Very strange

[rebeccalyn7]

Smokey is a year old flop,
And we put her in the grass and she freaks out and runs out straight onto the stairs.
We have 4 stairs to get to our sliding door and she just bolts off the grass straight to the stairs...
What's up with that? I've never known a rabbit to run off grass onto stairs?


Sent from my iPad using Rabbit Forum

 

[Azerane]

It sounds to me like she's scared, as to what's causing it, being in a strange environment can often do that, but I get the feeling she may be feeling too exposed on the lawn, so she goes to the stairs which are against the house and offer some protection. If you want to keep trying to put her on the lawn, perhaps put down a box or similar for shelter before you bring her out, it might help her to feel safer if she has a place she can bolt to.

 

[Zaiya]

Like what Azerane said, she could be afraid of predators and feels that the open grass offers no protection. How well is she bonded to you? You could sit down with her and make her feel safer, like you're her safe spot. If she doesn't trust you much, you can provide some other shelter for her.

 

[ctinvt2010]

have you tried getting one of the dog pens for out doors and put a blanket over it? thats what i have to do with my Cadbury when he is out

 

[BunnyL0ve]

Chuchu was soooooooooooooooooo scared of being outside. I decided that I would let HIM decide when he wanted out. I would leave my back door open everyday with me standing outside and see how he was feeling that day. I always had something he liked with me, dill, mint, romaine, something. It took about a week, but now even if hears the back door open he bolts to it and hops right outside! So i pretty much left it up to him and his comfort zone.

 

[Chrisdoc]

I think it´s all that open space that he´s not used too and feels vulnerable. I remember I once took Houdini into the corridor outside my apartment and put him down and he jumped straight back into my arms. When I let mine out on the balcony even though it´s not a massive space, they still have a small open cage out there which is covered which they can hide in if they hear any strange noises. Put a few things out there he can run and hide in if he gets scared and stay close to him until he gets used to it. I love seeing them outdoor but I´m sure it can be scary for them the first few times.

 

[PaGal]

He could be reacting to the grass as well. I have seen video of dogs kept in cages at puppy mills that freak when placed in the grass because they have never been on it. I also know that when I would take our kittens out in the yard when they were younger, if I sat down with them on my lap they would stay there or if I set them in the grass then they would run over and stand on my feet because they were not used to the grass and were afraid.

Give your bun time. Maybe not just put a box or such for him to hide in if scared but also put down a blanket or piece of cardboard to place him on and let him venture off when he chooses once his curiosity kicks in.

 

[chorxley]

When Mookie was little she hated grass... the backyard was half concrete and half grass, she would explore all around the concrete and loved it but would not put a foot on the grass.. i could not work out why she didn't like it.. one day i sat just on the grass with her on my lap trying to get her used to it, she wouldn't have a bar of it. the second i leant back on my arms she ran up to my shoulder and jumped down my arm to the concrete.. i kept trying i sat on a towel and she would go on that, eventually she started standing on the cornete eating the grass and then in the end just decided that she liked it, now it hard to keep her off it haha

 

[Callaway]

Cally sat in the cardboard box I gave him to hide in the day I tried to let him enjoy grass. Lol. It's just a weird texture if they've never felt it. Human children react the same way lol. It's something new and takes time to get used to. He eventually began to lay half in the box and kept inching out onto the grass.


Sent from my iPhone using Rabbit Forum

 

[rebeccalyn7]

I've had her uncover in the run for a week now, next week I will try putting the run outside with her box and tunnel. She seems to be okay, just gets aggressive when you try and pick her up.


Sent from my iPad using Rabbit Forum