Not Sure what to do....

Last night one of my Boyfriends rabbits passed to the bridge, leaving behind her sister. Lucifer lady - Lucy - (so called as she was albino, belonged to my boyfriend's ex and could be v evil at times - but still loved none the less) was nearly six. Both her and her sister Twiggy have lived together all their lives.

Twiggy knows what has happened as I made sure she was with her sister until the end.

Twiggy is obviously grieving at the moment, but I am worried for her. Neither bun was spayed and she is obviously too old to be put through that now safely (in my opinion), so I think it would be difficult for her to be bonded with another bun, especially after being with Lucy for so long. But she lives outdoors in a hutch, and I'm worried about her being on her own. My Boyfriend and his parents have no room for her indoors at all, and I can't really give her the space with my two.

I'm going back round there again today with my grooming kit and a snuggle safe to give her a pampering and she's going to the vets this afternoon for a check up. (Lucy was deteriorating for a while, but it seemed so natural that we decided at her age, the best medicine was her sister's love and that a vet trip would be too stressful for her). Lucy showed no signs of anything that could be viral or bacterial, it seemed to all be quite natural. -- This may not have been the best decision to anyone else, but we all agree that when we love our pets, we know inside what to do for the best.

So what do you guys think? Should we try to find Twiggy a partner, or will it be too stressful for her? 6 years with a sister may be to hard to help to heal a broken heart with another bun? I will get Twiggys teeth checked today, but other than that she seems in great health, but Lucy dying may change that. Anyone else have any experience of this, I'm greatful for any advice?

This unfortunately is a decision only you cam make as only you know the bun. I lost one of my house buns in August and the one that was left did grieve but she did get over it (mind you I have alot of buns that she saw everyday. However I lost her to uterine cancer in November.
Good luck and you will make the right decision for your bun.
Take care
Kayx

I would have thought that she might like a new friend. You can always take her to a rescue to see if she gets on with one of the rabbits there. If you find a neutered male it shouldn't matter that she is not spayed. There are some lovely older buns needing homes, here is one lovely boy
http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/moreinfo.asp?RabID=3716

I think a lot of this 'lost' behaviour that bereaved bunnies show, especially outside ones, is fear of being alone, rather than missing their companion as an individual - suddenly when Benny lost Pepsi, he seemed terrified of the wind blowing, bags rustling, cars and buses roaring past - They offer reassurance to each other so without that the world is quite scary...I brought Benny indoors as it was quieter and safer for him, but if that's not possible, maybe a teddy bear to snuggle up to and lick might help her? Also without another rabbit to groom her she will want a lot more stroking from humans too.

Ideally it would be nice if you could adopt her into your house but keep her seperate from your existing rabbits, as they will probably not accept her, or her them - At her age she most likely just wants a comfy place to snooze, warmth, some snuggles with a human, and a couple of half hour sessions out of her crate to stretch her legs every day - I have Maa in my bedroom and she's totally undemanding, except for strokes and head rubs, which she loves.

Maa lived with her 4 daughters before she got ill, so she's never been alone till now, but she seems quite happy as she is - much more relaxed than when she lived outside - although I'm going to move her downstairs in Spring so she can go out the door to the patio. I wouldn't want her to live outside alone though - Benny does and he seems happy with a bachelor life in his hutch, but Maa is more affectionate and not as energetic as him.

I would get the remaining girl checked up by the vet to ensure that she is in good health and then consider getting her a friend particuarly if she is an outdoor bun and everyone works in the house.

I agree that at 6 years she is probably too old to get neutered, pairing up with a neutered male is your easiest option available to you. Being unneutered it is definately possible to pair her up, although it can often mean trying a few more partners first before you find the right one. If you do choose to get another partner for her, the easiest option for you both would be to take her along to a rescue and letting her choose her prosepective partner and getting them to pair her up for you.

Janice

Thank you all for your replies. I had suggested that we should take her dating, and maybe find her a new friend of a similar age. She will be going to the vets today anyway to check she is all OK. I would love to take her on as an indoor bunny, but I have no room until I get my own place. Unfortunately the house she currently lives in doesn't even have room for a cage or crate in any of the rooms.... roll on Mr Mortgage advisor..... !!

my concern was mainly whether not being spayed/not being able to be spayed could affect her chances of being bonded with another bun. But thanks to your reassurance, I may start looking. I am unsure as to whether she would take more to a boy or girl given she has always been with her sister. But taking her dating seems like a good idea. I am off to a local rescue on Saturday to take some pics to put on the RR site for bins up for adoption so I will see if they have any suitable candidates.

I think she could make friends with another bunny, I'm not sure if a rabbit is ever too old. My old bunny Bilbo was introduced to Gypsy later on in life, he was around 8 and it seemed to bring him a new lease of life having a young bunny around of course, every bunny is different, I would still be carefull with an introduction, but it's probably worth a try.

I had two unspayed females who lost their partners at very similar times and I was lucky enough to be able to get them together so yes, anything could be possible, depends on how picky your bun is :lol: