It may come as a surprise to learn that rabbits can grieve and mourn the loss of a mate just like humans. Rabbits are capable of deep love and affection and their understanding of what is going on is greater than most people realize.
Linked partners
Rabbits living in close-knit pairs of neutered males and spayed females can be compared to an elderly married couple. They live in a comfortable routine, completely in tune with each other and sensitive to the needs of others. Conjoined rabbits eat together, groom themselves, play together, and of course they snuggle together and sleep for hours. They also know the importance of “time out” and will give each other space to do their own activities whenever they want. As the years go by, this bond grows deeper and deeper and therefore the sudden loss of your partner can be very painful.
dealing with death
If one of your rabbits dies in its sleep, you will likely find the remaining rabbit sitting near it, seemingly without trauma from seeing its dead companion. Rabbits are known to engage in a kind of dance, jumping and so on; The purpose of this is unknown, but some believe it to be the rabbit’s way of giving his mate “a good goodbye.” It is important that the remaining rabbit has a chance to see its dead companion so that it can understand what has happened and not think that its companion has simply disappeared.
If one of your rabbits must be euthanized, it is best to do it at home so that the remaining rabbit can spend time with its partner’s body before removing it. You should leave them together for at least an hour and stay with them if you can; Your rabbit will find this comforting and you can monitor his behavior at the same time. This may seem very macabre to us, but it really is the best thing for the rabbit you have left.
Duel
Even a rabbit that has had a chance to say “goodbye” to its partner will feel confused, lonely, and sad. This can manifest itself in different ways depending on the personality of the rabbit. Some rabbits may turn to you for comfort, follow you, and lie under your chair. Others may abandon food and pine, or hide from you. They can even show aggression, even if this is completely out of line. For us as owners, this can be a very difficult time, trying to comfort your remaining rabbit as you deal with your own pain.
Forward
While rabbits show many similarities to us in the grieving process, in a key way they are quite different from us. They can go ahead and accept a new partner very quickly, sometimes even the day after their partner has died. This has nothing to do with a lack of feelings for your previous partner; they simply want to be with another rabbit and this need is so urgent that their relief to see a new rabbit come into the house is very evident. While rabbits can live happily as single, often bonding with humans, cats, dogs, etc., a rabbit that has previously bonded is unlikely to be completely happy alone. In other words, they have gotten used to living as a couple and can only find true happiness again by gaining another partner.
Often times we are the ones who have a hard time moving on, feeling that we would be betraying our lost rabbit by welcoming another into our homes so quickly. Meanwhile, the remaining rabbit is suffering and we, try as we may, are unable to replicate that much-needed bond. As difficult as it is, we can learn from our rabbits in this regard; our love for a new rabbit will not diminish the love we feel, and will always feel, for our lost rabbit.
Copyright 2011 Hannah Davis / Bunnyhugga – All rights reserved.