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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 Condo Bound

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    • WhenHarryMetBella
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        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. 


      • Mocha
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          I definitely don’t think they’re getting enough excersise from their condo. They could be getting a little more than the x-pen, but I don’t think they’re running around in it binkying and doing “bunny 500s”. A rabbit needs at least 3-4 hours every day of free range time.

          Maybe you could buy some fun toys that they both really like (my two bunnies adore cardboard tunnels, snak shak logs, and the oxbow hay stack things with carrots), and put them outside their condo. If they both come out, I would close the door to the condo, give them a few treats, and leave the room to let them explore without being stared upon.

          Some rabbits naturally don’t like people, or don’t like being touched, and you have to respect that, but unless you’ve found out Bella’s true self, I wouldn’t be worried about her jeleousnes. You just need to bond with her more. Hand feed her treats and gently pet her where she likes it (my rabbits love being pet behind their ears.)

          Hope I helped a bit!


        • JackRabbit
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            It sounds like Harry is staying in the condo because Bella won’t come out. My bonded pair will do that sometimes — Moshi comes out and runs down the hall but if Marlee doesn’t follow, he goes back to find her. If she won’t come out, he does not come back out. I don’t worry about mine though because their area is 3 xpens attached together and they have room to binky and run.

            You could try adding a cardboard “tunnel” to the entrance of their condo when you want them to come out to slowly “extend” their space and get her out. You could also teach them that the sound of shaking a treat bag gets them a treat — start by shaking the bag and giving a treat, then giving the treat if they come to the bottom level, then to the xpen door, then just outside the xpen, etc. We had to do this with Marlee, and now she’s usually the first one out (no treat until they both get to the hallway, and sometimes only a treat if some reinforcement is needed).


          • drwil
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              Jackrabbit’s tube idea is great. You changed the animals’ surroundings and animals usually do not like change. This is called neophobia and is extremely common in many birds and mammals.
              In the wild rabbits have long tunnel systems . A tube to the “surface” might coax her out by natural rabbit behavior. Especially if food is near the entrance to the tube.
              Getting chased around early in life probably made her scared humans would eat her. Fortunately rabbits seem to be less scared of teens and adults ( humans that is and this is not fact just observation ) so she might get better sooner.


            • WhenHarryMetBella
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                Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. A few days after the post, Bella came out and Harry soon followed I don’t know what made her come out, since I didn’t do anything to coax her out (I wasn’t even home!). She came out late at night when my husband got home from work and opened their cage. Perhaps it was the silence in the house, or it was just time, but I’m happy to report that the bunnies are back to their old ways, running and hopping around the house. Like Jackrabbit suggested, Harry wasn’t leaving the condo for too long, because Bella wouldn’t come out. Now that she is the first one out the cage, he happily follows her lead.

                I definitely need to bond more with Bella, since she is still very guarded. Her curiosity does work in my favor, however, since she likes to jump over my legs or sniff me when I sit on the floor near her. I think that if I hand feed her treats more often, she’ll eventually let me pet her; right now, she grunts and runs away when I reach out to touch her. Bella also grunts at Harry when he “bugs” her. She also grunts if we pet Harry and she’s nearby. I think this is just part of her personality, but I do want her to feel safe with us. It’s a challenge that I’m 100% up for!

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            Forum BEHAVIOR Condo Bound