HELP - New bunny has been under bed for more than 24 hours

[cherriej63]

Hi everyone -

Hopefully some of you can help me out. Our new bunny, we adopted him on Wed, has been hiding under the bed since yesterday morning and nothing will bring him out. He got under the bed on Thurs and wouldn't come out so we took the bed apart and got him out. Then, our mistake, he got under the bed again yesterday morning and has been there ever since. What should we do? I've tried gently talking to him, luring him out with food, but nothing's working. I'm worried because he has had anything to eat or drink in all that time - should I just put his food/water under the bed with him? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[mariethomas]

My bun does this exact thing when he is not feeling well, or tired, most of the time just casually. (He rarely sleeps in front of us) I have absolutely nothing under my bed, so I can always watch and pet him, occasionally I'll send him a bowl with his missed meal if he doesn't come out.

Maybe your bun is hiding out because he is still frightened by your new home, and isn't use to it yet. Or maybe he just enjoys the coziness of under the bed. I know both times I've brought home baby buns, they've explored everything and were never scared. When Casper does not come out from the under the bed, I'll sometimes lay on the floor with a hand out for he can sniff me and know it's okay to come out, or if I really need to get him out, I'll put hay a little further from the bed and that almost always works. When failing to get him into his carrying tote he'll know exactly what's going on - that we're going to the vet and he will hide under the bed and not come out, making vet trips stressful and we always arrive late for them. I've had to move the very heavy bed about 3 times just for him to come out. Another thing that works for me is leaving the room - waiting about 10 minutes - and then he's magically out when I'm back.

If it really bothers you, I'm sure you can find an obstacle to block him from getting underneath the bed as he'll probably get use to doing this when he's older. Maybe you can try large flat storage containers, etc. Grids maybe? I have dogs as well so doing all this would be impossible as they like to play under the bed and destroy everything. Yes, send him food and water. Good luck.

 

[Bville]

I would get him out from under the bed, put him in his cage and keep him in there for a couple of days. He is probably frightened of his new surroundings and needs to be left alone in his cage for a while so he starts to feel like that is his home and he is safe there. You should give him a hidey box to go into inside his cage too. Then, hopefully, he will start to eat and drink in there. After a couple of days, let him out into just one bunny-proofed room or an exercise pen and let him explore a while. Gradually give him more space in your home over time. Hope this helps!

 

[whiskylollipop]

It's normal for a bunny to be scared and hide in a big new house. But you MUST make sure he eats something every few hours, preferably hay or pellets, but you can try dark leafy veggies and as a last resort, small pieces of fruit, if he absolutely will not eat anything else. If his gut slows down it can lead to GI stasis, which is very dangerous and tedious to treat.

Does he have a cage or enclosure? I would highly recommend keeping him strictly in his enclosure for the first 3-6 days, so he can familiarise himself with a small area to begin with. Then you can introduce him to the room he's in. And gradually, depending on his comfort level, introduce him to the rest of the house. The key is to increase his explorable area slowly, so he doesn't feel overwhelmed and scared. This is also great in training him to remember where his home base and litterbox is.

If you can't get him out from under the bed, or don't have an enclosure for him right now (get one!), leave some food and water under it for him and keep things calm and quiet so he'll feel less scared. But the better option is to take the bed apart and get him out manually right away, lock him in his cage/enclosure with food, hay and water and make sure he doesn't get out until he looks comfortable and confident when people walk near and around his enclosure.

He may have already gone into GI stasis under the bed, which could be one reason he's not moving. Get him out and observe him closely for the next few hours. If he seems lethargic, won't eat anything, not pooping, not responsive, he will need an emergency trip to the vet right away.

 

[JBun]

He's scared being in a new environment. Rabbits have a very delicate digestive system. They need to always have food and water moving through their digestive tract and can develop serious health issues if this doesn't happen. If it has been more than 12-24 hours since your rabbit last ate, drank, and pooped, you need to get him to a rabbit vet right away. Rabbits can develop something called GI stasis which can lead to a digestive blockage which can end up being fatal if not treated promptly and correctly.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=13366
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[cherriej63]

Thanks so much for all your good advice. We took the bed apart and got him out of there and he's fine :sunshine:: The first thing he did was drink some water, eat some food, and wash up. He's been playing all evening and now it's time for bed. We were able to talk to the rabbit specialist for the shelter and she gave us lots of good advice - specifically "go ahead and get him out from the bed - he might not like it, but he'll get over it." And he has - he's a sweety! Next step is getting his pen set up and putting up barriers around the bed.

Thanks again everyone!!