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cimoreneOur beloved floofy bun, Rowan, passed away a week ago. He was ten years and four months old (the average lifespan of pet bunnies I saw quoted some places is 2-4 years, and 10 years is the expected upper limit for his type of bun) and was healthy, cheerful, friendly, and sweet his whole life; he died very suddenly at home, apparently of old age. I miss him - he was always more friendly and cuddly than Japp - but I'm glad he had a long, happy life.
He was also more bonded to Japp than Japp was to him: Rowan kind of wanted to be friends all along and spent a lot of his free time hanging out near or right up against Japp's cage, grooming or snuggling through the bars. (But as soon as they were both let out Japp would start bullying him instead.) If Japp had died first, I would have worried a lot more about Rowan becoming lonely; Japp has always been more independent, and he's been less active than Rowan in recent years, too. (He naps most of the day and seems more potentially senile.)
Rowan was almost twice as big as Japp even though they're littermates - he was pushing the upper boundary of a dwarf rabbit, weighing about 2.4 kg most of his life. He had a round little belly under all the floof, although about 70% of his volume was wool so luxuriant and long and shiny that he was frequently almost spherical. He was more friendly and affectionate than Japp - he would come up to greet the people and cats in the room, beg for treats, do little binks, or just cock his head before bustling away on bunny business. And he liked being groomed gently, as long as you didn't try to groom his chest or chin or hindquarters (which always deeply offends both bunnies). Japp doesn't dislike grooming, but Rowan would relax and make happy little bunny purrs for much longer.
He was a much more timid and cautious bunny than Japp, though. Even when they were babies, he watched Japp jumping in and out of the baby cage they shared for two days before he was brave enough to make that jump himself (we picked him up and put him on the floor the first few times). He frequently relied on Japp exploring new territory first, whether that was climbing up on top of cardboard boxes or venturing on the rug out into the hallway.
He was also much more afraid of strange people and of heights (or rather of being picked up without something solid under him - he wasn't afraid, for instance, of being held or carried inside a little basket or box). That's unfortunate because visitors and children always wanted to pet and hug him, but his fear of new people and being picked up typically meant he didn't enjoy it. (Our youngest niece, now ten years old, who is absolutely obsessed with animals of all kinds, is the only visitor who's ever lured him over to sit on her lap on the floor voluntarily. She did this by basically spending every possible moment of their visit sitting nearby and watching the bunnies very calmly, and intermittently offering them treats.)
Japp has had three health scares in his lifetime, but Rowan, on the other hand, only had to go to the vet to be fixed and to be vaccinated, and never had a moment of ill health. He was industriously shredding cardboard, begging for treats, zooming around the room, and exploring under the woodstove until the day before his death. I often called Rowan my sweet beige boy who'd never done anything wrong in his life, which was not strictly true, because he has eaten part of the wall a few times, including the wallpaper in my MIL's old apartment after it was sold - but in his defense, he probably doesn't know the difference between the wall and any other piece of rippable cardboard. He was never mean and always just wanted to be friends.
Although when Japp picked fights when they were younger he would bite back, and they did make those little bunny hurricanes where they're chasing each other in a tiny circle so fast you can't even see them furiously trying to bite each other's butts. But, I mean, that's just more of the same - willing to be the underdog but not enough to just completely put up with bullying all the time. He did groom Japp far more than Japp groomed him - it is the prerogative of the Dominant Bunny to demand grooming from their underlings, but bunnies groom each other out of affection when they're cuddling. A lot of the non-physical conflict happened because Japp would demand grooming and Rowan would groom him first and then ask for some grooming and Japp would just stonewall him. But in their later years, Japp groomed him more and more - so much in the last few years in fact that we kept thinking maybe we could let them out together at least, since they were being so sweet and looking so friendly, only for Japp to chase Rowan out of his napping spot and bite his butt within a few minutes. I'm not sure if 'friends' is the word for a relationship like that; they're more like Rimmer and Lister in Red Dwarf. But Rowan did want to hang out with Japp a lot, and when it was Rowan's turn to be free and he chose to hang out near the cage, Japp would often reciprocate his social moves - following his body language or grooming or even cuddling through the bars. Rowan's friendlier nature also led him to make friends with Tristana. They didn't speak the same language, but they figured out how to greet each other, nose to nose, and would play together (both in great confusion) regularly from the time she was a kitten.
In the last few years Rowan started sticking one of his hind feet out funny, which seems like it could be a sign of arthritis or something; but we never took him to the vet because he never showed any signs of pain, or really changed his activity level or his interest in eating and pooping. He was always worse than Japp at cleaning (eating) his caecals, which is something bunnies have to do - they eat it twice and it digests it more fully - but to do this they have to be able to reach their butts, so we always figured Rowan's deficits in this area were because of how incredibly much fur he had, ie, that it was too hard for him to find his butt. In fact I did trim the fur around his butt, on and off, over the years, and to some extent this helped him. But he still got worse at it over time, until in recent years he was making butt prints on every spot he liked to nap (his sleeping cubby, under the sewing table by the radiator, and a couple of spots on the rugs where he could see Japp in his cage). Maybe we should've taken him to the vet for that, in hindsight, but since he seemed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we never did, not even when about six months ago Wax noticed he had lost weight. I just increased his daily portion of bunny kibble and after a week or so of getting half again as much per day, Rowan was approximately his normal size, and he continued this way for six months or so until he died. If there was something going on, maybe going to the vet six months ago or so would have fixed something! But on the other hand, Wax points out, he was 101 in bunny years so he was probably going to die the first time he got an infection or anything like that.
It is easier to look back on a pet who died suddenly, without pain and apparent illness and visible suffering, after living to 104% its expected lifespan, and having showed vitality and enjoyment of life right up to the last. Of course, losing a bunny is also different from losing a cat - they are less interested in us, and less bonded with us. But after losing two cats in middle age to long illnesses, and having to part with Anubis so young and so traumatically (although he is very much still alive and happy with his new foster family)... it's an easier bereavement in many ways.
I've been and will be for a little while reblogging other past photos of Rowan at![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
teaandmisanthropy; and all the pictures of him are in the Rowan tag.
He was also more bonded to Japp than Japp was to him: Rowan kind of wanted to be friends all along and spent a lot of his free time hanging out near or right up against Japp's cage, grooming or snuggling through the bars. (But as soon as they were both let out Japp would start bullying him instead.) If Japp had died first, I would have worried a lot more about Rowan becoming lonely; Japp has always been more independent, and he's been less active than Rowan in recent years, too. (He naps most of the day and seems more potentially senile.)
Rowan was almost twice as big as Japp even though they're littermates - he was pushing the upper boundary of a dwarf rabbit, weighing about 2.4 kg most of his life. He had a round little belly under all the floof, although about 70% of his volume was wool so luxuriant and long and shiny that he was frequently almost spherical. He was more friendly and affectionate than Japp - he would come up to greet the people and cats in the room, beg for treats, do little binks, or just cock his head before bustling away on bunny business. And he liked being groomed gently, as long as you didn't try to groom his chest or chin or hindquarters (which always deeply offends both bunnies). Japp doesn't dislike grooming, but Rowan would relax and make happy little bunny purrs for much longer.
He was a much more timid and cautious bunny than Japp, though. Even when they were babies, he watched Japp jumping in and out of the baby cage they shared for two days before he was brave enough to make that jump himself (we picked him up and put him on the floor the first few times). He frequently relied on Japp exploring new territory first, whether that was climbing up on top of cardboard boxes or venturing on the rug out into the hallway.
He was also much more afraid of strange people and of heights (or rather of being picked up without something solid under him - he wasn't afraid, for instance, of being held or carried inside a little basket or box). That's unfortunate because visitors and children always wanted to pet and hug him, but his fear of new people and being picked up typically meant he didn't enjoy it. (Our youngest niece, now ten years old, who is absolutely obsessed with animals of all kinds, is the only visitor who's ever lured him over to sit on her lap on the floor voluntarily. She did this by basically spending every possible moment of their visit sitting nearby and watching the bunnies very calmly, and intermittently offering them treats.)
Japp has had three health scares in his lifetime, but Rowan, on the other hand, only had to go to the vet to be fixed and to be vaccinated, and never had a moment of ill health. He was industriously shredding cardboard, begging for treats, zooming around the room, and exploring under the woodstove until the day before his death. I often called Rowan my sweet beige boy who'd never done anything wrong in his life, which was not strictly true, because he has eaten part of the wall a few times, including the wallpaper in my MIL's old apartment after it was sold - but in his defense, he probably doesn't know the difference between the wall and any other piece of rippable cardboard. He was never mean and always just wanted to be friends.
Although when Japp picked fights when they were younger he would bite back, and they did make those little bunny hurricanes where they're chasing each other in a tiny circle so fast you can't even see them furiously trying to bite each other's butts. But, I mean, that's just more of the same - willing to be the underdog but not enough to just completely put up with bullying all the time. He did groom Japp far more than Japp groomed him - it is the prerogative of the Dominant Bunny to demand grooming from their underlings, but bunnies groom each other out of affection when they're cuddling. A lot of the non-physical conflict happened because Japp would demand grooming and Rowan would groom him first and then ask for some grooming and Japp would just stonewall him. But in their later years, Japp groomed him more and more - so much in the last few years in fact that we kept thinking maybe we could let them out together at least, since they were being so sweet and looking so friendly, only for Japp to chase Rowan out of his napping spot and bite his butt within a few minutes. I'm not sure if 'friends' is the word for a relationship like that; they're more like Rimmer and Lister in Red Dwarf. But Rowan did want to hang out with Japp a lot, and when it was Rowan's turn to be free and he chose to hang out near the cage, Japp would often reciprocate his social moves - following his body language or grooming or even cuddling through the bars. Rowan's friendlier nature also led him to make friends with Tristana. They didn't speak the same language, but they figured out how to greet each other, nose to nose, and would play together (both in great confusion) regularly from the time she was a kitten.
In the last few years Rowan started sticking one of his hind feet out funny, which seems like it could be a sign of arthritis or something; but we never took him to the vet because he never showed any signs of pain, or really changed his activity level or his interest in eating and pooping. He was always worse than Japp at cleaning (eating) his caecals, which is something bunnies have to do - they eat it twice and it digests it more fully - but to do this they have to be able to reach their butts, so we always figured Rowan's deficits in this area were because of how incredibly much fur he had, ie, that it was too hard for him to find his butt. In fact I did trim the fur around his butt, on and off, over the years, and to some extent this helped him. But he still got worse at it over time, until in recent years he was making butt prints on every spot he liked to nap (his sleeping cubby, under the sewing table by the radiator, and a couple of spots on the rugs where he could see Japp in his cage). Maybe we should've taken him to the vet for that, in hindsight, but since he seemed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we never did, not even when about six months ago Wax noticed he had lost weight. I just increased his daily portion of bunny kibble and after a week or so of getting half again as much per day, Rowan was approximately his normal size, and he continued this way for six months or so until he died. If there was something going on, maybe going to the vet six months ago or so would have fixed something! But on the other hand, Wax points out, he was 101 in bunny years so he was probably going to die the first time he got an infection or anything like that.
It is easier to look back on a pet who died suddenly, without pain and apparent illness and visible suffering, after living to 104% its expected lifespan, and having showed vitality and enjoyment of life right up to the last. Of course, losing a bunny is also different from losing a cat - they are less interested in us, and less bonded with us. But after losing two cats in middle age to long illnesses, and having to part with Anubis so young and so traumatically (although he is very much still alive and happy with his new foster family)... it's an easier bereavement in many ways.
I've been and will be for a little while reblogging other past photos of Rowan at
(no subject)
Date: 9 Mar 2026 02:10 pm (UTC)Rowan era bem bonitinho. Não imaginava que coelhos pudessem viver tantos anos. E olha que tive coelhos.
Sinto muito que você tenha passado por tantas perdas. Eu sinto saudades até hoje de todos os bichinhos que tive ao longo da vida, tive tantos. Muitos foram embora de velhice, outros por fatalidades, alguns tivemos que doar a outras famílias. E compreendo como às vezes o luto é muito mais fácil do que certas outras ocorrências.
Meus mais sinceros sentimentos
(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 10:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 12:39 pm (UTC)Por causa da falta de grana meus coelhinhos viviam na terra mesmo. Ah e mãe me confirmou que do casal inicial infelizmente o macho morreu seguido da fêmea. Ele de forma abrupta e ela de otite. O clima ia de muito quente a frio extremo em poucos dias. Isso fez eles ficarem doentes coitadinhos. Acho que não tenho foto deles, somente das aves.
(no subject)
Date: 11 Mar 2026 10:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11 Mar 2026 01:36 pm (UTC)Já fui mordida no dedo dando comida para eles, batiam os pés e jogavam terra na gente e brigavam com as aves. Até enfrentavam os cães.
Mas mesmo assim algo simples levou eles embora. Eu sei que com o tempo pai foi entregando os filhotes até não sobrar nenhum. São lindos, mas dão um trabalhão ainda mais que já tínhamos inúmeras aves diferentes, as plantações e os cães. Além do próprio quintal, casa e escola. (vou por uma foto no meu perfil sobre e te marco para você ver ok)
(no subject)
Date: 11 Mar 2026 04:29 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11 Mar 2026 05:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11 Mar 2026 06:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9 Mar 2026 02:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 11:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 9 Mar 2026 03:19 pm (UTC)I am sorry for your loss.
(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 11:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 12:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 11:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 10 Mar 2026 11:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 11:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10 Mar 2026 03:06 am (UTC)