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Well hes home! & good thing too, when I got to work he had no water :(

Anyway, the car ride wasn't fun for him & hes a little wide-eyed in his new house...didn't stop him going straight for the hay tho...hes been munching on it for hours lol.

Only thing I'm worried about is the pan even with the bedding is slippy for his soft feet...will it cause problems?
I won't bug him much for a few days, give him chance to settle & get used to our home...I have a 3yr old & 2 curious little dogs, plus a playful kitten & also my 9yr old step-daughter is here visiting for summer break...so lots of noises & faces to get used to! But he is going to be very loved :) & lots of attention.

Here are a couple pics...




I will get him a few more toys & things to chew on tomorrow! & I still can't pick a name LOL!
 
YAY!!! I'm so glad you got him. I'm sure he'll be happy in his new home. You could try lining the bottom of the tray with a few layers of newspaper. That might give him a little bit better traction. You may also want to give him a hidey hole or cardboard box with a hole cut in, so he can hide in there if something makes him nervous. For the box, just use a plain box without a glossy outside. That type of paper has plastic in it. If he seems nervous, it's probably a good idea to give him some space, but if he seems curious and comes to the front of the cage or puts his paws up on the cage, you're probably fine starting to interact with him, cause that means he's interested and not nervous about what is going on. Plus you are the familiar presence to him, so he may find having you around comforting. And congratulations, I hope you'll keep us updated on his progress of settling in :)
 
If I can get a hidey hole big enough lol...pics don't seem to show just how big he is.

I still have to get a litter pan & hay rack too...tho the CN cages are a little hard to hang things.

I think he would have warmed up by now, but I think the dogs & kitten have made him nervous. I have a teacup chihuahua who has no interest, but my cairn terrier hes always interested & watches him in the cage...the novelty will wear off with him tho, he did the same thing when the guinea pig was in there & we first got him. My kitten is the same, hes just curious & likes to watch him coz its something new. Hopefully the bun will get used to it & realize they aren't going to hurt him.
 
Looks like a nice big igloo. I didn't even know they made them that big! I hope he settles soon for you. I have one suggestion that may help. You could try putting a sheet or blanket over the back part and sides of the cage. Enclosing the cage a bit like that, may help him feel a little more secure with it not being so open. You'll just want to make sure he's not getting too warm with the restricted airflow.
 
Yeh the igloo is pretty huge...he probably weighs 8-9lbs hes a stocky rabbit, the biggest at our store which is probably why he bullied the others. Hes been using it a lot.
I'm a little disappointed at how distant hes being with me now hes home...this morning while it was quitet I opened the cage & tried to coax him out of the igloo, but he wouldn't...also it sounded like he was whistling faintly with his breathing...but I'm not sure, I'll need to try & listen to him again. Can I handle him yet (question mark)
He did come out just now & I gave him a tiny piece of a lettuce leaf which he took from me & seemed to build his confidence....he seems very food orientated! I didn't hear the whistling this time.
I REALLY hope hes not got anything wrong with him! I will be devastated. His eyes & nose look bright & clear & hes eating & drinking...poop looks like normal rabbit poops....haven't seen him pee yet & don't see a wet patch, unless hes going on the blanket I put in there.
 
It's quite possible he's going on the blanket as many rabbits like to pee on soft things :) Don't be surprised or dis-heartened if it takes him a while to warm up to you again in a new environment, just give him time and plenty of food handouts to encourage him.
 
It just sounds like he is scared being in a new place, not anything to do with you. He has been at the pet shop for quite a while hasn't he? So that was really home to him and all he was used to, even if it wasn't so great. I would go ahead and use what works for him. If food works, then use it to help bring him around. Don't over do the veggies yet, but you can give small amounts of a veggie, like the romaine, several times during the day, then if you aren't seeing any soft poop after a day or two, you can start to gradually increase the amount you give at each feeding. Also I don't know if you tried the suggestion of the blanket over the cage, but I think that would help with his security a lot as well. Or even better, if you have a room that is more quiet and you can restrict your other pets from going in, it might help him to be in there until he has adjusted a little more to his new home, and isn't as nervous. Rabbits that aren't used to being around cats and dogs, can sometimes be very frightened of them, even petrified to the point of injuring themselves. I know some of my rabbits freak out if they see a cat or dog, or even smell it from me petting one. He may just have a hard time adjusting to the other pets in the house and may need a more gradual introduction to them, once he has settled in and is feeling more comfortable. Remember to him, they are the predators and he is the prey, at least until he is able to realize differently. It could be a big part of his distant behavior and hiding all of the time.

I think bringing him out of the cage now, may help as well. I think a good way to do it would be to bring him into a bathroom or other small quiet room, and just sit in there with him and let him play and explore. You could bring a few toys and boxes for him to play with. Usually when you do this type of play time with a new rabbit, you would just sit in there with them and basically ignore him while you read or do stuff on your laptop(fyi- rabbits LOVE to chew power cords). But it really depends on the rabbit. If he approaches you and is interested in you then petting is ok, but if he seems a little skittish and scurries away when you reach out, then just ignore and let him play for a while. Once he starts feeling more comfortable with his new home, then he'll probably start approaching you more and be more interested, then you can start reaching out to see if he wants to be petted, but usually when they are running around playing, they only want to be petted when they flop down and are tired. I think letting him have this play time may help him realize that this new place isn't so bad.

It's possible the whistling noise you are hearing is from him breathing fast because he is nervous. Otherwise it's just something to keep an eye on. Also keep an eye on the water and food levels to make sure he is still eating and drinking. If he's drinking, then he's got to be peeing somewhere, maybe inside the igloo?
 
Thanks, that all makes sense. Unfortunately, I can't move the cage...hes in the bottom unit of my Double Critter Nation cage which is HUGE & heavy. The cage is in the dining area of our kitchen & it is in quite the busy area of our house by the patio door which is constantly opening & closing letting the dogs out etc. but I want him to feel like hes part of the family....I will do the blanket suggestion to give him some privacy tho until he gets used to things.
I don't think the people in & out is bothering him as he did have that at the store until he got put into the back room. My dog is already losing interest which is good...I can understand why that would make him nervous.
I guess with time & patience he'll come around...my step-daughter leaves in a couple weeks to go back to her mums & back to school so the house will quieten down some...shes the one thats usually in & out the patio & she can be loud lol :rollseyes
I will continue the treats then (within reason) & will perhaps get him out this evening when the kiddos are in bed. I'm desperate to interact with him! But I don't want to overdo it...he was at the store since he was a teeny baby I actually wasn't working there when they first got him so I'm not sure how long hes been there or how old he is....he looks fully grown to me. I'm sure they can tell me when he gets neutered.
 

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