bunny in mourning - not eating or drinking

hi guys,
im sorry if this has been gone over before or is in the wrong place, but i am seriously concerned with Smalls my bunny.

her bonded partner, Biggie, sadly passed away at the weekend due to a very sudden and unfixable blockage. (we think it was anyway, the vet treated her for a bout of stasis - but she had to be put to sleep the next day as she had only gotten worse over night and was clearly in pain and suffering)
anyways...... as a result of this Smalls is right off her food, wont touch the nuggies we give her everymorning (breakfast was def her favorite time of day as she is normally a greedy monster), she will have a few bits of choice greens before losing interest and she doesnt appear to have drunk any water for over 2 days now.
we have been trying to syringe feed her and give her water the same way, but i dont know how long this can last
can anyone help?
does anyone have any good tips or advice?
has anyone experienced a grieving bunny and know how to help her?

i am about to take her to the vets, but in all honesty im not sure they will do anything for her other than recommend trying to force feed her.

please guys, im beginning to unravel here and i couldnt bear to lose them both this week

thanks
huggy

hi, welcome to RU

I am sorry you lost Biggie I can only imagine the grief you must be feeling.

like humans. rabbits all share different ways of grief. some seem unbothered, some seem to reject a new partner as they are greiving, and some need a friend ASAP as they are utterly distraught at losing their friend.

Smalls sounds like she is one of those rabbits who needs a friend ASAP after losing her friend... can you call around some local rescues? they may be able to offer bonding, or even "trial" rabbits. its vital for Smalls to pick out a friend she likes, and not one that you like. personality is a big thing when it comes to rabbit bonding. some just aren't "compatible" with one another. an opposite sex pair, where both bunnies are fixed often work best. its hard to bond unneutered rabbits due to territorial and hormonal reasons.

I am not sure if they were, but were/are they vaccinated against RHD1, RHD2 & Myximatosis?

Hi huggy,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Biggie and I hope that you'll treat yourself kindly as you grieve.

I've been through grief with rabbits several times now. Every time, I've ultimately ended up adopting another rabbit, and bonding them, to help abate their grief. My soul rabbit, Elphie, lost her sister. I adopted 2 rabbits the same day, they bonded immediately, but Elphie continued to lose weight. We bonded in another rabbit after she fell out with her sister. It was at that point that Elphie began to turn around.

You do need to keep Smalls eating. Try tempting her with fresh herbs, her favourite greens, and so on. When a rabbit refuses to eat for multiple days, I'd always ask at the very least for some pain relief, too. My rabbits have also been prescribed Emeprid (a gut stimulant) whenever they are refusing to eat.

Otherwise, I'd also give her a lot of attention. Some people recommend placing a cuddly toy with the rabbit for the interim, if they have lost a partner. It sometimes helps for them to snuggle up to something. Also, things to keep her mind active - perhaps some new toys, or rabbit-safe twigs to chew?

I'm sending lots of vibes for you and Smalls. xxx

Maybe your remaining rabbit has a similar problem to the one you have just lost and I am sorry that you have lost a rabbit. They don't tend to stop eating when they lose a friend.

tlcwrites said:

I'm sending lots of vibes for you and Smalls. xxx

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thanks for your message. im sure shes fine and im being over protective.
i am however off to see the vet right now. better safe than sorry i guess.

binkyCodie said:

hi, welcome to RU

I am sorry you lost Biggie I can only imagine the grief you must be feeling.

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thanks binkyCodie,
we have already decided to get her another friend, but i think i need to get over 'General' Biggie first, so it will happen in a week or two when i have stopped crying at odd intervals.
never though a little bunny would knock me so hard

tonibun said:

Maybe your remaining rabbit has a similar problem to the one you have just lost and I am sorry that you have lost a rabbit. They don't tend to stop eating when they lose a friend.

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I am very sorry for your loss of Biggie

I agree with Tonibun's post. Was Biggie fully vaccinated (2 separate vaccines to cover for Myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2 ?) is Smalls fully vaccinated ?

Jack's-Jane said:

I am very sorry for your loss of Biggie

I agree with Tonibun's post. Was Biggie fully vaccinated (2 separate vaccines to cover for Myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2 ?) is Smalls fully vaccinated ?

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hi, yes both are/were fully vaccinated.
i think she is just a bit lonely.
they were from the same litter and have never been apart.

anyhoo........... we're back from the vets.
whilst the vet could find no obvious reason for smalls to be off and acting a bit odd, she did think it might be stress related due to the happenings of the last few days.
shes been given a bunny laxitive type thing, to make her go which should in turn increase her appetite. but also has a subdermal fluid hump injected which should keep her hydrated for a few days as her body uses up the fluid.
she looks ridiculous and wasnt too pleased about the 3 large injections to get it into her, but at least she is out of danger for the time being.
i think i will have to syringe feed her a few 'recovery' packets over the next day or two, but the road to recovery is laid out for her now so she should be mended soon

thanks everyone

h

Hopefully Smalls will start to eat soon.

How is Smalls doing today ?

Jack's-Jane said:

How is Smalls doing today ?

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hi everybunny,

just a little update on smalls

have been syringe feeding her all week, and whilst she appeared fine, she was just not interested in food (of any sort) or water which has been a real concern.
but this morning it is all change; she came too the door of her cage when i came down this morning, shes been into evrything - making mess and general disruption.
we saw a little binky across the living room and she even came running at the sound of her nugget breakfast as it was poured into her bowl.
so i think i can hesitantly say that she seems to be through the worst of it and is on the mend.

i guess a week is her standard mourning time

thanks to everyone for your messages of support, concern and advice, it has all helped keep me together in the face of what has been a very sad and trying time for us.
heres to a good weekend

huggy

Many thanks for the up-date and hopefully bunny will now continue to stay well.