Keep his world the same while his partner is suddenly gone
A bonded rabbit does not just lose company when his partner dies. He loses the animal he slept pressed against, groomed and was groomed by, and took his cues from about whether the world was safe. In the first days he may search behind hides, sit in the partner's favourite spot, refuse favourite foods, or go unusually still. None of that is misbehaviour; it is a prey animal adjusting to a pen that smells and feels wrong.
Change as little else as you can. Keep the same pen layout, the same hay and feeding routine, the same cleaning schedule, and the same times of day you visit. A house move, a new pen, or a well-meant flood of visitors on top of bereavement piles stress on an animal already eating and resting less. Extra calm presence from you, sitting on the floor reading while he chooses whether to approach, replaces some of the passive company a partner provided around the clock.
Guard his eating as carefully as his mood
Grief in rabbits becomes dangerous through the gut. A rabbit who eats far less hay for a day or more risks gut slowdown, which is painful and can escalate quickly, especially in a senior rabbit whose digestion is already less robust. Check the hay pile and litter tray morning and evening: is hay disappearing, are droppings normal in size and quantity, is he drinking? Tempt him with favourite herbs and the hay variety he likes best, offered fresh and often.
Seek veterinary advice promptly if he stops eating altogether, droppings shrink or stop, he sits hunched grinding his teeth, or he becomes cold and withdrawn. Do not assume every symptom is sorrow and wait it out, because teeth trouble, pain, and gut problems frequently surface at exactly the moment an owner is focused on bereavement, and they need treatment in their own right.
Let him say goodbye in his own time, and remember her properly
Where circumstances allow, many rabbit owners find a survivor settles better when he has had quiet time with his partner's body before it is removed, approaching, sniffing, and eventually moving away in his own time. If that was not possible, do not blame yourself; steady routine and company in the following days still help a great deal. Keep one item carrying her scent in the pen for a short while if it seems to comfort him, and remove it gradually as he starts choosing other resting spots again.
Remembering the rabbit who died is part of caring for the one who remains, because she was half of his daily life for years. Photographs, her story, and the details of the pair's habits are worth keeping together rather than scattered across phones when the pen is cleaned and rearranged.
A new bond is a later decision, made for him
Some bereaved rabbits eventually thrive with a new partner, introduced gradually through a rescue's bonding process once eating and behaviour have stabilised. Others, particularly frail seniors, do better as single rabbits with abundant human company for their remaining time. Judge by his recovery over weeks, not by your wish to fix his loneliness quickly, and take rescue advice on age and temperament matching if you do try again.
While you care for him through this stretch, KinsLe's Memorial Accounts let you keep a free memorial profile for his partner that holds her photos and story with the people who loved her, a lasting place for the bond that shaped his life.