After losing your heart and soul bunnies

Did you go on to get more? And if so, how did you bond with them? Was there always a part of you that regretted it, or did you fall for them just as heavily?

Please tell me honestly either way!

i already had several other rabbits when i lost my 'heart and soul' rabbit

nothing, nobun,no-one lessens the pain of that loss

i do love my other rabbits and they all have their own place in my heart

but a true heart and soul rabbit is, imo, a once in a lifetime event. something so precious and unique and completely irreplaceable

when we loose them life will never be the same again and the gap they leave will remain empty forever

For me it was same bond but different - both myself and my hubby who is not so bunny mad or who certainly wasn't at the time were completely besotted with a black bunny we had - when we lost him at just four years old to a tumour within a few weeks I was desperate to fill the void our dear four footed friend had left - lol so much so that I rescued a bunny who looked just like him - in fact he could have been our original bunnies twin lol.

Within a few weeks I remember thinking I'd made a huge mistake as our new arrival was very different in character and habits and lol if I'd had a fiver for every time I'd thought about returning him to rescue during the first year I think I'd be retired right now :roll:

But........ Many years on our replacement bunny is now 10 years old and we have a wonderful bond - even more so in his twilight years when he has needed much TLC -

Our dear previous bun still holds a very precious place in our memories but we did give our hearts again.

Hoppit! said:

Did you go on to get more? And if so, how did you bond with them? Was there always a part of you that regretted it, or did you fall for them just as heavily?

Please tell me honestly either way!

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Yes I lost my soul mate but I went on to get more rabbits and am always happy that I did!

Your soul mate was/is one of a kind, but so are all the others. Sometimes we can blinker ourselves into thinking there was 'the One', but my belief is if you give an animal a chance, they too can become soul mates.

You can feel the bond was so precious that it could never be replicated, and it can't - in the same way. But that doesn't mean that they are not soul mates. Just as I believe humans can have more than one chance at having a human soul mate during their lifetimes.

MightyMax said:

Yes I lost my soul mate but I went on to get more rabbits and am always happy that I did!

Your soul mate was/is one of a kind, but so are all the others. Sometimes we can blinker ourselves into thinking there was 'the One', but my belief is if you give an animal a chance, they too can become soul mates.

You can feel the bond was so precious that it could never be replicated, and it can't - in the same way. But that doesn't mean that they are not soul mates. Just as I believe humans can have more than one chance at having a human soul mate during their lifetimes.

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This is how it is for me too. Whilst I will always say that nobun will come close to what I had with Artie, I do have an incredibly strong bond with other bunnies. Before Artie, Scrabble was my soulbun and now I have a very strong bond with Dinky and Theo, Elijah and Erin also.

I lost my soul bunny a few months ago. We have other rabbits and have had two new arrivals since. Right now, nothing feels the same any more. I don't even feel like taking in any more rabbits ever again.

Over the years we have lost a few rabbits that I have thought were soul rabbits but nothing compares to this time I can't imagine ever having a relationship like that with a rabbit again so for me at the moment, my enthusiasm for rabbits generally has gone

When my soul bunny died, like others, I already had three other bunnies. I'm ashamed to admit that I lost all interest in the rabbits after Benji died, and whilst I obviously still took care of them to the standard that I had before, I was completely distanced from them emotionally. It's something that still bothers me to this day, that I coped so poorly with losing Benji. It coincided with my first ever heartbreak too, so I wasn't in a good place. I have never again had a bond with a bunny the way that I did with Benji, but I still adopt more bunnies whenever I lose one, and I still love them very dearly.

My first ever bunny was actually my mums, she already had rabbits when I was born. One of them, Thumper was like my shadow. He followed me everywhere, he came in the house and went to the toilet in a litter tray. He fractured his leg and died under the anaesthetic when I was 9, he was 13. We were heartbroken we did have one other rabbit at the time, and when she died we didn't get any more.

However, fast forward to adulthood nearly 30 years later and yes, I did get more. Boots is my soul bunny I don't feel bad having a favourite as Dandy and Beano are well kept, and they don't care about humans, they are far happier in each other's company especially with being very nervy buns.

MightyMax said:

Yes I lost my soul mate but I went on to get more rabbits and am always happy that I did!

Your soul mate was/is one of a kind, but so are all the others. Sometimes we can blinker ourselves into thinking there was 'the One', but my belief is if you give an animal a chance, they too can become soul mates.

You can feel the bond was so precious that it could never be replicated, and it can't - in the same way. But that doesn't mean that they are not soul mates. Just as I believe humans can have more than one chance at having a human soul mate during their lifetimes.

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^^ This. I feel it is very much about the right bunny coming along at the right time during your life. The right bunny could come along more than once. When you've had a special bunny, you have to open your heart unconditional without comparison otherwise you will never know when or if the right bunny has come along again. Also just because you have developed another deep bond with another bunny, it doesn't mean you are betraying your previous bunny.

I've had two really special bunnies. My bridge bunny Humbug was a fabulous bunny who had a beautiful loving soul. Even when he was going through monthly dentals, it didn't dent his spirit or zest for life. He lived to approx 9-10 years old, although my decision to help him across to the bridge haunts me as I sometimes feel I give up too soon when his dental issues reappeared. I am more experienced and knowledgeable now, but at the time I made the best decision for him.

My other special bunny is Hershel. He is totally different in character to Humbug. Whilst he can be very loving, sweet, cheeky and funny, he is also very demanding and temperamental, he will grunt and thump like a 2 year old throwing a hissy-fit if he doesn't get a head pat or your attention. But he has wound himself through my heart and I would be devastated if anything happens to him.

I had a deep and fast bond with Nessarose, a delightful magpie lionhead. Fast because it was over way too soon for me. When I took her on, Elphie and Galinda were already in my life (and still are ) but there was something special about her. I got her at 3 years from somebody who thought she was "evil" because she showed typical hormonal tendencies: lunging, biting etc. However, after spaying she had such a fast turnaround and had a deeply loving and sweet, but also feisty temperament underneath. She trusted me implicitly from then on.

But last month, she fell sick super fast and was PTS within 24 hours. I sobbed so much at the vets, was crying before the confirmation that she was more than ready to go.

After she went, I said I wouldn't ever have more than 2 rabbits at any one time. This weekend I broke my promise to myself as Athena hopped into my heart. She is an outgoing lionhead cross who was determined to make me her human.

I still love my other girls deeply but the bond with them is different and I wouldn't want it any other way. They will all, always, be with me like pawprints on my heart.

But as for soulbunnies, I don't know. I have a cat who trusts me like Nessa did too (Ajali, who is curled up in front of me and purring like a trooper). All of them are special and bring something different to me. Some just teach me more than others.

I'm very lucky to not have lost a soul bun. ..and also very lucky to have 2 soul buns with me still. They are both very different but I seem to have a deep connection and understanding with them...and I will be devastated when they leave me. But knowing that I can have more than one makes me very optimistic that there will be more.

This is making me sad. I have been thinking about this for a while now. Fiver is 7 and is my world. I love Xena and Shadowfax just as much but I can not imagine my life without him. He has been everywhere with me and the bond I have with him is so very special (despite him being a little **** sometimes!) I know he's getting old and I am just not sure how I can go on without him.

However...I had a rat who was my soul ratty. He was brilliant. After I lost him (in a way that was really awful like most ratty passings ) I didn't get anymore for a few years. I then ended up having about 14 at once (rescues and fosters etc). I never bonded with any of them like I did with Toffee and figured I never would but a few more years on and I have the three boys in my life. I love them all equally but I definitely have that special bond growing between me and Rohan. It's early days yet but he is definitely a special ratty.

I also lost my dog last year who had been in my life for 16 years. I can't tell you how difficult that was. She was more than a dog, she was family and she was my best friend. Thinking about her still makes me want to cry, but we did get another dog a few months after losing her. It's been difficult accepting that Rosie is gone and Larka is now here. In fact it's been REALLY hard getting used to Larka...but I have never regretted finding her and I've never regretted getting another dog so soon after losing Rosie. For me, I felt that I was being selfish by not having a dog. I have this amazing home and garden and family and it seemed wrong that we weren't offering a home to a dog who desperately needed one. It was also a great way to keep my mind occupied; she was 4 months old when we got her so all my time was taken up with training her and bonding with her.

I don't feel like I would be able to handle losing Fiver as well as my other animals. Rosie was special but Fiver is my baby. He is the first animal I got that was solely "mine" and he knows it. He wants to spend time with me. He begs for attention constantly. He follows me around like a dog. He gets sooo jealous of other people if they get close to me. He gives me cuddles every morning and every night and there is nothing and nobody who could ever fill his place in my heart.

I lost my soul ratty about 12 years ago and never had another one since

I lost my soul rabbit when I was a child. Her son was very lovely and we were close but Lady Alice was just incredible. I thought that all rabbits would be like her ...

Many years later I now have eight rabbits. All different and all very dear to me but none of them enjoy human company. I am glad to have rabbits again but will always miss my soul rabbit.

MightyMax said:

Yes I lost my soul mate but I went on to get more rabbits and am always happy that I did!

Your soul mate was/is one of a kind, but so are all the others. Sometimes we can blinker ourselves into thinking there was 'the One', but my belief is if you give an animal a chance, they too can become soul mates.

You can feel the bond was so precious that it could never be replicated, and it can't - in the same way. But that doesn't mean that they are not soul mates. Just as I believe humans can have more than one chance at having a human soul mate during their lifetimes.

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Totally this for me. They have all been very special in their own right.
Loosing my dog broke my heart though.

I lost my wonderful Alfred in January, it hurt so much to make that decision, he was such a wonderful bunny.

I got another rescue the following day, I know I could never replace Alfred, having another bunny has helped, and while he isn't Alfred, he has lots of charm and personality of his own, and I'm very glad I got another so quickly.

Hugo's There said:

I lost my soul bunny a few months ago. We have other rabbits and have had two new arrivals since. Right now, nothing feels the same any more. I don't even feel like taking in any more rabbits ever again.

Over the years we have lost a few rabbits that I have thought were soul rabbits but nothing compares to this time I can't imagine ever having a relationship like that with a rabbit again so for me at the moment, my enthusiasm for rabbits generally has gone

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((((((Huge hugs)))))))
Thinking of you, Liz. xxxx


I know time is growing short with Mimzy, I am not certain how I will handle that awful day when it comes. On the one hand he's been disabled now for so long and has his spinal problems...it will be a relief for him. But for me, the walk through hell after his loss will just be beginning.

I have yet to put up a tribute here to Shadow, the dog in my signature who left this world five years ago on March 16th. As much as I love Jenna, my Yorkie-who I believed saved my life after his passing, he was a once in a lifetime friend. There will never be another like him. And I still get horribly choked up just writing about him.

If we didn't love them so fiercely (and they us) this thread wouldn't exist. We must remember that the love doesn't ever go away...just the physical presence.

When my bunnies are gone (cats too) I will not be getting more. The heartbreak for the bunnies especially is just too hard to bear again.