cagimi
New Member
My bunny is about 8 months old and I got her 2 months ago, so I think I'm getting decently well-versed in her behavior (she is my first bunny). She does have some strange habits, though, and I was wondering if they are normal:
1. she isn't scared of the vacuum--this I just don't get. My dogs back home (my parent's house), the pitbull and labrador, will cower in fear and the pitbull apparently stalked and killed the roomba that my mom bought. Helena, though, will run from it at first, then come sit next to it and watch it go. If I detach the hose, she sits on the brush part! She also likes to jump on the roomba until it starts and then jump off. Is she just completely fearless, and should I be concerned by that...?
2. sometimes when she is tired (I presume), she will flop on her side head first. It looks like it must hurt but she does it a lot--she isn't injuring her head, is she?
3. do bunnies like music? she doesn't seem to care when I play my normal stuff when I'm working, but my sister played the Nyan cat song and Helena flipped out. Like, jumping in circles and doing sprints. I'm wondering now if my music annoys her, but I can't exactly ask...
4. She used to be very good with her litter-box, keeping her poo on one side and the hay on the other. Now she flings her hay around the whole thing and evenly distributes her poop. Is there a way to get her back to being normal? If not, that's fine, but it is harder to clean every day.
5. Sometimes I have to work late at the library or something--doing my undergrad thesis this year. I live with my sister, who works from home, so she won't ever be alone for a really long time, but I'm worried that she'll get distressed. I know bunnies have their routines, but she tends to give me the "it is time for you to pet/feed me, plebeian" attitude, so I'm also not sure if she'll actually care...
6. She doesn't seem to eat a lot of hay. I know that hay is supposed to be 80% of a bunny's diet so I always leave ample amount of it out, but I feel like I'm throwing out more than half of what I leave for her. I feed her about 1c of lettuce/greens in the morning and again at night, and about 1/4 c of pellets at night, which the vet and every book seems to think is best (she is 4.5 lbs). I've bought her basically every kind of hay available, but she would rather eat bits of paper and the cardboard hay-holder toys that I made her. I even left the giant bag of timothy hay on the floor for her to get at, and she just made a mess. I tried putting freeze-dried banana chip pieces in the hay, and she just rooted through it until she got them. Would she prefer it if I put ketchup on it...(just kidding)
7. I bought a fluffy paper-based bedding for her cage, which seemed to like for a few days and then she shoved it around her cage in a very disgruntled manner. When I cleaned her cage out last time, I didn't put in any bedding, just paper and some torn up old shirts of mine, and she just scratches at it. I know bunnies like to dig, but is she just digging for fun or has my cage-bedding displeased her? I just want her to be happy, and I feel like she is frustrated with me...
8. She has started jumping out of her pen, and I don't know how. She isn't very big, and I can barely climb over the fence I put up (and I'm 5'7"). I think she might be jumping on top of her cage (I leave the cage door open so she can nap in her cage and play outside of it when she wants) and from there to a sofa, but they aren't exactly close together. Exactly how high/far can bunnies jump, and how can I get her to stop? I'll come home and find her exploring places that she isn't supposed to be in (like the bathrooms with the cleaning supplies or my sister's room with the sea of electronics & musical equipment) and eating computer cables. We put up a baby gate, but she will either knock it over or yank on it with her teeth till it falls over, and then walk over it. The only thing that seems to stop her is a closed door that requires opposable thumbs to open.
9. When she gets into hyper, sprinting-like-a-comet mode, she will occasionally come over and try to push me over--she nudges me lightly, then with serious gusto. Then she hops away. After a few minutes she comes back, nudges, then hops away. She does this a few times and then gives up. I tried playing "follow the bunny" once, but she sprinted away and thumped her discontent, so I stopped, but that was before the nudging started. Has she decided that she wants to play now, or is Timmy trapped in the well? What exactly am I supposed to be doing?
if anyone can shed some light, I'd be incredibly grateful!
1. she isn't scared of the vacuum--this I just don't get. My dogs back home (my parent's house), the pitbull and labrador, will cower in fear and the pitbull apparently stalked and killed the roomba that my mom bought. Helena, though, will run from it at first, then come sit next to it and watch it go. If I detach the hose, she sits on the brush part! She also likes to jump on the roomba until it starts and then jump off. Is she just completely fearless, and should I be concerned by that...?
2. sometimes when she is tired (I presume), she will flop on her side head first. It looks like it must hurt but she does it a lot--she isn't injuring her head, is she?
3. do bunnies like music? she doesn't seem to care when I play my normal stuff when I'm working, but my sister played the Nyan cat song and Helena flipped out. Like, jumping in circles and doing sprints. I'm wondering now if my music annoys her, but I can't exactly ask...
4. She used to be very good with her litter-box, keeping her poo on one side and the hay on the other. Now she flings her hay around the whole thing and evenly distributes her poop. Is there a way to get her back to being normal? If not, that's fine, but it is harder to clean every day.
5. Sometimes I have to work late at the library or something--doing my undergrad thesis this year. I live with my sister, who works from home, so she won't ever be alone for a really long time, but I'm worried that she'll get distressed. I know bunnies have their routines, but she tends to give me the "it is time for you to pet/feed me, plebeian" attitude, so I'm also not sure if she'll actually care...
6. She doesn't seem to eat a lot of hay. I know that hay is supposed to be 80% of a bunny's diet so I always leave ample amount of it out, but I feel like I'm throwing out more than half of what I leave for her. I feed her about 1c of lettuce/greens in the morning and again at night, and about 1/4 c of pellets at night, which the vet and every book seems to think is best (she is 4.5 lbs). I've bought her basically every kind of hay available, but she would rather eat bits of paper and the cardboard hay-holder toys that I made her. I even left the giant bag of timothy hay on the floor for her to get at, and she just made a mess. I tried putting freeze-dried banana chip pieces in the hay, and she just rooted through it until she got them. Would she prefer it if I put ketchup on it...(just kidding)
7. I bought a fluffy paper-based bedding for her cage, which seemed to like for a few days and then she shoved it around her cage in a very disgruntled manner. When I cleaned her cage out last time, I didn't put in any bedding, just paper and some torn up old shirts of mine, and she just scratches at it. I know bunnies like to dig, but is she just digging for fun or has my cage-bedding displeased her? I just want her to be happy, and I feel like she is frustrated with me...
8. She has started jumping out of her pen, and I don't know how. She isn't very big, and I can barely climb over the fence I put up (and I'm 5'7"). I think she might be jumping on top of her cage (I leave the cage door open so she can nap in her cage and play outside of it when she wants) and from there to a sofa, but they aren't exactly close together. Exactly how high/far can bunnies jump, and how can I get her to stop? I'll come home and find her exploring places that she isn't supposed to be in (like the bathrooms with the cleaning supplies or my sister's room with the sea of electronics & musical equipment) and eating computer cables. We put up a baby gate, but she will either knock it over or yank on it with her teeth till it falls over, and then walk over it. The only thing that seems to stop her is a closed door that requires opposable thumbs to open.
9. When she gets into hyper, sprinting-like-a-comet mode, she will occasionally come over and try to push me over--she nudges me lightly, then with serious gusto. Then she hops away. After a few minutes she comes back, nudges, then hops away. She does this a few times and then gives up. I tried playing "follow the bunny" once, but she sprinted away and thumped her discontent, so I stopped, but that was before the nudging started. Has she decided that she wants to play now, or is Timmy trapped in the well? What exactly am I supposed to be doing?
if anyone can shed some light, I'd be incredibly grateful!
