Scared Rabbit

[Porpy]

Hi,

I've not had rabbits since I was a kid and my Fiance and I decided toget a house rabbit. We got her on Friday she's an eight week old dwarflop. I've got her a cage 2ft/2ft/4ft and she has the run of the kitchenbut I've opened the cage door so she can retreat there if she likes.I've got a couple of problems: i) she's not using the litter trays butpooping everywhere in the cage. ii) if i leave her alone she playshappily in the kitchen but if i enter the room she hides in the cage.Ive tried sitting in the room with her quietly but she either refusesto come out or if i move at all runs back in. iii) At one end of thecage ive made a bed with deeper bedding and a sheltered bit and theother is the litter tray, I think shes sleeping in the litter tray andlast night was -5'c so im not sure ifshe's warm enoughalthough she is indoors.

Should a get her a bunny buddie? Would that help?

Any advise greatly recieved!

Ta

 

[Pipp]

She'll poop everywhere for awhile if she's ababy or if she's in new surroundings and needs to mark her territory --in your case both.

If you've only had her a couple of days, it will just take morepatience and just more of doing what you're doing - sitting quietlywith her, letting her come out on her own and learn that you're herfriend. Babies can't have many treats (and neither canadults, actually), but I find that feeding them single flakes of oatsis a great treat and don't add up to much, and limited amounts areokay.So 10 flakes ofoats will go a longway towardsmaking friends.

Bunnies like a lot of company, so she'd probably love a companion, butif you're able to spend a lot of time with her,she'llconsider you her mate. But that means spending LOTS of timewith her.Otherwise I'd think about getting her afriend, mine ended up so much happier.

Be prepared to find that she'll stop using her litter box again whenshe's around six months old and hitting puberty. She mightget pretty cranky and hyper, too, but it's just hormones.When that happens, getting her spayed shouldhelpconsiderably.

Congrats on your new addition! Love to see some pics.



PS: I've oftenlet mine figure out where they would like topoop and pee, and that's where I put the litter box. I alsohave a hay box, and several like to sit in the hay box and munch andpoop and pee, so sometimes I'll move the hay to the litterbox... sort of like a bunny bathroommagazine. Or I'll turn the hay box into a litterbox, or combine the two.

sas and the gang :bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[JadeIcing]

Hi! Welcome!

Alicia, the rabbits: Ringo,Samantha,Connor,Teresa,Dallas,Elvis, Foster Bun SweetPea,and the rest of the zoo crew.

 

[NZminilops]

sas has coverd everything I would have said :yeahthat

I'm still trying to get my 3 rabbits to that comfortable point with meand I've had them for a while now, so I can really sympathise. I thinkyou'll do great though and your bunny will trust you soon enough. She'sstill young so has plenty of time to adjust to you.

Good luck! Does she have a name? If she doesn't then we are all very good at coming up with some interesting names :idea

Michelle:brownbunny

 

[Porpy]

Thanks for the help.The two names thathave stuck so far are bunny (not very imaginative) or tigger. Thismorning she was a little better and eat bits from my hand but stillwouldnt let me stroke her. Should I just pick her up andfeedher or am I better not handling her if she doesnt want tobe handled? I'll try and get some photos.

 

[maherwoman]

Hi! Welcome to the site!

I'm going to go ahead and move this thread to the Rabbits Only section,where it'll get noticed more, and get more replies.

But, feel absolutely free to post another Hello post here in the Introductions section!

Hugs!

Rosie*

P.S. I can't wait to hear all about your baby!! She sounds so cute!

 

[aurora369]

I would continue to hand feed, and get her used to you before trying to pick up.

I personally try to get all my rabbits used to being pickedup. You can start when she's comfortable enough to run aroundand crawl on you. Just pick her up really quick, straight toyour chest so she's got something firm beneath her feet. Andlet her go as soon as she wants to. Eventually she'll getused to it.

All my guys are pretty lax about being picked up, but I took it slow.

Just keep being around your baby, and having her associate you withgood things. You can try to very gently rub the top of herhead or her back when she's eating a treat. That will getthings going sometimes.

Then once she realizes that petting feels good, she should start begging for it!

--Dawn

 

[Leveret]

When I got Bonnie at 12 months old, she was veryhand shy due to some thoughtless handling from her previous owner, whousually picked her up by the scruff of the neck. I tried everything Icould think of to try to get her used to being touched, but couldn'tget past her forehead. She wouldn't let me touch her anywhere behindher ears.

In the end, I did about 3 weeks of clicker training in super shortsessions, about one a day. It worked wonders and broke through thatfinal wall she had. She now lets me practically pin her to the groundwhile I'm brushing and pulling out her loose hair. Sometimes I feelamazed all over again to know that just a few months ago she wouldn'tlet me anywhere near her ears, let alone lying down all relaxed while Icombed her coat out all over. She's extended a similar courtesy toothers as well, and now she lets just about anyone pat her, althoughsometimes she requires that they bring an offering of craisins first.

 

[Porpy]

Hello,

Thanks for all the advice... We've had a bit of a break through. I'vebeen feeding her bits by hand and trying to stroke her, even though shedidn't like it, then on Wednesday night she started trying to sit onthe sofa with us and allowed us to stroke her. Now we can stroke her orrub her head and she seems quite happy. She has started sniffing andlicking us and she'll sniff and lick my hand and fingers and then bitemy fingers when she gets to my finger nails. Is this because she'strying to clean me or is she seeing if she can eat me or does anyonehave any other ideas. Also she doesnt seem impressed with normal petshop rabbit toys does anyone have any tips?

Thanks,

x

 

[aurora369]

All the bunnies I've met will attempt to bite my finger nails or rings on my fingers.

She's trying to groom you, and probably thinks your finger nails are something stuck in your fur that needs to come out...

You can try some empty toilet paper rolls stuffed with hay, empty paperbags (stuffed or unstuffed), card board boxes, old phonebooks. My buns really enjoy something they can pick up andtoss.

--Dawn

 

[another_rabbit]

....

 

[Starina]

I have an only rabbit. She has bonded to me, butit took a while. I have never had arabbitbefor herandthought for a long time that she didn't like me. I wouldsit on the floor near her cage and just watch TV, with her door open.She didn't seem to want anything to do with me. She eventually warmedup to me where I could pet her. That's when I made my move, I startedrubbing her ears and that put her over the edge. She started licking myleg and this went on for about 15 minutes straight! We have been bestbuddies ever since, she even comes out and after a "makeout" sessionshe flops on the floor right against me.

Just be patient with your bunny. When you are sitting in the same room,mess with something noisy, like some paper and totally ignore her, shewill get curious and want to know what you are doing. Bunnies are socurious, my rabbit has to stick her head in any box I put on the floor.She runs right up and sticks her head in it.

My rabbit also like to sleep in her litterbox at first. I gave her abig one at first, so it took up alot of room, so I can't blame her. Shehas a small corner one now, so she can stretch out in her cage. Is shepeeing in her litterbox? Poop isn't that big of a deal, they do leaveit around as a "that's mine" statement. Pee is the stinky one, and theone you want to catch in the litterbox. She should be peeing in onecorner of the cage, put the litterbox in that corner, and she'll getit. Maybe put some soiled bedding in the box to give her a hint of whatshe is supposed to do.

Good Luck, don't let her aloof attitude discourage you. She'll warm up to you.

~Star~

PS. My bunny doesn't like tile floors, she will run from area rug to area rug.