Do my Rabbits look content ?

[MiniLopPrincesses]

Hi all

I’m a new bunny owner to 2 sweet 10 week old mini lops. I haven’t owned rabbits before.
I am curious if anyone could please tell me from my photos if my bunnies look happy and content.
I have read a lot that rabbits can become stressed and depressed easily and even though I have devoted all my time to them I still feel like some reassurance is needed. I’d like to know if I am on the right track to providing them both with a happy life with me

thank you

 

[Blue eyes]

During the night I keep them in their hutch outside and during the day I am trying to intergrate them into my household as much as possible, and I’m hoping to litter train them.

So far they have no issues with my cats.

when I fetch them from their hutch they are quite timid and run away at first and they are not keen on being held as I carry them to the house. I have noticed that if I have them on my lap they become very relaxed and love to cuddle but once they are on the floor they just want to hide and run away. Is this normal for them to want to do that ?
I have attached some photos as I’d like feedback on their body language e.g…. Do they look relaxed/frightened/happy etc.

All advice is appreciated. I’d love to know If I am looking after my bunnies the best I can

They are adorable! At 10 weeks they are still quite young. Were you warned that they may need to be separated once their hormones kick in? Sometimes females will not get along once hormones kick in. If they start to show aggression towards each other (even the cuddliest of pairs can do this with the onset of those hormones) then they'll need to be separated, fixed and then re-introduced in hopes of bonding. Just wanted to be sure you were aware so you can keep an eye out.

 

[JBun]

This is to address this and the questions on your other thread.

Running away from you when you go to carry them from their hutch is a fairly simple fix. The majority of rabbits hate being picked up and carried. It's an instinctual response as a prey animal, as it's what a predator would do to catch them. So it would be best to train them to load into a pet carrier or something of that nature, and transport them that way. This also helps so they don't start to associate you with something negative that they dislike and scares them. This is especially pertinent as they become adults. Babies are generally more tolerant of being picked up, but as they become adults, that can completely change and can affect their ability to trust you.

This doesn't mean being able to pick them up on select occassions, is an impossibility, but it needs to be very slowly worked at getting them to the point where they are ok with you doing it and it not affecting their ability to trust you. So small steps, starting from the floor, them feeling comfortable getting voluntarily on your lap, which they both seem already comfortable with, then going with gradual increments from there, but never pushing it past the point where they become uncomfortable.

Flopping down is a sign of them feeling very safe and comfortable, so you have that going. Also eating snacks means they feel pretty comfortable in their environment. As for hiding and running away when on the floor, you may be misinterpreting their behavior. They may just be curious wanting to explore their environment, and not wanting to be interrupted or bothered while doing this, which is pretty typical rabbit behavior. My rabbits will even nose nudge my hand away if I try and pet them and they're still busy looking around or playing.

Rabbits generally only want to relax and cuddle or accept petting/head rubs, when they're sufficiently worn out from exploring. But to know if your rabbits are acting scared or just being busy wanting to explore, it's not something that can be determined from photos easily. If you can take a video and post it here, that would be more helpful. You may need to first upload it to a site like youtube, then post the link here.

To help get you started on better understanding your rabbits and their body language, here are some good links.

http://language.rabbitspeak.com/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Understanding_your_rabbit
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/bonding-with-your-bunny.html

 

[Blue eyes]

A few suggestions...

If the weather outside is significantly different than the inside temperature, it is not a good idea to bring the rabbits inside and back outside every day -- especially if they are spending the cold nights outside and the days inside. Rabbits have a difficult time regulating their body temperature. It's still winter so they should either remain outdoors or remain indoors -- not be continually switched between the two. In the late Spring or Summer (whenever the temperatures are quite similar inside and out), then it is ok to switch.

I see that Jenny already posted while I was typing this. She addressed the other topic of getting rabbits used to a carrier for carrying them rather than holding them in your arms, so I won't repeat.

For tips on litter training...
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html
You'll want to start litter training right away before they develop bad habits. Those habits are very difficult to un-train, once established. Litter training is really a misnomer because all it entails is providing the proper setup. The rabbits train themselves, so it isn't anything difficult on your part.

 

[Momma Luvbun]

How very happy they look, indeed
Even with their feline, they look content. My buns have a guardian feline as well

Being kits you will see their personalities change with you and within themselves, so I suggest that you begin a bunny journal per bun, to write down their day.
This will be handy in figuring out information pertaining to their health, output of urine and stool as well as their individual personality traits. They learn from each other as well, so it will help to know who initiates what as well as what was happening if an issue arises.

If they are girls, you may seriously want to get them spayed when they are old enough, so they are at their healthiest (females are prone to cancer and you can possibly prolong their lives by doing this). it also helps with hormones and false pregnancies.
My last girl wasn't spayed for the first 4 years of her life, till I was given an unfixed abandoned 5 month old male. Before her spay, she would "nest" every few months, digging at my couch and stealing the fluff when I was at work (I have never contained my buns, not even when I go out.. free run buns though, you learn what needs proofing attention ) she did pass a year later from breathing complications and after a year I got a new girl for my widowed husbun, they are both fixed.
They still have their moments but are happy the majority of the time.