Bunnies wont come out of their cage?

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Homework9293

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I have two female young rabbits. Probably about 6 weeks or so old. I got them from a breeder who had an accidental pregnancy.

I have them in their cage but the door is open for them to come out whenever I'm home. However they have not made a COMPLETE effort to come out. The furthest they've came a few times was a few steps but they spend most of the time in the cage.

How do I get them out more? Can I carry them out and just put them on the floor?
 
Give them time. My bun Bullet didn’t want anything to do with coming out for about a month (with the cage door open 24/7), and after that it took him even longer to warm up to me. Picking them up only hurts their trust in you. You can leave the door open whenever possible if you want them to get used to coming out, and to bond with them just sit on the floor and read or do schoolwork. Although it may take awhile it will be worth it in the end.43AE77C5-2EFC-4E9C-B47D-F05BE56DA3E9.jpeg
At first I was worried he may never come out because he spent all his time in the cage.132CFC4F-F43A-4884-B469-AD0D36E96254.jpeg
About a month later he started exploring and sniffing me, but still wouldn’t tolerate petting.C07DEEF0-52C9-4C19-A17D-1B7FF61E1BE1.png
It has about 8 months since I brought him home now. He still only tolerates pets on occasion, but he loves to jump all over and lick me.
Every rabbit will be different in how fast they warm up to you and how friendly they get. My rabbit Dune was friendly right off the bat, both then and now he is a total attention hog who loves to lick. My bunny Opal from the beginning was a bossy little miss who wanted everything her way, you would give her attention when and how she wanted it and go where she wanted you to, while still getting no licking in return.
 
Give them time. My bun Bullet didn’t want anything to do with coming out for about a month (with the cage door open 24/7), and after that it took him even longer to warm up to me. Picking them up only hurts their trust in you. You can leave the door open whenever possible if you want them to get used to coming out, and to bond with them just sit on the floor and read or do schoolwork. Although it may take awhile it will be worth it in the end.View attachment 60962
At first I was worried he may never come out because he spent all his time in the cage.View attachment 60964
About a month later he started exploring and sniffing me, but still wouldn’t tolerate petting.View attachment 60965
It has about 8 months since I brought him home now. He still only tolerates pets on occasion, but he loves to jump all over and lick me.
Every rabbit will be different in how fast they warm up to you and how friendly they get. My rabbit Dune was friendly right off the bat, both then and now he is a total attention hog who loves to lick. My bunny Opal from the beginning was a bossy little miss who wanted everything her way, you would give her attention when and how she wanted it and go where she wanted you to, while still getting no licking in return.

Thank you, I've had rabbits in the past also that warm up to me right away and I had one to the point he knew what time I'd wake up at. If I slept longer he would bite and shake the cage door to let me know to let him out lol.
 
Don't rush it. They will come out whenever they feel ready. If they do come out, don't be tempted to close them out of their cage in order to "force" them to spend more time out. It is a comfort to them to know they can retreat back to their "safety" at will.

Since they are so young, I'd actually be less inclined to let them out doing any roaming at all until they are fully litter trained (provided their cage is sufficiently large). At the very least, I'd limit their roaming space with an ex-pen. Too much space not only can be intimidating (which may be why they hesitate to come out), but also encourages potty accidents.
 
Don't rush it. They will come out whenever they feel ready. If they do come out, don't be tempted to close them out of their cage in order to "force" them to spend more time out. It is a comfort to them to know they can retreat back to their "safety" at will.

Since they are so young, I'd actually be less inclined to let them out doing any roaming at all until they are fully litter trained (provided their cage is sufficiently large). At the very least, I'd limit their roaming space with an ex-pen. Too much space not only can be intimidating (which may be why they hesitate to come out), but also encourages potty accidents.

They are working on litter training however with previous rabbits I found letting them out and allowing them to make a mess gets them better trained. As I can put them back in their litterbox when they make a mess so they know to go. That's how I did it with my first and second rabbits. They were perfectly litter trained to the point they would hop in their cage to go poo or pee and come back out.

I am looking at getting a pen for them it's just $100 I need to save for it. I'm going out to get more hay for them shortly as well as a hay feeder as the hay right now is falling through the cage grate.
 
Aah. They probably need a rug, or something with traction, to encourage them to come out. The solid floor is probably what is making them less prone to come out. They like to be on more solid footing so they can escape quickly if need be (in their prey mindset).

It also explains why they are trying to binky inside their cage. There they have some traction. It's hard to jump and dash on a slippery floor.

One option is to get a low-pile, cheap area rug.
 
Aah. They probably need a rug, or something with traction, to encourage them to come out. The solid floor is probably what is making them less prone to come out. They like to be on more solid footing so they can escape quickly if need be (in their prey mindset).

It also explains why they are trying to binky inside their cage. There they have some traction. It's hard to jump and dash on a slippery floor.

One option is to get a low-pile, cheap area rug.
So far the smaller one has come out and explored the furthest. She showed some binkies outside the cage but the other female hasn't come out at all. Is it still just a waiting game or?
 
So far the smaller one has come out and explored the furthest. She showed some binkies outside the cage but the other female hasn't come out at all. Is it still just a waiting game or?
Yup, that's a waiting game.
 
So far the smaller one has come out and explored the furthest. She showed some binkies outside the cage but the other female hasn't come out at all. Is it still just a waiting game or?

Did you get a rug of sorts down for them? The slippery floor is going to make a difference. Some rabbits will brave them and try exploring on slick floors. Others will simply refuse. It's safer for them to have traction.
 
Did you get a rug of sorts down for them? The slippery floor is going to make a difference. Some rabbits will brave them and try exploring on slick floors. Others will simply refuse. It's safer for them to have traction.
I didn't because I've had rabbits before who have no issue with slippery floors. I took them both out the other day and they both explored on the floors no issue.

But if I don't take them out they'll just stay in their cage. This is going on to a full week now and they still haven't both come out to explore fully....
 
It isn't a good idea to let them roam on a slippery floor -- especially when so young. It could splay their legs.

As I said before, some rabbits seem ok on slick floors. Others are not. Forcing them on it is NOT a good idea. Remember they only have fur -- not pads -- on their paws. Nothing to give them any grip.

Rabbits are made to run and jump. They cannot do it (safely) on slick floors.

I had one rabbit who absolutely refused to come out onto the tile. She would have lived her whole life confined to 2 square feet if I did not get rugs down for her. Her mate would explore on the tile but still could never attempt to run full speed without traction.

I would strongly encourage getting something down so that they do not have to be forced out.

By picking them up and making them go out, they will begin to resent it. Seen it time and again. They tolerate it when young but will grow to hate it. Plus they are then deprived of their "safe space" which should be their cage -- where they are never disturbed and know that that is their safe haven where they won't be disturbed.
 
It isn't a good idea to let them roam on a slippery floor -- especially when so young. It could splay their legs.

As I said before, some rabbits seem ok on slick floors. Others are not. Forcing them on it is NOT a good idea. Remember they only have fur -- not pads -- on their paws. Nothing to give them any grip.

Rabbits are made to run and jump. They cannot do it (safely) on slick floors.

I had one rabbit who absolutely refused to come out onto the tile. She would have lived her whole life confined to 2 square feet if I did not get rugs down for her. Her mate would explore on the tile but still could never attempt to run full speed without traction.

I would strongly encourage getting something down so that they do not have to be forced out.

By picking them up and making them go out, they will begin to resent it. Seen it time and again. They tolerate it when young but will grow to hate it. Plus they are then deprived of their "safe space" which should be their cage -- where they are never disturbed and know that that is their safe haven where they won't be disturbed.
It's weird though when I bring them out they will hop back in but then come out right after as if they like it.

They do frequent binkies outside their cage when they do come out. The little one will will dash and spin at times. Right now when they come out they like it under my bed as they have that safe place under there.

So the hardwood floors definitely aren't bothering them. That being said I did pit a huge blanket down in front of the cage in the meantime.
 
I'm just cautioning that the slick floors can cause leg injury (if they dash and spin). In the case of the less bold rabbit, the slick floors can prevent him from trying to run in the way he would on a rug. You won't know what they're missing until you see them run on a rug. (A blanket may work if it is a very heavy blanket. If not, it will just slip and slide on the floor.)
 
I'm just cautioning that the slick floors can cause leg injury (if they dash and spin). In the case of the less bold rabbit, the slick floors can prevent him from trying to run in the way he would on a rug. You won't know what they're missing until you see them run on a rug. (A blanket may work if it is a very heavy blanket. If not, it will just slip and slide on the floor.)
The main issue too is if they run they tend to go under my bed to hide. And they're not fully litter trained yet. I have to allow them to make a mess outside and then pick them up and put them back in their cage to show them where to go. But if they go under the bed then it's a challenge. That's why I sort of like the hardwood floors and they can't get away so fast if i need to put them in to litter train.
 
The easier way to litter train is to keep them confined in a cage with a litter box. Letting them out to roam and then placing them in the litter box whenever they make a mess is the longer, more difficult way to train them.
 

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