How soon until free range time is enjoyed

[Randi]

I adopted my first rabbit, Noelle, less than a week ago. Some days I feel like we are making more progress than others. I often will go in and sit by her cage, and sometimes I will even sit in the cage with her while she sits on the shelf and will rub her head. Our biggest issue right now is still picking her up, but I have received advice on this in another thread and for now am just focusing on bonding with her rather than trying to pick her up.

The issue I need advice on this time around is out of cage time. She doesn't enjoy it and would rather be in her cage than out of her cage. When she is out of her cage she seems very scared and will sit in one spot the entire time, or will quickly run from one spot to another. She also thumps the entire time. I'll stay in one spot to let her come to me if she likes but she isn't interested. I'll give her toys but she ignores them. She won't eat when she is out of her cage, either. I don't know if there is something I can do to make it more enjoyable for her, or if it will just take time. I'm really hoping that she is just still nervous about her new environment and will start to enjoy the time out of the cage, and maybe even eventually tolerate being picked up.

 

[tamsin]

It sounds like she is quite a nervous bun and it's going to take sometime for her to settle. Can she walk/hop out of her cage to exercise or are they two separate areas. If she can walk between as she likes then she'll be more relaxed and can come out in her own time.

Provide her with lots of places to hide like tunnels and boxes and let her explore in her own time. The tunnels will help her move around and exercise but still have lots of places to hide. It sounds like she's too nervous to explore much yet but as she gains confidence she'll explore you as well as the toys. It can be quite frustrating watching them not doing anything but their minds are gathering information so every time she's out and nothing bad happens she'll be a tiny bit more confident next time.

 

[elrohwen]

I agree that allowing her to come out of her cage on her own (and go back in it) will make her more calm. It might take her a while, but she will start exploring outside the cage if you make it a nice environment for her (calm, with hidey spaces away from her cage if she gets nervous). Rabbits can take months to bond with people and become comfortable in a new home, so I think where you're at is perfectly fine for now - she just needs time.

Make sure your flooring is bunny friendly too. One of my buns *hates* hardwood floors and it took him over a year to cross them on his own. He still prefers to hope in a cardboard box and have me carry him from his cage to the carpeted living room. My other bun doesn't have problems with the floors, but she still won't spend time in a wood floored room - she just runs through on her way to the carpeted room. So make sure there's plenty of traction for her so she'll feel secure.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Time and patience. Every bunny is different. Some of ours scramble around on tile and hardwood no problem and others use the rugs to get from place to place. The main concern is that your bunny feels safe and at home. So;me take longer than others to get comfortable.

 

[Randi]

I have added additional hiding spots and treats to free time. I've made little paths of treats where she would have to walk through an open spot. So far, she is only hanging out in her little hidey house and will only eat treats right outside her door. She will allow me to pet her head if she sticks her head out the door.

 

[Randi]

Here are the pics from tonight -

 

[tamsin]

Aww, she's beautiful! What lovely photos.

I think you are doing the right thing and a line of treats is an excellent idea. I think you'll find if you do that everyday or even several times a day she'll gradually sneak further. She looks quite curious just a little unsure. If she was completely scared she wouldn't eat the treats at all You could do the same with her favourite bits of dinner too so she doesn't get podgy with extra treats if you do it lots.

I'm sure in a few more weeks you'll have made amazing progress

 

[Nancy McClelland]

She's beautiful. A couple of ours were extremely shy when they first came to us. All of ours are rescues so they didn't get a great start and some are just naturally shy. But we can handle all of them and they come to us and follow us all over the place. Time and patience, and each bunny is different, but they are all so unique and precious.

 

[MiniLopHop]

oh I am in love! I particularly like the little bunny nose picture. She is beautiful and you are doing a great job getting her to learn to trust again.

 

[Randi]

She met my boyfriend today for the first time. He was laying down so I placed the carrier next to him and opened the door. She blew me away when she immediately hopped out of her carrier and right on to him! He said he was scared she would bite him but I told him that she is just curious and as long as he doesn't make any quick movements she will just check him out. He pet her head and she seemed to like it. I told him that he has found a new friend!

 

[MiniLopHop]

That is great! I have found that animals, particularly sensitive ones, make the best judges of someone's charater. I'm guessing you have a keeper in the BF.
I had an iguanna that never liked the guys I dated, who all turned out to be jerks, until I met my now husband for 12 years. The iguanna loved him despite Joshua being terrified of the iguanna. Greensleeves knew he was a keeper.

 

[Randi]

MiniLopHop wrote:

I had an iguanna that never liked the guys I dated, who all turned out to be jerks, until I met my now husband for 12 years. The iguanna loved him despite Joshua being terrified of the iguanna. Greensleeves knew he was a keeper.

Haha, that is awesome. He is a nice guy but isn't a huge animal person like I am, so when the animals take to him so quickly it always makes me laugh.

I put her out yesterday with her hidey places, and with some new hidey places, but yesterday we had tornadoes (I live near the area where three people were killed in tornadoes yesterday if anyone saw it on the news), so with the noises of the storms yesterday I think that she was just too nervous to do much. She thumped much of the time she was out and wasn't interested in running around much at all. I'm about to bring her out again for the day today (she stays caged at night when we can't supervise, and while we're at work, but when we are home she is out), and am hoping for more progress!

 

[MiniLopHop]

I'm so glad that you are ok. Tornadoes can be frightning. We don't have them here in PA very often, but I can tell you that before our last large snow storm all the animals knew it was coming. They hunker down to weather the storm then are extra hyper when it is over. I'm sure they have instincts and can feel the changing pressures.
Good luck getting her feeling a little more confident. You don't need the weather working against you.