Hi everyone,
I recently adopted male, blue point Holland Lop! Actually I’m his 3rd owner and he is only 2 years old. He came with a ridiculously tiny cage, some pellets and a broken water bottle (no hay). The scene where he lived was chaotic, tiny apartment, lots of people and kids.
The first thing I did is buy him the large Oxbow Play Yard with playpen (which is incredibly neat, practical and he loves it), a corner litter box which he took to immediately and a few bunny-friendly toys. Then I introduced a healthier diet and letting him out for long periods to roam and binky around my condo. He LOVES this. He uses my dogs as hurdles, jumping over them or scooting under them. It’s been about 3 weeks and he has begun following the dogs and I around and making himself at home. One afternoon, I walked into a room and found him sitting, alone primly on an armchair surveying his new domain and I burst out laughing. Lucky for me, he isn’t a chewer (although I watch him) and he is litter trained, which means he gets lots of out of cage time. He greets me at the side of the cage and enjoys taking special treats from me (hand feeding) Basically a great bun!
I only have a few issues with him that maybe you guys can help me with:
1. He is very tense when being picked up but tolerates it, but his little heart beats like little motor.
2. He won’t let me get near him to put him back in his cage. I’ve been leaving the front panel of the cage open and when he goes in on his own time, I shut it. What happens if I need to get him in quickly one day?
3. He seems like sitting with me on the sofa, I stroke his ears and he closes his eyes. BUT HE HATES sitting on me. I didn’t realize just how much he hates it until last night I put him on me and he started to claw relentlessly at my shirt and nipped my neck. (did not break skin) Freaked me out! So, fair enough I won’t do that again. But he also gets ornery if he wants off the couch but can’t seem to get down. Basically, he’s a nipper when he feels frustrated.
So is this a bad bun? Or will this behavior subside once we get to understand each other’s dislikes and avoid them? I don’t NEED to cuddle him, frankly I like observing him roam around my place and interact with the dogs. But I read that most bunnies like to be patted and need human bonding. If he ends up being a floor bunny without much human contact, is this a bad thing for his psychological well-being? Do you think he is merely tolerating being petted on the couch? If he’s an independent soul, should I bother trying to make him into more of a cuddler?
He is a spunky little character and I don’t mean to imply that I don’t enjoy him or am contemplating dumping him. I can size a dog’s personality up in about 15 minutes and understand how to deal with them, but bunnies are a mystery to me! So I just need some bunny-pro opinions here.
Jeeeez.. long post!
Here's a picture of the Oxbow Playyard:
I recently adopted male, blue point Holland Lop! Actually I’m his 3rd owner and he is only 2 years old. He came with a ridiculously tiny cage, some pellets and a broken water bottle (no hay). The scene where he lived was chaotic, tiny apartment, lots of people and kids.
The first thing I did is buy him the large Oxbow Play Yard with playpen (which is incredibly neat, practical and he loves it), a corner litter box which he took to immediately and a few bunny-friendly toys. Then I introduced a healthier diet and letting him out for long periods to roam and binky around my condo. He LOVES this. He uses my dogs as hurdles, jumping over them or scooting under them. It’s been about 3 weeks and he has begun following the dogs and I around and making himself at home. One afternoon, I walked into a room and found him sitting, alone primly on an armchair surveying his new domain and I burst out laughing. Lucky for me, he isn’t a chewer (although I watch him) and he is litter trained, which means he gets lots of out of cage time. He greets me at the side of the cage and enjoys taking special treats from me (hand feeding) Basically a great bun!
I only have a few issues with him that maybe you guys can help me with:
1. He is very tense when being picked up but tolerates it, but his little heart beats like little motor.
2. He won’t let me get near him to put him back in his cage. I’ve been leaving the front panel of the cage open and when he goes in on his own time, I shut it. What happens if I need to get him in quickly one day?
3. He seems like sitting with me on the sofa, I stroke his ears and he closes his eyes. BUT HE HATES sitting on me. I didn’t realize just how much he hates it until last night I put him on me and he started to claw relentlessly at my shirt and nipped my neck. (did not break skin) Freaked me out! So, fair enough I won’t do that again. But he also gets ornery if he wants off the couch but can’t seem to get down. Basically, he’s a nipper when he feels frustrated.
So is this a bad bun? Or will this behavior subside once we get to understand each other’s dislikes and avoid them? I don’t NEED to cuddle him, frankly I like observing him roam around my place and interact with the dogs. But I read that most bunnies like to be patted and need human bonding. If he ends up being a floor bunny without much human contact, is this a bad thing for his psychological well-being? Do you think he is merely tolerating being petted on the couch? If he’s an independent soul, should I bother trying to make him into more of a cuddler?
He is a spunky little character and I don’t mean to imply that I don’t enjoy him or am contemplating dumping him. I can size a dog’s personality up in about 15 minutes and understand how to deal with them, but bunnies are a mystery to me! So I just need some bunny-pro opinions here.
Jeeeez.. long post!
Here's a picture of the Oxbow Playyard:
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