple of times so i think she knew he was there but she mostly just left him alone? I'm taking this as a good sign but i've never dealt with this before, so i'm not sure
She is currently inside in my room, I've used a dog pen to corner off a section of my room and brang in as many of her outdoor toys and stuff as possible so she feels more at home, and i have turned both the radiators off in my room so its not too warm for her.
I've never had an indoor rabbit before since i dont really have the space, and its not enough room for her imo but at the moment its the best i can do... She seems to be perfectly settled and her normal self at the moment so i think she's ok really. i feel a lot better having her inside where i can keep an eye on her and make sure she is ok though, so for now i think its the best option. I couldnt bring her old litter tray in so she has a indoor rabbit cage base filled with newspaper and hay which im hoping she will use, and i've put a big waterproof tablecloth on the floor because i have carpet and no spare lino or anything :/
Any tips for keeping her indoors would be much appreciated! I plan to move her outdoors in the spring, or into the garage asap if we can find a way to do it. Im not sure how to post a photo of what she has at the moment but if i figure it out then i will please try and be nice, i know its not ideal but i dont have a choice at the moment and its still a lot bigger than a pet shop hutch or anything like that.

I have seen a lot of pictures from indoor bunny owners wHo don't have the floorspace build up instead of out. Adding 'floors' to your bunny space by stacking cages or building shelves and ramps can give bun more room to roam without taking up the whole house!

I am sorry to hear about Smudge. Rest in peace little one. xx



http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?304613-Indoor-Housing-Tips-amp-Examples This thread might help you with ideas for increasing indoore housing space...upwards! Best of luck.

My little Bambi died at one cold night and we left her with Cookie for nearly an hour before we taken her body away. I still heart breaking when I remember how Cookie tried to groom her and invite her to play but getting no response.

Thank you everyone for the kind words <3 she is doing really well in my room now, she is actually a lot closer to me now? x I've ordered her a 48" x 30" dog crate which should be arriving tomorrow, she will have that and the playpen attached and eventually when my room is ready and bunny-proof she will be free range in my room in the day and in the crate/pen at night. Does this sound ok? I will try and attach a second level to the crate and she has a table which she uses as a shelf/level at the moment. I would guess the area of her playpen at the moment is around 5ft x 5ft and when im in the room/house she has a lot more space... is this ok, at least for the short term?

Sorry that you lost Smudge

I had to bring Lopsy inside because he was unwell, and I'm about to post up (not amazing) pictures of his indoor setup under 'Housing'. It's a temporary solution while it's cold outside, and he'll be back out as soon as it's warm enough Again, it's not as big as I'd like but he's happy enough for now!