Hello. I have two bunnies named Harry and Bella; they are around 2 years old. We’ve had Harry for almost a year, and Bella for 7 months. They are both fixed and have fully bonded into a happy couple
A little over a week ago, my husband and I converted their x-pen into a four-story condo to give them more exercise room while we’re at work. Ever since they moved into the condo, they have almost entirely stopped coming out of their cage. Harry comes out for a few minutes then hops back in, whereas Bella has yet to leave the condo in 9 days!
This is odd for Bella because she is normally a very active bunny who loves to run around, skip, hop, and jump on top of furniture immediately after leaving her cage. Neither of them have shown any signs of sickness (they still eat, use their litter, and play well inside their condo). As a test, I got their favorite treat- a banana- and placed it on the floor right outside of the door of their cage. As soon as I walked away, Harry hopped outside, ate the piece of fruit, and hopped back inside
I definitely had my money on Harry, but I’m still concerned with the fact that he didn’t stay outside, and that Bella didn’t bother. One last bit of information, if it helps. My family is closer to Harry than Bella, because 1). we’ve had him longer, and 2). he came from a good home where he was able to build a close relationship with his last owner. He loves being petted. Now Bella is the opposite.
Although she’s come a long way with trusting us, she came from a home where she was left alone to roam all day in a screened patio, and her previous owner had a little girl that would chace her around. She had a poor diet, and to make matters worse, her previous owners forced her to walk on a leash!
Needless to say, she does not like to be touched and is even over-protective of Harry (to the point where she doesn’t like for him to be touched either and will bite). My theory is that she is being territorial with her new and improved home, and doesn’t feel the need to leave it. I guess I can be okay with their decision to stay inside, but I fear that they aren’t getting enough exercise AND we are limiting even more our bonding time together.
I’ve Internet searched for answers to this problem for days now and have yet to find someone who’s experienced this situation (I’ve only come across new bunny owners). Please, any advice, insight, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I love my bunnies, and just want them to be happy and healthy.