I’m sorry for being a neurotic new bunny mummy, but we got Buckley 2 weeks ago from a pet shop, he is 16 weeks old and is a Netherlands Dwarf. Buckley must have been in the pet shop for 6 weeks
I’m trying to do everything for him that I should but he very rarely comes out his cage. He has a large cage in the kitchen which I open when I get home from work, the kitchen floor is slippery for him so I’ve used the base mat of an old child’s play pen as his rug for him to run on. I’m not sure if he has worked out that he is free to roam (the kitchen anyway), he looks like he is unable/unwilling to jump out of the cage so I use a box under the rug as a step and put spinach on it to encourage him out. Sometimes he puts his front paws on the box, takes the spinach and runs back in. He once came out and ran round the mat and did a binky, and I was soo excited, he then layed full stretch on the rug for a rest, he seemed to happy and content, but that was once, and ever since then, he won’t come out. I have put a small box of hay on the rug and he came out and then hopped into the box and stayed there munching until he decided he wanted to run back home.
He has licked the rug and as he’s on his own, I bought him a teddy friend, but he just ignores it.
When I can catch him to pick him up, he doesn’t scrabble as much as he use to and he lets me stroke him and brush him, I have no idea if he likes this or just tolerates me, but since Friday he will do anything to run away and now won’t let me pick him up, I haven’t pursued this as I don’t want to scare him. We have no other (big) animals in the house, we have a hamster and she has come out, but only in her ball and Buckley just ignores her.
I once managed to hand feed Buckley a piece of banana, he seemed quite content, ate about half and then hopped off. I can’t even coax him out with treats as he won’t take them. All he will eat is green veg (I admit I have only just started giving him veg, so he’s only had spinach and greens so far as I’m introducing one veg a week so i can keen an eye on his digestion).
I want to make Buckey happy, but it’s like he’s got a split personality, the one I got a glimpse of, the happy one that runs around, does a binky, lays sprawled out on the rug and takes food from my hand -v- the neurotic rabbit that won’t come out and would run at the sight of his own shadow! Unfortunately the happy bun is one that I only saw once, and I want him back!
What can I do? How can I make my bun happy? Sorry, I’ve never had an animal before (except hamsters) and I want to do the best by him.
Any advice will be grefully received.
Thanks and sorry for being neurotic x