Rabbit problem

[paulhilgeman]

Hi, I have just recently purchased a rabbit from afarm. It is a dutch-lop mix. I have noticed thatwhen I let him out of his cage to run around, he twitches alot. Sometimes, he does this when he runs, and he shakes hishead a lot, almost like he is shaking something off. Othertimes, he will be sitting still and it will happen. It's likehe jumps and twitches at the same time. He even gets about afoot off the ground. Has anyone else seen this? Ihave had 2 before this one and have never seen it. Thanks!

 

[CutieOnTwo]

I recently adopted a bunny and Pepper does thatsometimes too...I think its because she is happy to be out of her cageand able to have some fun with me and in house or backyard

 

[paulhilgeman]

Thanks for writing back. I just called avet. It is called a Happy Rabbit Hop, and is perfectly normalfor a young rabbit after they get out of their cage.

 

[Carolyn]

Welcome PaulHilgeman,

That behavior is called a Binky. There is a website that you might findof interest as well. I keep it bookmarked myself and find it to be themost comprehensive on rabbit behavior that I've found to date. I'dsuggest you read the page called "Yippee Skippee!" and "Did you sayBinky?" They have little videos in there and I like the way theydescribe the behavior.http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk_intro.html

If your rabbit is flicking its ears and scratching a lot, that could bea sign of ear or fur mites. It's probably just binkies though becauseyou didn't describe scratching, I just thought I'd mention it. Evidenceof ear mites or fur mites would come in the form of dandruff (furmites), or a dark crusty area in or on the ears, frequent head shakingand scratching.

-Carolyn

 

[paulhilgeman]

That is exactly what it is!!!!

I have one more question. My rabbit loves to be held by me,and will tolerate being held for almost a minute. He willsometimes jump up on the couch with me, and will always come over to mewhen I am sitting on the floor. With my husband, he willnibble at his finger when my husband tries to pet him. Whenmy husband picks him up, he instantly tries to kick and squirm.

Our bunny is about 3 months old and we have had him for aweek. He is really nice and sweet, really curious andenergetic.

Unfortunately he really likes to chew any wire he can get his hands onand has taken a few bites out of furniture. I am guessingpart of his hyperness and lack of interest in us is due to the factthat he is so young.

Do these behaviours go away, and are there any tips on making friends with him?

That website was really helpful.

 

[Carolyn]

Ask as many questions as you wish. That's how we all learn from each other here.

Wires are the biggest danger. Rabbits love chewing on them and manyelectricute themselves if not carefully supervised and the house is notbunnyproofed.

For now, I'd keep the little guy in one room, get him littertrained andused to that room, and the you can open up another room if you wish.Many people start in the kitchen, but the floors are hard on rabbitsbecause they slip and slide. Beware of wallpaper too. Rabbits love thetaste to the glue.

All wires should be out of reach or somehow protected from the roomthat the rabbit is allowed to play in. Usually a hard plastic wirecovering is recommended, but even still, Buck Jones's rabbit has to bewatched not to chew that. She unfortunately at one point chewed a wirecovering and ingested the foam. $1,000 later, she returned to normalhealth.

Distraction is the key and catching things as they happen iseverything. Distract your rabbit with pieces of hardwood (like a fruittree wood) so that they can chew on it to keep their continuallygrowing teeth filed down. A necessary health requirement for a rabbitis to keep those teeth and nails from growing too long. Toys such ascat toys, baby rattles, a Slinky, timothy hay for the digestive system,healthy teeth, and fun is always good too.

I'm sorry if I'm rambling. Sometimes I just go too far in my answers,but I'm just trying to be thorough. I've done this before only to findout that the person knew all this information.

-Carolyn

 

[Buck Jones]

Closer to $2,000.00, I wish I could LOL, Carolyn.Actually, I had covered the wire with an inexpensive foam pipeinsulation because I did not want to spend the money for hard plasticcovering(Radio Shack @ $5.00 perfive foot section).The rabbit, Missy, ended up eating the insulation, necessitatinggastric surgery. The episode was a perfect example of,penny wise, dollar foolish.

Some behaviors can be reduced by neutering your buck, paulhilgeman,which is recommended for health and longevity considerations, aswell. It is strongly recommended that all unbred pet rabbitsbe neutered. It invariably makes for a better, and happier,pet.

Buck

 

[Carolyn]

And that rabbit is Missy, the rabbit under Buck Jones' name. That picture was taken of her a week ago.

She survived when the odds were stacked up against her. She's really unbelieveable.

-Carolyn

 

[Rhonda]

Paulhilgeman

I have two buns and they both exhibit this wonderful behavior and sodid my 1st bunny 20 years ago. this is generally done around hereshortly after they are allowed out of confinement. They will sometimesjust be relaxing and then realize that the world around them ispeaceful and wonderful and all about bunnies.

I believe this is intense joy being exhibited.

Rhonda