General Question

Question
My rabbit has been living with a guinea pig up untiltoday when we found the guinea pig dead in the cage.  The question I have i supposed is could the rabbit have killed it?  There wasn't a mark on the guinea so there had been no fight.  Could the rabbit be coming into seaon, what is their behaviour like when they come into season.  She has been a bit snappy since this morning is she pining for guinea pig?  What advice can you give me generally on what i should look out for.  Could a rabbit pine away for  its friend, will i lose the rabbit next?

Answer
Dear Lisa,

If the two have been living together in harmony, there is almost no chance that the rabbit did anything to harm the guinea pig.  If the rabbit had gotten into a scuffle with the guinea pig, you would *definitely* have seen signs of a fight, such as tufts of fur, bite wounds, etc.  And generally, rabbits will not fight with guinea pigs, though they may fight ferociously with a rabbit they don't know.

If your bunny is not spayed, her snappish behavior could be due to hormones and false pregnancies.  For her health and longevity, she should be spayed:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

An unspayed, unbred female rabbit has a very high risk of uterine cancer.

And yes, your bunny is *probably* pining for her friend.  Rabbits bond very closely with other animals, including other rabbits--if they are allowed to choose the rabbit for themselves.

I am sorry for your loss.  I hope you might consider contacting your local rabbit rescuer and arranging some "blind dates" for your bunny so she can pick a neutered mate from among your fosterer's rescues.  Two snuggling rabbits is the best.  And they keep each other healthy and entertained.  You can find a local chapter of House Rabbit Society here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

Watch your bunny's appetite and stools.  If she is inappetent, or her stools become mushy, she is suffering from GI track slowdown, possibly from the stress of losing her GP friend.  You'll need to give her extra love and attention to help her get through this.  If you need the help of a good rabbit vet, you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana