Teaching a Former Show Bunny to be a Normal Rabbit

[hokankai]

I recently adopted a 1.5 year old holland lop buck from a breeder who was kept in breeder cages his whole life. He's been turned into a house rabbit and doesn't quite know what to do with himself. He's now in a 4'x4' solid bottom cage with a second level rather than a 24"x24" wire bottom cage.

So I have a few questions:

How do I help him open up to me and get him to be more curious about his surroundings? He's been exploring his cage but always retreats to his mat and doesn't have any desire to explore the rest of the rabbit room.

How do I train him to explore the second level?

I'm not sure if these things will just take time as I've only had him for a few days so I thought I'd ask

Here's a pic of my little Theodore. He's being neutered today!

 

[ZRabbits]

He's a sweetie. And it will take time for him to settle in, being he's only been with you for a few days. Once he's settled in and feels a little more himself, then I think he will start to explore.

Just give him time. Talk to him. Sit by his crate and read to him. Let him make the moves. Just be there for support right now. And this will give you time to find out his personality.

He's a lucky retired show bunny to find his way to you. Wishing you all the luck with this sweetie. Good Luck with the neutering. Remember it will take some time for him to adjust from that as well.

K

 

[hokankai]

Ok great, I won't worry about it then . I've been resisting picking him up (he's very calm and will just sit in your arms/let you flip him over) but my roommate kind of sabotaged that by picking him up and putting him on the second level when he didn't know how to get back down, poor guy. I've been giving him pellets from my hand and he's already started associating the cup rattling and me calling him to dinner time.

Also, what should I expect post-neuter? The breeder was worried his activity level would decrease dramatically because he's already a pretty low-energy rabbit...but is that true? He ALMOST came all of the way out of his cage today too, but then I had to pack him up for the neuter so I'm going to have to start from scratch -_-

 

[ZRabbits]

Post neutering for my boys was three days of quiet time to themselves and then after that back to a regular routine. In about two weeks you will see the change. If he's low key, like my Dobby, he will be a wonderful bunny. Dobby now is so good outside his crate that he's the one that gets extra time out. He is low key in his crate but out of it he gets lots of exercise.

Since you just got your boy, don't worry about losing ground. When he comes home, start like you just got him. He will remember your smell but don't be upset if he doesn't want to have anything to do with you for the first couple of days. This will pass. Again, spend time with him, talk to him, feed him pellets out of your hand. Let him make the moves after the neutering. Just like you would if you first got him.

Remember, it takes time and patience with any bunny. No matter how old they are, or what they have gone through. Once the neutering is over, you can start fresh with your sweetie.

Please keep us posted on how it all goes. Boys heal faster than girls so in three days he should start feeling like himself again. Wishing you all the luck with your new bunny. Those laid back boys are really nice to have around. I should know. My Dobby is one of those laid back bunnies.

K

 

[hokankai]

Thanks! I feel much better and know what to expect. I'll just take cues from him and start doing my homework next to his cage.

I'll let you know how the healing process is going! I hope he did ok.

 

[toyabrooke]

When my Poe got fixed he was very tired the first day afterwards. He mostly just layed around next to me. The night after the operation though he was back to his normal self (which wasn't so good for his stitches), jumping around and being curious and exploring. He will get his stitches out in a few days and it will all finally be over for him!

In regards to your cute little bunny not being too keen on exploring things, I would take that as a good sign. It means he is taking the time to get use to things a little bit at a time so it isn't all a huge shock for him. When we got Poe, he was quite during the day we got him but then at night he decided to explore everything at once and he got overwhelmed and very aggressive and dominant. Because of that, even though he is only 4 months old, his hormones went into over drive and he had to be fixed immediately. I definitely would have rathered him be scared and timid for the first week or so rather than take over our study!

That in mind though, we have had him almost a month and he is sweet angle most of the time who loves to lay next to me while I study and munch on Bamboo on my lap. They all come around eventually with some time.

I'm so glad you can give this little bunny a happy life after his show days. I'm sure it will be a lovely vacation for him!

T

 

[LakeCondo]

He'll eventually come around. The 2nd level might come after he's comfortable with the rest of his area. After a couple more weeks you could slowly move the food bowl & water further apart, so that he'll associate more of his space with good things. And holding a treat in front of his nose & moving it up the incline [or whatever] is a good way to get him outside his comfort level.

 

[MiniLopHop]

Becky came from an abuse situation where she was extremely confined. When I first got her she couldn't hop or periscope. It took a while for her to build the courage to explore. She only really used a 6 foot square area of the room for about a year. When Gary became her husbunny she would follow him all over. Now she uses the whole room, but still likes her "home base" the best.

Neither of my boys were made lazy in any way by their neuters. Other than the spraying and humping coming to an end, thank goodness, nothing else about their personalities changed. The first two days they were a little slower and grumpier, but then back to normal.

Your new baby is super cute. Have fun spoiling him

 

[hokankai]

I brought Theodore home from his neuter and he seemed to be VERY happy to see me and get away from the breeder's house. She has a 2 year old who pesters any animal that's in the house, and even tried to grab him by the scruff when I was there! Poor buddy. She said he was very jumpy but when I went to pick him up out of the travel cage he was perfectly still and calm. I think he's happy to be in his big cage again

He's also eating his greens so that's a good sign right? She showed me the incisions and there wasn't any inflammation, but I'll check him in a couple days to see how he's doing. I want to leave him alone for now and let him recover. He's not tired at all though, but then again it's been 24 hours already.

 

[ZRabbits]

He's eating, he's happy to see you and his crate. They are ALL good signs.

So glad everything went well.

K

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Don't have anything to add to what's already been said. Time and patience, and such a little cutie pie!