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Coping With Deciding to be Bunniless

nickybunny1

Mama Doe
Having had 4 buns over 10 years and loosing my dear sweet Oliver at the weekend we are now bunniless. I'm heartbroken. We have lost a bun every summer for past 3 years. The pain is awful and I can't go through this again. We said we will never say never but for now it's no more pets. Though the emptiness in the house is awful. I nearly cried in the shop just seeing romaine lettuce. Bunnies hold a big place in my heart.

Are there any others here who have decided no more buns for a while ? How did you cope with not having them anymore and the emptiness they leave behind ?
 
So sorry to hear about Oliver. :(

I do know just what you mean. I felt the same when I lost my bunnies, but I just couldn't face going through that again. But, like yourself, I decided to never say never. I didn't know what to do with myself after I lost the last bunny that had needed a lot of medical care, and the empty feeling in the house was awful.

I'm currently piggyless for the first time since 2001 and I still expect to hear 'wheek wheek wheek' as I go up the stairs, even though it's been a little while now.

It does get easier, I promise. x
 
I am sorry you had the same pain too Sarah, yes I don't know what to do with myself either. I am currently in the car in Tesco car park having the familiar need to get back to the house to see my boy as I never liked to leave him on his own too long ( hubby is at work this evening ) so now I obviously I have no need to rush back but still have the urgency within me to get back to them. Every room in the house as a reminder, there are some hay bales still behind the sofa which I can't bear to remove.

Sarah how long was your last bun on his own for? Oliver was 7 years 9 months when he passed and spent the last 11 months on his own (he was never on his own since we had him at 8 weeks) where I think he was ok but we gave him lots of attention. We did try to bond him with a female in May but it didn't work out. I just feel bad for for his last 11 months without a companion.

I'm glad you say it gets easier because right now it's very difficult.
 
My last bun was on her own for 7 months in the end. I knew her days were numbered and I didn't actually think she'd outlive her sister by quite that long. I felt bad about her being by herself, but she was with me most of the time.

I definitely understand that emotional pull. I actually still have Dusty's old toy bunny that we bought her once she was on her own - I've never been able to part with it.

It'll take time, but when you feel up to putting some things away, you'll probably feel better for it. It will obviously be really hard to do though, so leave it till you can.
 
Thank u Sarah, sounds like you found it difficult too. I think it's lovely you still have Dustys toy. I will defo keep a few things, and will store away bowls, mats , vet bed just incase I need them.
 
I no longer have buns,my boy Rio went to the bridge nearly six years,his wife Cleo two years before that.I'd love to have rabbits again,but financially It's not possible.I'm on a work pension now and thanks to the Tories raising the retirement age it will be five years before I get the state pension.I do qualify for the PDSA but their remit is treating illness,not prevention (jabs etc).Though Rio did get a couple of dentals done there.I'm happy with my wee budgie and hammies.I'll get another hammie soon.I still long for bunnies though.
 
We've made that decision too. Mylo is our first bunny and, even though we've only had her for 5.5 years, she's had 4 partners in that time. I love my fluffers, I really do, but It's been both emotionally and financially draining for us. Even though we've finally hit a place where they're both happy and (touch wood) healthy, I don't think I could do it again for a good few years yet. We have a lot of big plans for our life over the next few years, of course Mylo and Theo will be joining us no matter what but after that, no more bunnies for us for a long time.
 
I'm so sorry you are in this position, after we lost Boots I did decide no more, but we decided after a few weeks that we couldn't be without bunnies, and we went to a rescue and we were chosen by Frosty :love:

I know how hard it is :cry: hugs xx
 
Hi Nickybun. Im so sorry you are feeling the loss of oliver so strongly right now.
We lost Bramble a belgian hare after a long decline with rear limb weakness and decided we needed a break more emotionally than anything else. We had a break for a year which was good and not so good. Then one rainy saturday afternoon we found norman in the adoption section P@h and were so happy. Ultimately decided a life without a bun wasn,t right for us. Tragically he died coming round from being neuteted 2 weeks later and were distraught. My husband was refusing to put ourselves through any more heartache. I could only make sense of it by looking for another rabbit and found Bob who we have now who was already neutered. He soon came round.
Don,t rush any decisions now it will become apparant what is right for you when it is not as raw. Wishing you well x

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I think it's impossible for you to decide at the moment what the future will hold as far as keeping rabbits is concerned. I think in time you will see what is right for you.

In my own case, my previous rabbit died suddenly when I was working away for several weeks, which I found very hard to cope with at the time. I thought things over for a very long time, before arriving at my current state of mind about keeping rabbits. I certainly missed having them in my life, but like you became very upset when they died. I tried to change things round in my mind, so that keeping rabbits was something I was doing for the rabbits rather than for myself. So the three I have now live outside, are allowed to be rabbits and my enjoyment is achieved from trying to do the very best for them and observing them interacting with each other, rather than specifically with me. It's helped by the fact that these three are entirely happy with that situation :) Whether that will help me cope better when they die I don't know, we'll see.

Sending hugs.
 
Really sorry for your loss. When my cat died 25 years ago I never wanted another pet as couldn't face that pain again. I then 6 years ago thought I do want a pet but not a cat something different so got Doughnut. I'll obviously be devastated when she goes so I may think never again too. I have thought maybe I would foster from a rescue but know that I will get attached and end up keeping!! I think it's OK if the turnaround is quite quick say every month but I know it's not like that although after the first day I wouldn't have given Doughnut back!
 
Thanks guys for your input, it's been comforting. It's all very raw right now and in time my feelings may change. Not that i could contemplate a bunny or any pet right now but right now financially we just couldn't manage it. I just miss my fur family.
 
Back in 2007 when I lost Ralph I vowed no more bunnies but I only lasted about 6 weeks. I had no other pets & my house felt like it has no soul or energy. The pain of loss is overwhelming but if I could go back in time I'd still adopt the same bunnies, put myself through the same heartbreak (an inevitable part of sharing our lives with something we love so much & are dependent upon us) because the experience of knowing them has been so wonderful. It is better to have loved & lost than never loved at all.

Big hugs xx
 
I lost Louie over 2.5 years ago now and I miss having bunnies.

I look in Pets at Home everytime we go in and also look at rabbits needing homes but I wont be getting one as I don't have much luck with them :(
 
Hi Nicky

Deciding to go bunniless ... I think time will tell whether you feel this is right for you. As you say, more bunnies aren't on the cards anyway right now, and that's a good thing in some ways as it slows down our impetuousness sometimes to 'fill the gap' with all the love we have to give. The love rushes out as it did whilst bunny was alive, but has no destination .. for a short while until things settle down.

I think having rabbits with chronic health issues is incredibly draining. My first rabbit was a steep learning curve for me, but mainly because he had so many *big* health issues. Yes, I could deal with them all, but it took emotional stamina and resilience. You don't realise until this intense caring and worrying stops, the toll it's been having on you personally.

It was only down the line when I had rabbits that I wasn't perpetually fire-fighting or worrying about that I realised it can be different. That there can be periods, even long periods, of quiet joy and happiness being around them. Not to say my rabbits since then haven't worried me to bits, but it's not been a constant over all the 25+ years of rabbit keeping.

I made the decision to always have them in the house around me as I couldn't bear for them to be restricted to a hutch/pen/shed, however big it was. They become part of 'the family' - I see them playing around whilst I write this :) It's a two edged sword, as having them nearby means I can spot the slightest 'off colour' moment, but it also means that when they are hurting I cannot turn away.

Sending you loads of hugs xx
 
nickybunny1 I can totally understand how you feel. We lost Julie in 2015 and decided that that we could not get another bunny after her. Julie filled our lives and we both miss her still every single day and one of us usually mentions her daily.
We both say someday we will get another bunny someday but right now we still can not see another bunny without thinking of Julie. Julie was almost 12 when we died and we had her since a baby. She had serious health issues in her later years and needed almost around the clock care which we both gave her. I think that strengthened our bond with her and made loosing her worse for us than loosing any other pet.
Even though neither of us is actually ready yet to get another bunny we did go into a pet store here in Germany last week. I saw the bunnies and they did pull at my heart strings a bit and I started dreaming a little of having bunnies again. We would not get another though until we are done traveling but from that pet store it seems like this area in Germany would be a good place to have bunnies. The rabbits were in huge enclosures with lots of very green fresh looking hay. The rabbit cages being sold were HUGE and very sturdy well made. I have never seen such huge cages made especially for rabbits in a store before. Although I only use the cage as a base as we like house bunnies but it is nice to have a huge cage on those rare occasions that is is necessary for safety reasons to be locked in.
 
Yes Max, time will tell but u have hit the nail on the head, I feel this urgency to fill the gap and ease / distract me from my grief but I must deal with it. Not that I would ever get a pet now obviously but I think you saying that I have nowhere to direct my bunny love is spot on and has left my brain and heart very confused. But financially we need to get our selves sorted, I know we would have found the extra if Darcy had of worked out for Olivers sake. To be fair, Oliver never had what I considered health problems. His fluids for his sludge were very easy to give and he took his metacam from the syringe. He was actually quite a healthy wee boy . But yes Rosie and Cody had chronic sicknesses. I do remember the first 5 years we had very few problems and lots of joy and happiness but I guess as buns get older they just get problems like humans and I was so glad we were able to help them with all their conditions. They were very brave. Having 4 bunnies running around my garden was amazing. I agree I couldn't keep my buns outside either and I have seen some amazing sheds but it's just me. I loved having 4 house buns who we could watch their antics all the time and who were never caged. But yes u defo can spot if they are off in any way sooner. 25 years of buns, unreal . You r THEE bunny lady !
 
Bunny toes, I am sorry your poor Julie was so sick for her final years, but she was sooo lucky to have you as her mum to give her such great care and to live to 12 is a testiment to how much she was loved. I am sure your heart was just like mine when she passed. You r still not ready for another bun after 2 years, I don't know how long it will be before I will ever be ready for fur in my life again . That pet store in Germany sounds really good or as good as a pet store can be and I am glad they r promoting such large accommodation. Thanks for sharing your loss of Julie to help mw and I am sorry she was so poorly x
 
Oliver sounds like a one of a kind bunny. Thank you. As hard as it is to loose a special bunny talking to people who understand helps.
 
I had four for nine years (and many before that). They were in the house most of their lives. I have none now, and I will not be having any more. The part I miss is what MightyMax mentioned - seeing them playing in the house while I got on with whatever I had to do.

I am sorry for the loss of my bunnies but I am a very different person now from when I first got them, so it is better that I don't have any more.
 
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