The defender had been left out of the starting XI for an encounter that saw the principality club lose further ground on leaders Paris Saint-Germain in the race for the Ligue 1 title.
However, the France international was not named among the substitutes either, and Ranieri later explained he had returned home.
"It's his problem, I know he was at home," Ranieri was quoted as telling reporters. "He did not stay for the game.
"If there is a problem I will talk with the club. I want to know why he left. He was not on the bench. He left.
"He had a good week and trained every day but I preferred another player."
Monaco meet Lens in the Coupe de France quarter-finals on Wednesday, and Ranieri is open to reconciliation should Abidal perform well in training.
"I will see how it goes in the training session and I will then make a decision," he added.
Monaco now sit 10 points adrift of PSG at the summit of Ligue 1 with eight games left to play.
