Bereavement..what to do :(:(

We recently lost our beautiful little monster pepper, we are all devastated that she is no longer with us.
Her partner Trebor has always been quite a shy bunny, since losing pepper he has become quite withdrawn, he sits under the bed all day & all night (pepper used to nap under there) I think he may be starting to become a bit more aggressive? He has started lunging at us if we go to pet him, no growling or anything just lunging.

I have tried sitting with him to try and build a better bond with him but he is having none of it. We probably didn't have a very good bond at the start as pepper was extremely jealous & used to shove him out the way to try to get all the nose rubs for herself ! If I try to entice Trebor out, even with yummy food he just turns his back.

I just don't know what to do for the little man, he's such a sweet boy & it's heartbreaking to see him just sitting there when he used to binky round the rooms & beg for treats. He no longer begs, if you move to quickly he gets scared & will run back under the bed.

Hello there. Sorry you have lost one of your bunnies. do you think Trebor would like another friend as he would be better off with another wifebun?

Trebor has always been with other rabbits as far as I know, he was a rescue. Born in the rescue, lived with his litter mates, before coming to live with us & pepper when he was around 1. I suspect he would probably like another friend.

I suspect I'm probably expecting too much from him too, I am used to pepper running to see me when I come in, giving me licks and me giving her rubs, trying to steal any food stuffs you may have, meant for bunnies or not! & am now expecting to be able to spend time with him and he's not ever really been a human oriented rabbit.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to have another bunny in my life, it's not been long since pepper left us & I don't want people thinking I am trying to replace her. Nothing could ever replace her she was a very special little character & I will always miss her. I think Trebor is probably ready for another friend, but I remember how stressful his & peppers bonding was and he's already been through so much already, in just over 1 month he's been through a house move, which actually seemed to bring him out his shell, he loved running full speed like a crazed beast on the carpet upstairs & admiring himself in the mirrored wardrobes, then losing his pepper bun which seems to have sent him a million steps backwards, he's more shy & skittish than ever.

binkybunnyox said:

Trebor has always been with other rabbits as far as I know, he was a rescue. Born in the rescue, lived with his litter mates, before coming to live with us & pepper when he was around 1. I suspect he would probably like another friend.

I suspect I'm probably expecting too much from him too, I am used to pepper running to see me when I come in, giving me licks and me giving her rubs, trying to steal any food stuffs you may have, meant for bunnies or not! & am now expecting to be able to spend time with him and he's not ever really been a human oriented rabbit.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to have another bunny in my life, it's not been long since pepper left us & I don't want people thinking I am trying to replace her. Nothing could ever replace her she was a very special little character & I will always miss her. I think Trebor is probably ready for another friend, but I remember how stressful his & peppers bonding was and he's already been through so much already, in just over 1 month he's been through a house move, which actually seemed to bring him out his shell, he loved running full speed like a crazed beast on the carpet upstairs & admiring himself in the mirrored wardrobes, then losing his pepper bun which seems to have sent him a million steps backwards, he's more shy & skittish than ever.

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I am not sure why you would be concerned about what other people think? Isn't what you and Trebor want more important than that?

I would approach a rescue, and ask if they have any suitable females, and also if they will do the bonding for you. For Trebor to be taken out of his usual environment for a short while might effect the change you and he wish to happen, and also he will be much happier with a companion. It will take the pressure off him to fulfil the role of two bunnies, because like it or not, animals pick up on our feelings and our grief

Just to add, bringing a female rabbit home into a male's environment is much easier than vice-versa. Good luck with whatever you choose to do. I have rebonded bereaved rabbits more or less straightaway at times.

I also think you should get Trebor a new bunny friend. We had the same problem with our Ginny, then aged 8, when she was left alone after always having other bunny company. She got depressed and withdrawn and stopped eating. The rspca found Widget, a lone male, seized by the Inspector aged around 2. The change in Ginny was amazing. After the initial shock wore off at how fast he was, compared to her, she became smitten. She grooms him to within an inch of his life and she trundles around behind him when they are out. They have never fallen out, they share the litter tray and food dishes. They snuggle together when they doze. It was the best decision I have ever made. She's 9 now and he's about 3. They are so happy.

Thanks ��

I will approach some rescues & see if we could do some dates to find somebun trebor likes.

My oh doesn't want to get another bunny right now as he says it's too soon. i feel the same but I just want Trebor to be happy again now, poor man has been through quite a lot these couple of months. So hopefully we can find someone that loves him and helps him build his confidence again ��