On Monday, our little friend Odin bunny passed away.

We really had no idea of how old he was, but suspected that he was getting up there in years.  He was the little rescue bunny we took in this summer.   He really seemed to be doing so much better, putting on some nice weight, and just a happier and calmer, content little soul.  He just loved to be held, never bit, never fussed, just loved all and any attention.  He had a nice soft hay nest and was warm from the cold, and Jessy just fussed over him with treats and sweet orchard grass hay and carrots and such.

On Sunday, we noticed that he was just not himself.  Just a little wobbly, and just a little, well, off his feed and not very bright or responsive.  We made him comfy, checked for anything obvious and made sure he had water and feed.  Gave him a little extra cuddle time.  And Monday morning, he was gone.

I really think that he just never totally recovered from near starvation and such nasty conditions he was in.  There were times when we first got him that I thought he might not make it.  But he did.  I just hope that he had a nice summer of his last year, here, being spoiled rotten.  Jessy is sad, as we all are.  Maggie laid him to rest back in our little cemetery with a few others of our little critters.

And then, if that is not bad enough, this morning we discovered that my gerbils are not doing well!  They are very elderly, for gerbils, almost 3 years old!  I suspect that the cold in the house just made them slip into a torbid state.  It’s like hibernation, where the body slows down and the breathing becomes very shallow.  I have been trying to warm them up slowly all day, having read all about it, but the chances are not that good for them, being so old.  Just not fun.  They are in a warmer part of the house, so I’m not totally sure that was the cause, but for both to slip away, it seems like it was part of the equation.  They are still with us, perhaps they will come out of it, but it’s not going to be easy for them.

And to just top it off… little Crooked Beak, one of our hatchlings with a misaligned beak, passed away this afternoon!!!!   Oh my… they say things come in threes… I guess they are right.  Perhaps it would have been kinder to just cull the little chick when we noticed the misalignment getting worse as she aged, but she was eating and drinking fine, just not keeping up with her hatchmates.  They doubled in size, and she just was not thriving.  It’s so hard to know when these little critters are ill, they hide their symptoms until the very end.  When you are prey, the last thing you want to be is an easy target.

Hopefully, we are done with pet passings for a while…  I guess when you have more critters, it’s more likely that some will pass away for various reasons.  Age seems to be the biggest issue around here lately…  and I don’t wonder if the cold settling in, is just rougher on some animals, especially those that are elderly.  Just tough…