
Poor Peanut is a very unhappy chap since the loss of Tilly. He relied on Tilly a lot to help him cope with situations. Now she isn’t there to support him he finds it all too much. He’s always been a nervous & shy character & has come a long way in the two years he’s been here but if you compare him to my other bunnies he’s still a way to go.
I have seen what the loss of a partner can do to the bunny that is left. It has ranged from just getting on with life to being quiet & subdued or turning aggressive to the extreme of giving up. Peanut is different in that he just can’t handle situations on his own. His behavioural changes are:
- Reverting back to being skittish & scared.
- Not eating.
- Extremely wary of me.
- Having panic attacks where he literally bounces off the sides of his pen.
The ways in which I have tried to help him are:
- Giving him a teddy bear. This has often worked in the past but not Peanut, he was terrified of it so I had to remove it immediately.
- Once I realised he was wary of me I sent my husband to check in on him & deal with him more. He behaved normally towards him.
- I kept his routine exactly the same & behaved normally around him.
- I mixed a few different pellets in with his food.
- Talked to him a lot more.
Some of these paid off as he has calmed down a little & is back to trusting me. The biggest issue was the not eating. He always ate most of his veg but no pellets. I know he needs another partner asap, however why is it when you look for a single female there are only pairs or single males available? Anyway, I have managed to get one from a local sanctuaries waiting list. The only issue is she hasn’t been spayed yet. The new bunny is currently just settling in & I have put her pen near Peanut. The very first day she was in the shed, Peanut ate all his food overnight & has continued to do so. We were at the point where some of his daytime food was being eaten but the new bun was spayed earlier this week & was away from the shed all day & night. He has stopped eating again.
I think people think I am mad when I describe what is happening to the partner that is left behind. I don’t think people realise just how sensitive bunnies are & how some bonds are incredibly strong. But if you don’t help them & recognise they are struggling the situation can become very serious in a short period of time.
One thing I’d like to mention is that I do not put my human emotions on to the bunny, they don’t want hugs & cuddles as this often stresses them out more unless they normally get hugs & cuddles. What they often need is a normal routine with a bit of extra time spending with them & a partner.
Peanut would like to sympathize with a little bunny called Lami who was also having to deal with time on his own while his missus was hospitalized. He hopes everything is now well & they are reunited.