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BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum BEHAVIOR New Bunny!

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    • Little Lion Head
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        Hello! My husband and I just rescued a cute Little Lion Head from the Humane Society last week. We are second-time bunny owners (our sweet Boston passed away a few years ago), so I would like to think we know what we are doing. I was a member of Binky Bunny back then (my username then was Allenj1) so I learned a TON as we went along. We went into it this time feeling like we made an educated decision. However, we just can’t figure this little girl out! 

        Pumpkin’s previous owner said she was an “Eager Explorer” and that she loved being out of cage checking things out. The Pumpkin we know seems terrified to leave her cage and every little noise scares her. She does LOVE to be petted and snuggled and really doesn’t mind being picked up. I don’t like to do it though b/c I want her to feel safe and at home. I hate having to reach into her cage to pet her (but when I do, she just melts!).

        Pumpkin has her own room (we just bought a house and it’s just me, my husband, and Pumpkin) with her cage and boxes to hide in and behind. We’ve tried opening her cage and just sitting in her room to see if she will come out. She’s not food motivated like Boston was–we can coax her about halfway out with pellets or papaya but she won’t let those back leaves leave the cage floor. She seems to wait until we leave to come out of her cage. She’s also not litter box trained yet, but we have a box in her cage and in the bedroom. I think we made the mistake of giving her free range of the whole house the first couple days, but we’ve reigned it back to just her room until she get comfortable and gets potty trained. We keep her in the cage while we aren’t home.

        Any other pointers from the experts out there? We are really looking forward to her feeling safe enough to venture out of her room on her own and join us in the living room. The couple of times we have had her out of her room, we have had to carry her into the living room b/c she wouldn’t leave her room. Once in the living room she flopped out, meatloafed, and got cozy. She also ran in circles, binkied, and jumped up on the couch. Once in the living room, she won’t cross the threshold into the rest of the house either. 

        I’m not sure what kind of life she had before, but I think it was loud and she was caged a lot (just judging by her jumpiness and desire to stay in her cage). Any advice to help us be patient is appreciated!


      • kathybunny
        Participant
        57 posts Send Private Message

          The shelter could have been terrifying! so loud there usually


        • JackRabbit
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            Just give her time. Sit in her room so she can get used to you and check you out when she’s ready. I’ve found that just laying face down on the floor, even with a book or my phone, and ignoring a new bunny seems to be less intimidating and seems to scream human jungle gym!


          • jerseygirl
            Moderator
            22338 posts Send Private Message

              Ahhh! Justina, I am so thrilled to see you back here at BB!!! Ive often wondered after you and Boston. Im sad to hear she has passed on but I suppose a lot of time has passed since you were last here. Wish they could live forever… I will “send a message” to Jersey to go find Boston so they can hang out.

              Congratulations on becoming parents to this adorable new bun!! She is completely cute! I bet you fell for her fast!


            • jerseygirl
              Moderator
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                Lol. Sorry for my lack of advice. Only just realised this thread is in Behaviour. I thought it was in Intro and well… got distracted by fact you were back here with a new bunny!
                Mmm… What sort of flooring is outside her cage? Also, is there a ramp of some sort to come out? One thing you could try is attach a tunnel to the door of her cage so she can venture further with a feeling of safety. Perhaps she is just overwhelmed at the moment by the larger space outside of her safe zone??


              • Little Lion Head
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                  It’s been fun to see so many familiar names and bunnies, Jersey! Unfortunately after everything we went through with Boston she passed away when she was about 3 1/2–she had nodes all over her brain, liver, and heart. I was heart-broken (still kind of am!) so it took awhile to get a new bun. Actually, we went to the Humane Society to look at dogs (b/c we just bought a house), but I saw this sweetie and she stole my heart It’s so good to be back w/ all the other Binky Bunny-ers!

                  I’m sure Boston and Jersey are having a blast together!


                • MimzMum
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                    Oh my gosh, Justina I am so very happy to see you again!
                    (Thank you so much for the linkie, Kate!)
                    First off, may I add my condolences on the loss of Boston. :'( She was such a sweetie and I know you both doted on her so much. It is so hard to lose them and like Jerz, I wish they could live forever. (((((((Huge hugs)))))) to you and Binky free Bosty. xx

                    Second…oh my…how cute is Pumpkin! She looks just like my Pip. Sisters from another mister! xD I agree with others who’ve said it’s best to let bunny come to you, given plenty of opportunity and safe flooring and (at first) a bit of limited space so they don’t feel overwhelmed and she will come around. Honestly though I have my three still that although they have good space to move about, are now in their senior years and would rather just stick to one corner of the xpen or other habitat. None of them have ever been particularly roaming bunnies.
                    Each bunny is different. And of course I think a shelter is going to ’embellish’ -let’s say- the qualities of a bunny because it really can be hard to get them adopted and they are the third most often abandoned/surrendered animal. Had they told you she was shy and wouldn’t come out of her pen she might not have been as appealing? Just a thought.
                    At any rate, congratulations on your new addition and I look forward to hearing (and seeing-ahem-pictures) more about her in the days to come. Welcome back to BB! <3 xx


                  • ThumpersMommy
                    Participant
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                      Hello, im new here and just recently became a bunny mama. I have an all grey dwarf who I instantly fell in love with..His name is Thumper. I got him the end of September but most recently he’s been acting out. Humping, spraying, chewing, biting and trying to break free of his cage at the break of dawn. Im wondering if this behavior is normal, will it go away or is there another way to deal with his behavior. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated =]


                    • Little Lion Head
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                        Oh Mimz another familiar face!!! So good to see(?) you!! Its amazing how quickly Pumpkin has already been coming around. I think she was just nervous those first days and we were comparing every little thing to Boston b/c it’s all we knew. Now we know they are totally different bunnies!!

                        ThumperMommy; I’ll let some others chime in here, but is Thumper neutered? I’m thinking that could solve a lot of your issues

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