Sadly my bunny Smoke had to be put to sleep on Saturday as he had a blocked intestine and was in a bad way. His brother Simba is left behind on his own. He seems to be doing ok, eating and drinking and enjoying the garden. We're not sure what to do for the best. He hates being handled and gets very worried about going to the vets for example. We don't want him to be lonely though. We're giving him as much attention as we can but it's not the same as having another rabbit for company. Does anyone have any experience of bonding a recently bereaved rabbit with another rescue rabbit? I'm not really sure what's involved but I'm worried it will be too much upheaval for him. He's been with us for 4 years and we adopted him and Smoke from a rescue when they were around 18 months old. He's a lion head bunny. We were thinking about a spayed female of around his age. How long do we wait? Any advice greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Bonding a bereaved bunny
- Thread starter Mildge
- Start date
I am very sorry you have lost Smoke. There is no set time to find another friend, when you feel right about it. A spayed female should be best and not too difficult to bond if you have a neutral space to introduce them in. Is your remaining rabbit vaccinated against RHD2 as this seems to be doing the rounds at the moment?
Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
I'm very sorry you lost Smoke 
As Tonibun says, there is no set time frame for finding a new friend for a bereaved bunny, I think you have to go with your gut instinct. One of my rabbits, Snoopy, lost his friend earlier this year and I got him a new friend a week and a half later. My decision was based on my gut instinct that as Snoopy much prefers the company of other rabbits to humans I would need to get him a new companion as quickly as possible. I have to admit it was very hard for me to get another bunny so soon as I was distraught about losing Peanut Butter but I knew it was the right thing to do for Snoopy as he was clearly depressed being on his own and is much happier again now. The bond itself was quite easy and straightforward.
As Tonibun says, there is no set time frame for finding a new friend for a bereaved bunny, I think you have to go with your gut instinct. One of my rabbits, Snoopy, lost his friend earlier this year and I got him a new friend a week and a half later. My decision was based on my gut instinct that as Snoopy much prefers the company of other rabbits to humans I would need to get him a new companion as quickly as possible. I have to admit it was very hard for me to get another bunny so soon as I was distraught about losing Peanut Butter but I knew it was the right thing to do for Snoopy as he was clearly depressed being on his own and is much happier again now. The bond itself was quite easy and straightforward.
MightyMax
Banned
Hello Mildge
I am so sorry you lost your bunny Smoke. It's awful when they go, so sad.
As far as your other bunny is concerned, I would think a new friend from a rescue will be the tonic he needs to keep him lively. I have known rabbits become depressed when their partner leaves.
A female rabbit would be the choice for an easy bond, and I have had no difficulty bonding male/female combos. You could ask the rescue to help you too
As for timing, I have bonded a recently bereaved rabbit within a week, as it really was the best thing to do.
Good luck xx
Thanks for your replies. I wasn't aware of the new strain of RHD tonibun but Simba is due for his vaccinations next month so I'll check with the vet that he will get the new vaccine.
Poor Smoke was gone so suddenly. He seemed fine on Friday, eating and leaping about. Saturday morning he didn't come for his breakfast and was just lying there. My husband picked him up and he didn't even struggle so we knew something was very wrong. We were at the vets within the hour but his blood glucose level was 36 which is apparently very high. The vet didn't think he would even get through the anaesthetic. Absolutely heart breaking. He was such a lovely, cheeky little bunny and so soft. It's horrible looking out and seeing poor Simba sitting there on his own
There's a rescue fairly close which has lots of female buns on their own. We will pay them a visit at the weekend and get some help.
Poor Smoke was gone so suddenly. He seemed fine on Friday, eating and leaping about. Saturday morning he didn't come for his breakfast and was just lying there. My husband picked him up and he didn't even struggle so we knew something was very wrong. We were at the vets within the hour but his blood glucose level was 36 which is apparently very high. The vet didn't think he would even get through the anaesthetic. Absolutely heart breaking. He was such a lovely, cheeky little bunny and so soft. It's horrible looking out and seeing poor Simba sitting there on his own
There's a rescue fairly close which has lots of female buns on their own. We will pay them a visit at the weekend and get some help.
