New bunny, still wouldn’t come out of cage after 2 weeks

[Eric5621]

Ok, so I am a new bunny owner but I been reading a lot about bunny since I got Avery. I know bunnies don’t like to be held or cuddle or anything like that. But it’s been two weeks and my bunny still refused to come out of her cage. This becomes a problem when I need to clean her cage. Just today I got frustrated and picked my bunny up and moved her into a box. She was so scared so stayed in the corner and looked at me with fear the entire time. I had to keep giving her treats today just so she wouldn’t be too mad at me.

This is what I tried so far, I tried giving her treats near the door but she would just grab the treat with surprising force and went back into her cage. I tried building her a bunny ramp so she would come out easier. I tried leaving food at the door. 

Basically i am stuck, I know I wouldn’t be able to hold her for a while but I do want to clean her cage twice a week. Please help me out here. How do I get her to come out of her cage???

Background information on bunny.

Age: 4

Sex: F

The last owner had to give her up because there are dogs in the house who was aggressive to her. 

[MelanieH]

Many people are under the assumption that rabbits are unfriendly and antisocial. And they do end up that way if they are not given any attention. Rabbits that are given a lot of attention and are let out a lot are very friendly and affectionate.

It is a bit more difficult for you because she is 4 and already has been around a different family, but I’m sure this can be changed. Put her cage in an area of the house that has high traffic, like a living room. Leave her cage door open when you are in the room so that she can come out on her own without you trying to coax her out. You can try taking her out of the cage as well, just make sure you don’t stress her out if she doesn’t want to come out.

She just needs to get used to being around people, so pick her up, put her on the couch with you, talk to her, etc. She just needs to know that she can trust you, and once she does then she will be a lot more social and friendly.

[Eric5621]

well, taking her out of her cage is not an opinion. I tried that twice and both times she ignore me for like a day. she also has this fear on her face that makes me feel guilty taking her out at all.

She is in the same room with me and we see each other everyday. I just don’t know what to do next time i need to change her litter box and clean her cage. Should I do it with her in it?

[Flopsie]

well sounds like she is fearful of coming out due to her previous experiences with the aggressive dogs. I think we can understand that if there is a history an aggressive dog behavior that has occurred outside the cage, then it makes sense for her to stay in it to be safe.

The good news is that this can change. She needs to build trust and understand that she won’t be harmed when she is outside the cage. Over time, she will learn and she will come out and show affection towards you.

The bad news is that this might take time. How long depends on circumstances but it won’t happen overnight.

The best thing to do is to not force her out and let her come out on her own will, if she wants to go back in, allow her to do so at her own freedom. Try to avoid picking her up because that may negatively impact her experience with you.

In terms of cage cleaning, I don’t know, I’ll leave that to the more experienced posters to give feedback

[litheandgraphic]

Unfortunately due to the nature of her previous life, it will take some time for her to fully trust you.

Maybe you should try leaving her to her own devices for some time. Try placing some treats outside the cage where she can’t reach them without going outside, but aren’t too far either. Then leave the room (if it’s bunny-proofed, or you could bunny proof beforehand). Give it some time, maybe 20-30 minutes, and then come back and do not approach the cage. Sit down away from her. Notice if the treats are gone or still there. If they’re still there, leave and come back later. If they’re gone, then repeat this exercise a few times. Use some healthy treats like cilantro or a green she likes so as not to inadvertently make her unhealthy.

Allow her to do things on her own time is going to be the key here. I wouldn’t clean her cage with her in it – this will make her think that she will never be safe, and she may actually attack you.

Another thing you might try is attaching an x-pen or pen of some sort right outside her cage and placing some treats in there. She may feel more secure if she knows there’s some type of barrier between you and her. You can do the treats-and-leave exercise with the x-pen as well. Eventually, if she takes to this, you may remove the extra x-pen.

If none of this is working, then you may NEED to take her out by force, but let her hide somewhere – provide her with some sort of hide like a box where she can go and feel safe. Spend a lot of time in the room with her, but IGNORE her. This will make her feel more at ease with you.

Also, is she spayed yet? If not, I highly recommend you do this both for her behavior and for her health.

Once you get her spayed and once she feels more comfortable in her new home, something you may also want to consider is bonding her with and adopting another rabbit. She may need a bunny friend to make her feel more at ease.

[Eric5621]

thanks everyone for their feedback. I will try to be even more patient from now on. I think i hate cleaning her cages now just as much as she does…

[litheandgraphic]

Let us know how it goes!

[Eric5621]

ok, so i tried leaving food at the cage door but she wouldn’t go near it. However, when I call her name she would come and take it out of my hand at the cage door, take it back to the litter box and eat it there. 

So now I am only feeding her food at the cage door. hopefully she will come out more and more because of this

[Bam]

My bunny Bam whose age I don’t know more or less sat under a table for a year when I first got him. I found him in the woods one day, so I’ve no idea what his previous experiences with people had been. I guess he’d been sitting in a cage and not been allowed out much, so when he got the freedom to roam, he didn’t know how or why etc. In the woods where I found him he just sat, so he was easy to pick up.

Well, a whole year went by before Bam would socialize in any active manner. Then he started to get the idea and developed social skills rather quickly, from zero to at least 50 in a month or so. Then he just kept developing into the perfect house bun.

My point is: previous experiences may affect a bunny for a very long time after its life-circumstances have changed. So don’t give up, be patient, be friendly and don’t lose faith. And thank you for taking this bunny in, she needs you!

 

Editr: You posted before I did. I see you are already making progress! Thumbs up!!!It’s quite common that bunnies take food/treats you give them and run away with them as if otherwise you’d snatch the snack back or sth. My rabbits still do this with special treats like apple-slices.

[litheandgraphic]

Posted By Eric5621 on 10/01/2014 3:24 AM

ok, so i tried leaving food at the cage door but she wouldn’t go near it. However, when I call her name she would come and take it out of my hand at the cage door, take it back to the litter box and eat it there. 

So now I am only feeding her food at the cage door. hopefully she will come out more and more because of this

Excellent! You could also try slowly backing up each time you offer her the treat, to see if she will be coaxed into venturing out further.

[Author]

Messages