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Grief after losing bunny - how can it be so bad?

Hesperus

Hesperus

Warren Veteran
Dear all,

I'm so sorry I don't post very often any more, I just find it a bit tricky to navigate lots of typing with my disability.

I lost my beloved house bunny Ludo on Monday, aged 9. He had organ failure and there was nothing that could be done. I would post in the Rainbow Bridge but I can't bear to think about it, I just cry my eyes out.

Is it normal to feel so dreadful? I can't sleep properly, I can get to sleep but I keep waking up early. I feel physically sick all the time and I've had an upset stomach. I keep crying every time I see anything that reminds me of him, or if something sad is on the telly etc.

I got a new bunny on Wednesday as I missed having bunny sounds in the house and the grief hadn't hit me - a mistake to have made a big decision but I didn't realise there was a second wave of grief to hit- and although he's a sweetie I don't feel the same bond with him as I did with my Ludo. Then I feel guilty as he's relying on me to love him, and although I'm doing everything I can to help him settle in and be healthy and loved, it's not the same as for Ludo. Has anyone else experienced this?

Does this grief ever get better?? Will I be able to love another bunny like I loved Ludo (and Harry before him)?

Love to all,
Suzie
 
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I'm so sorry Ludo's time came. i know the grief can feel overwhelming. We all process it differently & i know i've coped "better" with some rabbit losses over others. thinking back to when you lost Harry, I imagine you never thought another bunny would capture your heart like ludo did? Hopefully you'll get there with new bunny too. its really early days, be kind to yourself

sweet dreams Ludo
 
So very sorry to hear that Ludo has passed away :cry: In my experience you don’t get over the loss of a Bunny, you just find ways of living with the grief. No new Rabbit can ever ‘replace’ the one we have lost. And neither should they. But the new Bunny will find his own place in your heart. It might be that you will never feel the strength of bond you had with Ludo and that is OK. It is how I feel regarding my Inspector Morse. I love all my other Rabbits, but for me Inspector Morse was and always will be my extra special Rabbit.

I won’t lie and say that coping with the grief becomes easier over time. Not for me anyway. But at least I can now think of The Inspector and all he taught me and I can smile.

RIP Ludo x
 
I´m so sorry for your loss, it´s so painful to loose a bunny :cry:
We lost our previous bunny 5 years ago, one week before we were due to move to another city. We moved and I was feeling so terrible and I missed him so much. We moved monday and on wednesday we got a new bunny, I started feeling even worse and was extremely anxious the new bunny would get sick as well, I couldn´t sleep and feeling sick all the time. My OH was away for a couple of days and that didn´t make it better. I forced my poor OH to get in contact with the previous owner and said we needed to give our new bunny back. But when OH came home a couple of days later I had bonded with our Walli and didn´t know how I was thinking when I wanted to return him (still have bad conscience for this)! For my OH it took longer to bond with Walli, about 1-2 month or so. And both of us felt physically ill for a couple of months, OH woked up early every morning with tummy ache and I felt nauseaus every day :( It has gradually become better and better and we are so happy we have our wonderful Walli :love:

It gets better with time and you will be able to think of how lucky you are to have had Ludo in your life! And you will get a special bond with your new rabbit as well :love:
 
I'm so very sorry that you lost your beloved Ludo, and no it's never easy losing such a wonderful friend. I think what you are feeling is part of the grieving process, which can be very very hard, as sadly so many of us will know. I really hope that you can form a special bond with your new bunny, it might not be the same as with Ludo, maybe just a little different but hope he helps to heal your broken heart. Sweet dreams Ludo xxx
 
Losing our bunnies must be such a pain, I can't even imagine. :( Really give yourself time and experience your pain, mourn. There is no other way.

As for the new rabbit, it was really a bit fast. It would be better to give yourself a grieving process, but now the new rabbit is with you. It may take a long time to bond, but I'm sure you will. You've managed to bond with your old rabbit so far, why not again?
 
I am sorry you lost your beloved Ludo. What you are feeling in normal.
It was not a mistake to give anew bunny a good home. We know you cannot replace a beloved bunny, yet you can love another.
Sending hugs.
 
I'm so sorry, thinking of you. I can't add much to what others have said, apart from you will bond with your new bunny when you're ready. My first (as an adult) dog was put to sleep on 1 December 2016, on 27th December I collected a new dog who actually had the same name. When I got home I hadn't cleared my previous dogs toys away and new dog was playing with them and I shouted as I didn't want this dog with his toys, I thought oh no what have I done. However I soon realized this dog was just different and I now love him totally and have a really strong bond, I'm not sure when or why it happened but it did.
 
InspectorMorse said:
So very sorry to hear that Ludo has passed away :cry: In my experience you don’t get over the loss of a Bunny, you just find ways of living with the grief. No new Rabbit can ever ‘replace’ the one we have lost. And neither should they. But the new Bunny will find his own place in your heart. It might be that you will never feel the strength of bond you had with Ludo and that is OK. It is how I feel regarding my Inspector Morse. I love all my other Rabbits, but for me Inspector Morse was and always will be my extra special Rabbit.

I won’t lie and say that coping with the grief becomes easier over time. Not for me anyway. But at least I can now think of The Inspector and all he taught me and I can smile.

RIP Ludo x
Click to expand...

wise words. i feel the same.

so sorry about Ludo
 
I am so sorry to hear about Ludo
It is so so hard
There is nothing wrong with how you're feeling
I want to give you a big hug xxx
 
I am so sorry to hear about Ludo
It is so so hard
There is nothing wrong with how you're feeling
I want to give you a big hug xxx
 
I’m so sorry you lost Ludo :cry: your new bunny will at least give you something positive to focus on and I’m sure you will love them dearly :love: thinking of you and sending hugs xx
 
I'm so sorry you lost Ludo :cry: I feel sure that in time you will bond with your new bunny.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss of Ludo bunny [emoji22]

I totally get it. When I lost my bridge bunny Misty I went into a deep depression. I just sat crying. The pain overwhelmed me. I didn't hardly eat for days and days.

Misty had been my friend throughout a terrible time of health issues, 2 years being bed ridden and a depression that came with it. Misty helped me cope. She was my soul friend at times and gave me a reason to get out of bed.

After 3 weeks my daughter said 'Mum that's enough now. It's time you got a new bunny to focus on'. She knows me and the grieving would have gone on for months.

She helped me find a new bunny and 2 weeks later I picked up Bonnie. A cute little bunny who made me laugh out loud and helped my pain.

She didn't stop me missing Misty and I always think of her now. However she did give me a reason to think about other than grieving.

Nobody can really tell you when you should get a new bunny. They all need homes and better that this bunny go to a loving home like yours. Do not feel guilty for loving your bridge bun Ludo.

And you don't know your new bun yet do you? It will take time for him/her to get into your heart. However you will love each bunny differently so don't feel guilty for loving one less than another. It is not something you can control. Be kind to yourself [emoji175]

Oh and by the way....I loved Bonnie so so much for who she was too. She is a bridge bun now and it broke my heart just the same when I lost her. Unfortunately that is the deal with pets. However my new bun Mischief is such an absolute sweetheart and has stolen my heart completely.

I worry about losing Mischief so much. However I know I have to focus on life and him now. And this new bun is there now and even if you don't yet realise it is helping you focus on life. Good luck and take care of yourself xx

Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
 
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