Really appreciate some advice on my new rabbit

[Laurab]

Hi,

I was supposed to be getting 2 baby mini lops from a breeder but ended up with a gorgeous 5 month old lionhead ( i think) from pets at home a few days ago.
We’ve been in there a lot buying stuff and he was always in there lying down looking very depressed and i felt sorry for him.

We love him but i really need some advice…

pets at home said he’d been sold once but returned and they’ve been unable to sell him since, he’s a very confident, cheeky character but i don’t think he’s ever been handled…..

He will approach you and take food from your hand but the lightest sweep of a finger over him and he runs away as fast as his legs will take him.
He will now let us stroke him if he’s in a corner and we’re very slow but i worry that we’re stressing him out?
his ears dont go back, they stay upright but he bunches himself up in a little ball.
are we doing the right thing??
I want him to stop being scared and enjoy being petted, especially as we have a 4 year old who loves him and loves stroking him.

I’ve also noticed that when he runs round, sometimes, i can hear an occasional wheezy/grunty type noise.
it doesn’t happen often but i am concerned incase he’s sick??????

He doesn’t want to eat much hay or drink much water either, i’ve been giving him a little fruit for breakfast and a small amount of vegetables throughout the day to try and encourage him to eat more hay.
he eats a little but nowhere near his own body size which is the amount i thought was recommended?
i give him pellets at night time.

I am starting to get a little worried incase hes unwell, do you think he’s okay?

I saw a lot of bad reviews of pets at home online and have panicked myself a little, his nose isn’t runny, his eyes are nice and clear, shiny coat, its just the above that is concerning me!

[RabbitPam]

It sounds like you are giving him a great new home and just need to establish some basics.
First, I would say get him to a vet (an ‘exotics’, and check the links we have above or in other pinned posts on help finding the right vet in your area) for a basic checkup. He needs to get a clean bill of health, or you will want to let the pet store know that they sold you a sick bunny. I am not suggesting you return him, just might need to negotiate a refund of $ if he needed vet attention and that was why he was returned the first time.

That said, assuming he’s healthy (he sounds it), he will need a couple of weeks to explore his new home, his new family, and establish routines. Bunnies thrive on routine, so you want to give him the recommended basics of food (not body weight. Just about a cup of greens 2x daily, unlimited hay, and 1/4 cup pellets. Unlimited clean water, too.) Don’t change his food more than trying a new green once a week or more. Let him find what he likes and stick to it to get him comfortable with a steady digestion. He probably doesn’t eat the hay because he had those sweet treat things before, and you want him to learn to like good stuff.

I do want to caution you about limits with your 4 year old. It should be supervised sessions with him. A little child doesn’t know how to pet gently and not to try something if on their own, but can do very well if you have little short bonding sessions among the three of you.

Also, his habitat is his safe place – it’s never a cage to him. He will go there for security and explore his way out slowly. That includes exploring you. Bunnies don’t like to be held usually or for long, so just sit on the floor with him and read or watch TV and ignore him. Hide a small treat in your hand or pocket. He will get curious and come over to you, where he will enjoy being petted by you more. You will see his behavior become more relaxed soon, but more like in weeks than in days. He will soon learn that you are the source of food, comfort, and companionship. You’ll see him blossom.

[Velvet]

Also, I have a 3yo Jersey Wooly we just had her spayed Jan 16th. She is a lot more human friendly since. Still shy, but, not as skittish. I think the hormone change calmed her down. Don’t expect a bunny to be like a cat and love to be petted, it will take a long time to build trust. My 2yo grandson can walk right up and pet her, but, adults, no way, and I’m about the only adult who can get close enough to pick her up. Rabbits are skittish, but, give em time, be nice, and he’ll come around.

 

Oh, and Velvet will growl, and grunt if scared, but, she’s never tried to bite anyone, AND her and our 8yo female cat are in love, although both are spayed, they are best buds!

[Laurab]

Thank you for your responses, the pet staff told us he was returned due to ‘not settling in’, whether this is true or not i dont know.

Hmm, shall i stop giving him fruit for breakfast to try and get him eating more hay?

my son is never ever left unsupervised with him

I’m a bit disappointed to hear they dont love to be petted, i had a rabbit as a child and he loved to be picked up and cuddled, i used to take him for rides in the basket of my bicycle hahahaha.
are most rabbits not like this?

he doesn’t make the noise in response to being touched or anything scary, he makes it when he’s happily running round.
i’ve never heard him growl, its a strange sort of wheezy grunty noise.
not a lot, only occasionally when hes running round.

[DUSTBUNNY-CLYDE]

My lionheads were timid also. I just sat on the floor and they eventually would come up and jump in my lap. I just repeated come here, wanna treat and now they come running now. It took a while, a lot of patience. I also brushed them every day, played with their feet, then gave them a treat, to get used of brushing and being handled. I also put them in my small bathroom so they had to run over me. when I gave them too much space, they would avoid me. getting your bunny fixed will probably help with hormones too.

[Stickerbunny]

Rabbits personalities vary. My Powder is very cuddly and will lay down in the bed, or the floor and be petted for hours if your arm doesn’t get tired before then. He’ll take kisses on top of the head, just don’t touch his mouth / tummy/back legs and he’s fine pretty much. Though he still doesn’t like being held, but that is normal for bunnies since they are prey animals. Stickers however, is skittish and won’t let me touch her 95% of the time, she’d rather I lay on the floor and ignore her so she can crawl over me. What your bun prefers will take time to learn and you just kinda have to accept them for who they are.

[Snowytoshi]

Posted By Laurab on 02/09/2013 01:48 PM

Hmm, shall i stop giving him fruit for breakfast to try and get him eating more hay? 

Rabbits don’t need fruit in their diets because of the high sugar content. You can give it to him as a small treat, but he certainly doesn’t need it for breakfast!What kind of vegetables are you feeding him? Rabbits should have about one cup of vegetables per four pounds of body weight, hay 24/7, and about 1/8 cup of pellets.

[Laurab]

Oh dear, i thought a little fruit was good for them
He only gets a little bit, maybe a tablespoon or so of mango or something and 2 or 3 grapes.

i’ve only had him for a few days so he hasn’t had a huge variety yet as i don’t want to give him tummy trouble but so far he has had watercress, carrots and parsnips.
i’ve bought some rocket and pea shoots for him to try today and eventually i was planning to introduce him to everything except tomatoes and potato so he’d have some salady type leaves plus some herbs and some sweeter veg like carrots and peas everyday?

He does have hay 24/7 he just doesn’t eat a huge amount of it, he doesn’t drink much water either but its always there for him.

I give him a handful or two of pellets at night.

[Snowytoshi]

Grapes are very high in sugar, so he should only have half at a time and then no other treats. We give our rabbits bits of fruits from time to time, but only a very tiny amount.

Here is a link from the RWAF that lists what foods are safe: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/safefoods.htm

[Laurab]

The list is very helpful so thank you and i will cut right down on his fruit.

Could I also ask, he is very confident but nervous about being touched and people.
He likes to try and pull up a specific patch of my carpet and everytime my husband tells him off and gives him a chew toy first he ignores him then he thumps at him.
Is he doing this because he’s scared or is he having a tantrum because we wont let him rip the carpet….?

[Snowytoshi]

When he thumps does he seem panicked; are his ears up, how is his breathing? Some rabbits do thump if their owners or directing them somewhere else because you disrupted part of a routine that to them seems normal.

Also have you tried putting anything on top of that patch of carpet? We redirect our rabbits by offering them a blanket to dig at and if there is a specific spot we put a box on it, so they can chew and dig in that.

[Laurab]

No not really, sometimes they go a little back but i’ve never seen him put his ears flat back against his head in the time we’ve had him.
The only time i notice his breathing a bit fast and loud is when we pick him up to take him to bed.
He thumps then either hops off somewhere else or sits in the corner not moving for a while.

we put his bed there (its a wicker basket filled with cushions and blankets so he likes to chew and mess about in it) but then he just tries to pull up the bit of carpet next to it!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I want to first say congrats on your new bunny. He sounds like he just needs some time to settle in. I got my Olivia from a similar situation: she was at a pet store and I felt sorry for her, they said she was bought and returned. It took well over a year for her to bond with me and enjoy being pet. A lot of bunnies do enjoy being pet but it has to be on their terms. Both my bunnies love to be pet and hugged, as long as I’m on the floor and I leave them on the floor. It often takes a long time for a bunny to be this bonded with their human. You have to remember, you have no idea how he was treated in that other home. If they returned him so easily, they certainly were not a loving and patient home.

I ditto, Pam that you should get him in for a vet checkup when you can.

If you haven’t already, there is lots of great advice for new bunny owners here on the BB site in the Bunny Info section.

[Author]

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