Ellie
Well-Known Member
Hi there!
I'm a first time bunny owner, so I'm a little not used to bunnies and their behaviours. I've done a LOT of research but I still have some concerns.
My rabbit doesn't eat a whole lot. He has a constant supply of hay in his litter box and hay wheel (which I'm not sure if he quite understands... should I switch to a hay rack?). But, I only see him eating like twice a day. Also, I put 1/4 cup of pellets in his dish in the morning and he probably only eats 2 or 3 of them in a day. When I give him his veggies (I've only tried lettuce so far because I heard to introduce them slowly) he only has like 3 nibbles and I throw the rest out in the morning. I'm just worried he's ill or something? Does that seem like a behaviour he would have if he was in pain? I only got him from the pound 3 days ago, so is it possible he's just home sick or something? Or perhaps it's too hot in the house? (We only have an air conditioner upstairs and he's on the main floor.... he has constant frozen water bottles in his cage though.)
Litter training also seems to be a little bit of an issue. He seems to have somewhat gotten the hang of it (he wasn't trained before I got him.) He leaves about 4 poops in his cage every few hours, but does his main business in the box. I'm pretty sure he pees in the box though. However, when I let him out to run around the room poop flies EVERYWHERE. He binkies and runs around and they'll just fall out all over the floor. I don't mind picking / vacuuming them up, but I'm just worried it will never stop. Does anyone have any suggestions to make him know that he can't poop on the carpet? I have no clue what it looks like when he's about to go because he will literally just be running around and pooping. He is 3, is it too late to introduce the litter box?
Also, he developed a new bad habit this morning... while he was out for his morning run he was running between my legs. I heard this is a symbol for "I like you" so that's good. But, this morning he started to bite me! He was also trying to dig into my pajamas... despite me gently pushing him off of my leg and saying "no" he kept coming back. He does have lots of chew toys in his cage so his teeth shouldn't be an issue. I read that biting can also be affectionate, but it sure didn't seem like it to me. Ouch!
Sorry for the very long question. Me and my bunny thank you for your help!
I'm a first time bunny owner, so I'm a little not used to bunnies and their behaviours. I've done a LOT of research but I still have some concerns.
My rabbit doesn't eat a whole lot. He has a constant supply of hay in his litter box and hay wheel (which I'm not sure if he quite understands... should I switch to a hay rack?). But, I only see him eating like twice a day. Also, I put 1/4 cup of pellets in his dish in the morning and he probably only eats 2 or 3 of them in a day. When I give him his veggies (I've only tried lettuce so far because I heard to introduce them slowly) he only has like 3 nibbles and I throw the rest out in the morning. I'm just worried he's ill or something? Does that seem like a behaviour he would have if he was in pain? I only got him from the pound 3 days ago, so is it possible he's just home sick or something? Or perhaps it's too hot in the house? (We only have an air conditioner upstairs and he's on the main floor.... he has constant frozen water bottles in his cage though.)
Litter training also seems to be a little bit of an issue. He seems to have somewhat gotten the hang of it (he wasn't trained before I got him.) He leaves about 4 poops in his cage every few hours, but does his main business in the box. I'm pretty sure he pees in the box though. However, when I let him out to run around the room poop flies EVERYWHERE. He binkies and runs around and they'll just fall out all over the floor. I don't mind picking / vacuuming them up, but I'm just worried it will never stop. Does anyone have any suggestions to make him know that he can't poop on the carpet? I have no clue what it looks like when he's about to go because he will literally just be running around and pooping. He is 3, is it too late to introduce the litter box?
Also, he developed a new bad habit this morning... while he was out for his morning run he was running between my legs. I heard this is a symbol for "I like you" so that's good. But, this morning he started to bite me! He was also trying to dig into my pajamas... despite me gently pushing him off of my leg and saying "no" he kept coming back. He does have lots of chew toys in his cage so his teeth shouldn't be an issue. I read that biting can also be affectionate, but it sure didn't seem like it to me. Ouch!
Sorry for the very long question. Me and my bunny thank you for your help!