Bunny Won’t Leave her Cage

[NetherlandBuns]

Hi everyone! I’m new to this forum and hoping to get some insight from all the experienced bunny parents! I’m trying to eventually free roam my bunny, we just got her a few weeks ago, she is a 12 week old Netherland dwarf. When we first got her, we would block off a small area for her to come out of her cage to play in. We wanted to wait and make sure she was litter trained before expanding the area. Initially she was very active, always exploring her exercise area and she would come out for a few minutes and go back to her cage to eat, pee, and get water. Once she finished her routine she would hop out again.

Now it’s been a few days since we expanded her space to allow her to free roam the entire area, but she doesn’t come out much anymore. She loves the cage open, but she’ll just sit by the opening and loaf, clean herself, or sleep. At most she only comes out maybe once a day for 5 minutes. Now we just leave the door to her pen open most of the day, but still nothing.

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Also any tips on getting her to come out more often to roam around? I’ve tried making dig boxes for her with shredded paper, small cardboard cut out houses as a hidie house, making tunnels. All of which she does love to play with when she does come out for those minutes, but still nothing to keep her out and exercising.

Thank you!

 

[Popsicles]

What time of day do you open the cage for her? Rabbits are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. This means most rabbits sleep during a lot of the day, and only really come out to explore first thing in the morning and again in the evening. What room is the cage in?

 

[NetherlandBuns]

The past few days I’ve left it open for her from 2-3pm right up until 12am. There was a day I left it open for her from 10am-12am as well. She seems to be a bit more active between 2am-5am though. I read they are most active at dawn and dusk but she seems to sleep through dusk.. well sleep most of the day as well. She wakes up to eat, pee/poop, clean herself and back to sleep again. =/

 

[JBun]

When rabbits are initially given access to a new area, they will be more active and excited while exploring it and mapping it out in their head. But as they get used to the new area, they no longer need to map out their new area and so will settle down and may not be as active checking it out. And like I said in your other thread, her seemingly decreased activity could be related to her possible health issue.