New Scaredy Bunny In The House

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Kellizaber

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Hello, fellow rabbit owners.

I've owned a few rabbits in my day but I've never had this much trouble getting a new bunny to like me or even be used to my presence. My sister and I picked up a 6 month old Dutch at the county fair on Sunday. They let us play with her a little bit and she seemed calm and curious, very friendly. Now that we have her at home it's much different.

The setup she has is a cage approximately 24"x20"x20" (LWH) that is set up inside about a 6'x6' dog penned area. She has a hay manger, a water bottle, a water bowl, pellet bowl, and fresh greens. The only noise in our apartment is our air conditioner. My sister and i live quiet lives.

Our problem is that when we enter the livingroom where she is set up she starts throwing herself around the entire penned in area. We took it slow hoping she'd calm down but every time we enter she freaks out. At first we were going to keep her in the cage to litter train her but she was throwing herself around in that tiny little area so we got the pen set up. Yesterday we managed to both sit/lay in the pen with her so she could investigate us and after a while she had calmed down but still very obviously did not like our presence. When we got up to get out of the pen it was as if no progress was made.

Today( I know it hasn't been long) she still completely freaks out. When I came home and entered the living room to see how she was doing she started running around the pen, back and forth, back and forth, into the sides of the pen, into the cage, jumped on the cage, jumped down from the cage and ran into the side of the pen, back and forth. I noticed what I thought was blood on the carpet and sure enough, her little front paw and back paw both had blood on them. I'm assuming she caught her nails at some point on the carpet or on the pen. I was finally able to sit in the pen with her and get her to calm down around me, smell me, climb on me, all without me interacting with her. She hunkered next to me and let me pet her head after about 25 minutes of bonding time.

I know she's got to get used to her new surroundings but I've never seen a rabbit this frantic and I'm afraid of her hurting herself more in the process. I know someone has to have some suggestions! Please help! Unnamed bunny is scared :(
 
Kellizaber said:
Hello, fellow rabbit owners.

I've owned a few rabbits in my day but I've never had this much trouble getting a new bunny to like me or even be used to my presence. My sister and I picked up a 6 month old Dutch at the county fair on Sunday. They let us play with her a little bit and she seemed calm and curious, very friendly. Now that we have her at home it's much different.

The setup she has is a cage approximately 24"x20"x20" (LWH) that is set up inside about a 6'x6' dog penned area. She has a hay manger, a water bottle, a water bowl, pellet bowl, and fresh greens. The only noise in our apartment is our air conditioner. My sister and i live quiet lives.

Our problem is that when we enter the livingroom where she is set up she starts throwing herself around the entire penned in area. We took it slow hoping she'd calm down but every time we enter she freaks out. At first we were going to keep her in the cage to litter train her but she was throwing herself around in that tiny little area so we got the pen set up. Yesterday we managed to both sit/lay in the pen with her so she could investigate us and after a while she had calmed down but still very obviously did not like our presence. When we got up to get out of the pen it was as if no progress was made.

Today( I know it hasn't been long) she still completely freaks out. When I came home and entered the living room to see how she was doing she started running around the pen, back and forth, back and forth, into the sides of the pen, into the cage, jumped on the cage, jumped down from the cage and ran into the side of the pen, back and forth. I noticed what I thought was blood on the carpet and sure enough, her little front paw and back paw both had blood on them. I'm assuming she caught her nails at some point on the carpet or on the pen. I was finally able to sit in the pen with her and get her to calm down around me, smell me, climb on me, all without me interacting with her. She hunkered next to me and let me pet her head after about 25 minutes of bonding time.

I know she's got to get used to her new surroundings but I've never seen a rabbit this frantic and I'm afraid of her hurting herself more in the process. I know someone has to have some suggestions! Please help! Unnamed bunny is scared :(
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I hope when you saw the paw bleeding you somehow stopped it from bleeding because it can be painful. If it continues to bleed I would go to the vet immediatley. If she is running from you she might be scared because she thinks your a predator maybe she was treated badly before you got her? I would not force bonding. When you get a new bun it can be tough, they can be scared, curious or just not interested. Leave them in the cage for a few days, don't touch them (try not to) leave them. Make them get used to the house and the routine. Then open her cage and move away from the cage (this gives them a choice), do not force her out let her choose what to do. Sooner or later she will be curious and jump out to explore. Lay down on the ground to their height so they don't feel threatened but keep a distance and sooner or later they will come and explore you. Then you can give her treats when she comes to you and pet her while she eats the treats so she knows your not a predator and knowd you just want to be friends. Keep doing this and you should have her tamed. If you didn't follow this when you got her by maybe picking her up too much or maybe not letting her have any space this can delay the bonding and make her think that your not a friend.

A bit off topic but have you ever owned a bunny before? Tell me a bit about your routine.
 
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We had one with cataracts that we had to make allowances for or he'd nip. The "surprise" reaction can be drastic too. Maybe make some noise before going into the room--talking and I believe in bribery too--ours will do anything for a piece of cilantro. Time and patience are key factors, but some never come around as much as you'd like them to.
 
First, I think backing off a bit and giving her some space is a good idea. Whenever a animal comes to a new home, it usually needs a day or two interaction free to adjust.

Second, is there any way for you to get in touch with the previous owners? Maybe they can tell you something about her old surroundings that you can try to replicate to make her feel at home, or even give you an old blanket, etc. so she has some familiar scent.

Do you think you could get a video of the behaviour? It might help us determine what exactly is going on. :)
 
I've owned six rabbits. We haven't once tried to pick her up or force her anywhere. We've given her space besides the few times we've sat or laid in the pen and let her come to us. We know you can't force the relationship. I've just never encountered a rabbit this frantic. Yes, I also monitored the bleeding and it stopped on its own. I promise I'm not a novice; I've done my research because I care. That's why I'm here. I don't even want to go to change her cage or feed her because she panics. I'm wondering what I'm missing.

As for our routine, we're both retail managers so we're out the door by 630am and don't come home til 4 or 5pm. We change water and feed fresh greens before we leave and when we get home. We go to bed around 10. The living room where she is isn't really used much except for the rabbits so there isn't a lot of disturbance.
 
UnFortunately the previous owners didn't know much about her which initially gave me the feeling they may have gotten their entire litter of babies off their front lawn. I only half think that could be true. They couldn't give us much information when we bought her so I haven't tried reaching out to them again. I was more hoping experienced people I could trust on here might have experienced this before maybe? We're going to try to give her space for a few days, see if she calms down. We also turned off the a/c since its kind of noisy. I'll keep you updated
 
Maybe you could drape an old sheet or something over her enclosure to give her a cavelike cozy hideaway, where she won't feel cornered. Then it's just a matter of time, and when you do approach make sure you are armed with a treat, to create positive associations. That's what I would do. Good luck, poor you and poor bunny...
 
After rereading your post, and asking my husband who has his own experiences with rabbits, we think it's possible your girl may have vision problems. It seems like she thinks she's alone, then she hears or maybe even sees you, tries to run but doesn't realize she's running into something, tries to run from that and hits somethings else, and so on. She's probably not scared of you when she realizes what you are, but if she only hears vague noises or sees odd shapes, she doesn't know it's you. I wonder how you check a rabbit's vision...
 
Kellizaber said:
I've owned six rabbits. We haven't once tried to pick her up or force her anywhere. We've given her space besides the few times we've sat or laid in the pen and let her come to us. We know you can't force the relationship. I've just never encountered a rabbit this frantic. Yes, I also monitored the bleeding and it stopped on its own. I promise I'm not a novice; I've done my research because I care. That's why I'm here. I don't even want to go to change her cage or feed her because she panics. I'm wondering what I'm missing.

As for our routine, we're both retail managers so we're out the door by 630am and don't come home til 4 or 5pm. We change water and feed fresh greens before we leave and when we get home. We go to bed around 10. The living room where she is isn't really used much except for the rabbits so there isn't a lot of disturbance.
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Yup it must be her vision. You can maybe get a vet to check her vision and confirm whatever sight problem she has. She could be blind, poor bun. :(
 
I found this page http://www.disabledrabbits.com/blindness.html
I think it may be helpful to you. Best advice I can give is to talk to her before coming into the living room, so she knows it's you, and get her to the vet when you can to make sure there's nothing bad causing the vision problems. As long as she's healthy otherwise she can still be a wonderful companion, and once she adjusts to her new surroundings and house mates she shouldn't have any more fits.
 
I have a rabbit who is completely blind in one eye. He was very nervous as a kit and very untrusting.

He was with another bunny who really helped him feel safe and comfortable.

He's older now and lives by himself and he's still affectionate and friendly, but he is slightly nervous when by himself.

My blind bunny:
View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1438136204.278591.jpg

I also believe it is possible that she has vision problems. If she does, it doesn't mean she cant live a happy life.

I agree with the others - give her time and space. Provide her with safe places to hide and feel less threatened. Some bunnies take longer to settle in than others.

If you are concerned about her vision and health, take her to a bunny vet and see if they can run tests and help her :)
 
For now I would keep her in the cage to help minimize injuries. The smaller space should help her feel safer as well. Next, give her a hidey box in the cage, that she can run and hide in instead of running into the cage bars when she panics. You can use a cardboard box with an entry and exit hole cut in. Then like stevesmum suggested, I would drape a sheet or blanket over most of the cage, leaving the front part uncovered. This will provide her with a small dark area that she can feel more protected and hidden in, but having the front uncovered will keep her from being completely out of sight from you. If you still want her to have access to the penned in area, I would provide lots of hidey boxes in there for her to be able to hide in.

It may just be the new environment that is freaking her out, and once she gets used to it she will be fine. Or it may be she is just a nervous bunny or wasn't socialized properly, and it may take some time to socialize and bond with her. As others have mentioned, it could also be a health issue. If she is blind or deaf, it may help to do something to make her aware of your presence before you get too close. I seem to recall someone with a deaf rabbit would stomp on the floor before they approached, so their rabbit could feel the vibrations in the floor and know someone was approaching, so it didn't catch the bun off guard and startle the bun.

Here are also some bonding tips that may help at some point.
http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm
 
When we had her just in the cage she was flipping out so hard she was jostling the cage from where it was. I did put a cardboard box in there with a door but I don't think she ever used it.

I was worried it might be her sight but I did my own little testing by using a long piece of hay and kind of teasing it on either side of her head (all while she was calm and checking me out, not when she was scared). She followed the hay. I know that doesn't mean she has 100% vision but I believe she does have some at least. I plan on getting her checked out as soon as I can safely get her in a carrier.

The great news is that it's been 6 hours since I turned the air conditioning off and she finally laid down for the first time. When I get up and pass the living room she doesn't get up to run but she gets up to see what I'm doing. I've been talking quietly to her as I enter the room to let her know I'm there like you suggested and doing my own thing without interacting with her and she keeps standing on the side of the dog pen by me to see what I'm doing. So I went ahead and tried to pet her and she loved it!

I guess it was the **** air conditioner.
 
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