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apexo

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Feb 21, 2014
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Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK
We got a new rabbit the day before yesterday and so far he's been lovely. He's 5-6 months old and obviously still a bit scared but we've held him a few times and he's had a vet check him over. What I'm wondering is if anyone could help us identify what the rabbit (Cappy) is trying to tell us, I've looked at various guides around the internet but I'm still struggling to tell whether he is comfy/happy or is just really annoyed at me. Obviously I want him to be as happy as possible :) I've included a link to a video I took earlier for the community to look at and if you could have a look and give me your opinions that would be amazing. Thank you in advance :)

http://youtu.be/Q3iSF_1UCRs
 
He just looks a little nervous to me. Give him lots of time and some calm patience. It may help if you can make a play area on the floor for him. Something small. Sit in inside it with him and move as little as possible. Hand feed him some healthy treats, and just let him hop around. He will soon learn to trust you.
 
Annoyed bunnies aren't exactly subtle about it - they usually thump and/or flick their back feet at you as they hop off; sometimes they sit there sulking and giving you "the butt", lol. If you annoy your bunny, I guarantee you'll know about it!

He looks a little shy/nervous, but not actually afraid - he's clearly somewhat interested in you; he's just unsure still. Everything I saw indicated to me that he's already on the path towards trusting you - his body language was positive despite being a little apprehensive.

Crytalkate's advice is excellent... to elaborate on "move as little as possible" - specifically, it's best to ignore the bunny. Read a book, play on a cell phone, use a laptop, work on a small craft project (like making some homemade bunny toys :D), whatever - all that matters is that the activity is quiet, can be done while sitting (or better yet, laying) on the floor (so you're as close to his level as possible) and doesn't involve any sudden movements.

Also, in regards to treats... obviously when it comes to actual treats (fresh or dried fruit being by far the healthiest and best option), you need to be very stingy (1 tsp fruit per 2 lbs body weight per day)... *but* the spirit of the definition of "treat" is in the eye of the beholder. If he's already gotten his ration of fruit for the day, that doesn't mean you can't buy his love with food any more.

First of all, pellets are a limited commodity for rabbits and most tend to go nuts for them... so hand-feeding some or all of a rabbit's daily pellet ration can be a GREAT way to bond with them!

[While juveniles can supposedly have unlimited pellets, that's actually not really ideal for most bunnies - my personal recommendation is to feed approximately 2x whatever a bunny's adult ration will be (based on their expected adult weight, NOT their current weight) until veggies have been introduced and they're getting an "adult" serving of them each day (ie at least 2 (packed) cups of leafy greens per 6 lbs body weight).

Once they're on veggies, gradually decrease the amount to approximately 1.5x their adult ration (the ideal amount can vary a good bit depending on the quantity of leafy green veggies being eaten, especially if you opt to give them a lot more than the minimum amount). At 7 mos old, you'll want to gradually scale back to 1/2c pellets per 6 lbs (current) body weight; 1/4-1/2c per 6 lbs once they reach a year old (exception: very large breeds are considered "juveniles" until they're a year old rather than 7 months and need to be fed accordingly).


Juvenile pellet rations are hardly an exact science, so my suggestions should be considered vague guidelines rather than "rules". Pellets should be reduced if you're finding a lot of cecotropes laying around, if the bunny appears pretty chubby for their frame size and/or if hay isn't amounting to 70-80% of their total diet because they're filling up on other stuff.]

Secondly, at 5-6 months old, your rabbit is definitely old enough to be getting veggies. (Since you presumably don't know his background (ie what types and quantities of veggies he's used to, if any), it's safest to start from scratch - introduce one veggie at a time a few days apart, starting with a small quantity and gradually increasing the amount while keeping an eye on his poop to make sure he's tolerating it well.) Because the veggies will be new, tasty and limited, they're exciting enough that your bunny is likely to perceive them as treats in the beginning, especially if you hand feed them.

[For introducing veggies, I recommend starting with something that tends to be well-tolerated and appealing to bunnies - dark leaf lettuces (pretty much anything but iceberg) are a pretty safe choice; cilantro is not only a favorite for most bunns, but it can actually be soothing for their tumms.

Leafy greens that are loosely related to cabbage (like kale and bok choy) can potentially cause gas; some bunnies are more sensitive/susceptible to this than others. Because of this, I recommend waiting until you've introduced a number of other leafy greens successfully before introducing ones in the cabbage family and if/when you do introduce them, you should use smaller portions/increase more gradually and watch for signs of gas/discomfort. As a precaution (and because every bunny owner should have it in their first aid kit), make sure you've got a bottle of simethicone on hand (infant gas drops). Gas can get uncomfortable enough to make a bunny stop eating, leading to GI stasis (which is potentially fatal if not treated properly), but thankfully it's *very* easy to remedy if caught early. Simethicone is ridiculously safe for rabbits, so it's even safe to give a dose as a preventative measure if you're paranoid that you might not recognize the subtle symptoms of gas ("treatment" dosing is 1-2 cc per hour for three hours, then 1 cc every 3-8h if needed).

As far as quantity goes, offering the equivalent of 1/8-1/4 packed cup on the first day is probably a good amount to start with; if poops are normal the next morning, then give something like 1/4-1/2c the second day and increase from there. Fruits and non-leafy veggies don't require gradual introduction due to how small the maximum allowances are; however, when you give one of them for the very first time, I wouldn't do so on the first or second day of introducing a new leafy green veggie because if something upsets your bunny's system, you won't know which food was the culprit.]


Anyway, enough wandering on rambling tangents, lol! One last thing... I highly recommend checking out this site: http://language.rabbitspeak.com/ - it's pretty much a cheat-sheet for "bunny language"! :D
 
I already found that cheat sheet haha I've been wiggling my nose at him and trying to show him if he does something wrong. Spent about an hour tonight hand feeding him and stroking him and he seemed to really enjoy it and started bumping noses with me and my other half which was extremely cute then I left him for a bit and my other half got him out so I could hold him whilst his cage was sorted out (potty training space and more toys etc)

So far so awesome :D
 

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