Is my baby "just odd" or sick?

[mae9406]

I recently purchased a baby rabbit from our local feed store(they never sell any animals so this was a huge surprise when we walked-in to get my guinea pigs' bedding and feed). Anyway, long story short, we came out with one.

I really don't know much about rabbits, and have been reading as much as I can, and most things I think I have got figured out- except for her behavior.

We've only had her for 3 days so I am really wary at the moment.

I have friends and family that have had rabbits in the past, but so far she acts NOTHING like they did. People I show her to keep telling me that "that's not normal- are you sure she isn't sick"- and I do worry that maybe she is, but she has her active periods; is eating/drinking and using the bathroom. I've read up on the basic signs of illness and as far as I can tell this IS her normal behavior...

Now I am curious to see if anyone else thinks her behavior is odd or normal.

Buns is VERY affection. She never runs from us when we walk up to her. She LOVES snuggling and cuddling up-she has even cuddled up with one of our female guinea pigs to take a nap which was absolutely adorable. She never bites(thank goodness!). She also allows my two-year old, her "real owner", to play with her like she is a baby doll and cradle her in her arms on her back (because that's how you hold "human babies"). She'll also willinglyeat carrots while on her back as well. Are rabbits even SUPPOSED to like being on their backs?

From what I read, rabbits ARE intelligent, and although I have been correcting my daughter's behavior andmonitoring there "play time" very carefully because there's certain moments where just can't imagine the little thing can REALLY be enjoying itself,but Bunny still willingly comes up to her and ALLOWS her to pick her up even after all the playing and go for "another round" with her.She wouldn't do that if she didn't enjoy their play time together, right? Or is that a wrong assumption? Heck, come to think of it,Bunny isn't even afraid of our dogs- and their huge!

So is this "normal" rabbit behavior? Or is there something wrong with her? Or am I just the luckiest person to have gotten such a rare "gem" in terms of rabbit behavior.

Also note: Our rabbitISjust a baby and although Idon't know how old she is exactly.I do knowshe's very small, one of the smallest that they had there, which has made me wonder if that isn't part of her over-all behavior? I am alsonot sure what breed she is- I'm thinking she might be a Rex? Or possibly a mix of the breed? Again, I really don't know much about rabbits, and the store didn't knowanyof the answers to these questions either. So if someone can maybe help me out there that would be awesome too!

Thanks for reading.

 

[juliew19673]

She just sounds very young and normal; when you put a bun on their back they usually "trance out" not sure if they are so stressed out they zombie out or if its instictual way to "play dead".

I would stress that you should NEVER allow your two year old to hold a bunny regardless how good both bun and child are; buns are VERY quick to bite when startled and further are extremely delicate (their bones are so easy to break). You could hold the bun and let the child pet it and as you said when the toddler is with the bun you must be watching both at all times (no turning your back, stepping out to grab the phone, etc). I cannot tell you how many horror stories I've heard from parents that are coming through our shelter looking to replace the bun that was accidentally killed by their young child. They all said thesame thing "we had the best bunny so mellow and our child knows exactly how to handle buns, not sure what happened?" And you must keep in mind as your bunny begins to get older it will get more and more hormones and then one day it might have the hormonal moment and really bite your kid and the kid could get scared and drop the bun or hit it. Not to beat you up about this but hoping to prevent injury to your child and rabbit.

also carrots are not good at all for baby bunnies; really stick with just the alfafa hay and timothy pellets until older (check out the library on this site for proper baby bun nutrituion). Baby buns like human babies need to be introduced slowly to certain foods.

PS: She is adorable - love the guinea pig love

 

[Bex&Bun]

Gosh, I don't know whats "normal" but i'd love your bunny to teach mine some tricks! Willoughby wont sit still long enough to pat.. and good luck trying to tempt Daphne out of her cage! Im very jealous!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

all bunnies are individuals. Our Serena is a lap bunny and loves to be carried around and snuggling--the carry part isn't easy as she's a checkered Giant and is 17 pounds. One thing we have noticed about younger bunnies is that they do sleep a lot.

 

[pamnock]

Bunnies nurse on their backs, so this is a very comfortable and natural position for a young bunny because it associates this position with getting a meal.

 

[mae9406]

Thank you SO much for the information. I feel a lot more confident now that she's not sick(which I thought, but there is always doubt when others say otherwise, you know?)

Larry- Thanks for the sleep info! I was also wondering about that. Glad to hear that is just a baby thing.

Rebecca- I see you have guinea pigs and rabbits too. My guinea pigs generally don't mind being petted/snuggled but get bored with it very quickly, but Bunny is just a maul-bag. She's SO MUCH more calm and loveable then any of them LOL. I'm hoping her sweet behavior rubs off on them. I'd love for any of them to snuggle more then a few minutes before wanting to leave and explore haha.

JulieW19673- I took your advice and looked in the library on here and nothing says my two year old CAN'T hold her rabbit. It suggests what type of a child's personality is more suitable, ect, and that they should be taught respect for the animals as well as "gentle" (all of which we OUR instilling in our daughter and have been since she could barely walk and we got our guinea pigs). But I unless I see there a reason to intervene, I'm going to allow her to continue to handle her rabbit.

 

[tonyshuman]

As long as you can trust your daughter to not drop her, it's ok to let her hold the bunny. There are many different kinds of bunnies and many different kinds of kids, and some will get along fine. We can't make a rule that says absolutely no kids with bunnies or one that says all bunnies are ok with kids. It is true that the majority of kids are too excited loud, and clumsy to be around the majority if rabbits. However, there are exceptions to any rule.

My only concern is that the bunny may give her a "love nip", and/or scramble out of her arms. I know young kids aren't as coordinated and sometimes it can be a struggle to keep a bunny in your arms. The best thing would be to let her hold the bunny only when she's sitting on the ground so there's nowhere to fall. Anyway, that's all I will say on that.

It sounds like Bunny has been handled well since birth, which is great! She sounds pretty extraordinary in how tolerant and loving she is of people.

 

[mae9406]

Claire- I do understand very well the risks and/or dangers animals and children can have to one another which is why I took the time to read over the "children and rabbits" section in the library(just incase there was something I hadn't thought of or something new). IDON'T want any harm to come to either our new bunny OR my daughter from her new pet.

But like you said, every child and rabbitis different.These two are perfect for each other, in my opinion. Bunny doesn't bite; doesn't wiggle around while being held; enjoys A TON of snuggling and affection from people while my daughter is generally more on the gentler side for a toddler; calm 90% of the time; and understands basic and simple orders/requests/commands very well. :thumbup

She understands that Bunny is a baby, and that babies need to be handled A LOT more carefully than other animals. She also understands that she is bigger then Bunny, so she must not be rough with her the way she can with our large dogs. Heck, she's 2, and she understands that even animals get cold! It's not an uncommon thing for her to go around putting her blankets or her dolls' blankets on the dogs while they are sleeping if she feels they might be cold, and she now does the same thing to Bunny when she is sleeping as well.

Also for the record, the majority of the time, my daughter prefers sitting with Bunny snuggled on her lap, or next to her or cuddled up while lying next to one anotheras opposed to moving around with her. She does howeverenjoy "playing with her" but it's mostly "tea parties" and "house" where Bunny isn't even being held by my daughter. They are just interacting with one another on the carpet and Bunny has every opporunity possible to hop away but chooses to just sit there with her- so what's that say about the rabbit and their interactions? LOL

And Thank you. She is a very sweet, adorable, loving, extrodinary, little rabbit that I feel very blessed to have had join our family. :biggrin2:ray:

 

[tonyshuman]

That is so sweet to hear! It does sound like they're a great pair. :inlove:

 

[Hazel-Mom]

They sound like a really sweet bunny, and a really sweet child
Our Hazel was the same as a baby, she loved being petted and snuggled, loved sitting on our laps. As she grew older however, she became more "independent" and wanted to hop around, explore and play, rather than sit on a lap.
She never showed much of the "puberty/ hormone" behaviour, and stayed very loving and calm. That does not mean that your Bunny will be the same however, so you should be prepared for more hormonal behaviour, just in case. But hopefully it won't be too bad .
But even if Bunny gets hormonal, she should calm down again after puberty, and after being spayed.

BTW, we'd love to see pictures of Bunny, and of Bunny with your daughter!

 

[mae9406]

Hilde- I'm hoping she stays somewhat the same personality wise even when/after she goes through hormonal changes, but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

I don't have many pictures of the two loaded on my PC but here is a few

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My daughter and Bunny laying on the sofa together watching TV.

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My daughter feeding Bunny a carrot(I didn't realize she was so young, no worries she didn't eat that whole carrot- only a small portion, it was for lenght purposes. My guinea pigs enjoyed finishing off all the "left overs" )

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Bunny semi-snoozing on the sofa:

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[tonyshuman]

She's so pretty! She looks like a Satin.

 

[Bex&Bun]

oh goodness she is absolutely gorgeous! Im now really jealous! I have 2 buns and 2 piggies and none of them are remotely affectionate! Ocassionally Willoughby will let me pat him but never pick him up! And our new girl Daphne is so super shy and impossible to get to come near us.. your bun is a doll!

(Willoughby is also in his "daddy" my bf's bad books coz he's been scraching and digging at everything inside!!)

 

[Hazel-Mom]

They are adorable, both of them! Love the 2 pics of them watching TV. Bunny looks so soft and cuddly. Sweetest Baby Bun ever

 

[mae9406]

Thanks ladies!

Hilde- She IS super soft. It's SO hard to stop petting her but it's just a very pleasant to the touch.

Rebecca- Sorry to hear that none of your rabbits and pigs are affectionate. My 9 guinea pigs don't really care for lovings as much as food and exploring either. LOL. Although I can get the majority of them to snuggle for maybe 3-5 minutes so if I just keep switching pigs when they are done with snuggling then I can get in my "piggy fill" for the day HAHA.

I was honestly preparing myself for "the rabbit from Hell" type of personality when we were buying Bunny, but I'm SO grateful she's such a sweetheart. It's nice not having one of my furry critters not run away anytime I go near them LOL.

 

[Bex&Bun]

It bothers my boyfriend more than me. I enjoy watching Willoughby roam crazily around the house. Im more sad about Daphne as she will barely come out of her cage let alone roam the house. Maybe Daphne will come out of her shell and suddenly love me! lol

 

[mae9406]

Awww maybe Daphne will be like one of my guinea pigs and blossom over time. I have one boy that was super shy and scared all the time, but with lots of patience, and lovings he has since transformed into a very adventurous, outgoing, little guy. Mind you he still isn't all about the lovings(despite all the snuggles I give him), but LOVES out of cage time now at least so that makes me happy. Maybe Daphne will get to be the same way, if not a full blown "lover".

 

[mistyjr]

Very cute bunny!!!

I also have kids of my own.. 3 yrs, 3 yrs and 9 months. I let my 2 oldest hold the bun's and pet them. My 9 mo old dont like touching fur even on the dogs...lol

 

[tonyshuman]

It took about 6 months for my Muffin to not run away from hands that came toward her. I think it may have had to do with past living experiences. Now she comes up to me while I'm getting ready in the morning and nudges my ankles so I will stop and pet her. :inlove:

 

[mae9406]

Claire- Awww that's too cute! I hope Bunny does stuff like that to me as she gets older