New to rabbits and wondering about behaviors

[Allisonlynn1321]

Hello!

I am new to the bunny world as I just rescued two buns a few weeks ago. They were in a horrible situation, filthy, matted and their nails grown so long they were twisted around almost 3″ long per nail.

I have plenty of experience with other animals and have always wanted a rabbit. So my fiancé decided what better time than now to save these two that have been locked in a closet for two years.

As I brought them home I immediately cleaned and clipped them, along with sexing them so I knew what to expect (they have always lived together so I wasn’t sure if they were both the same sex or fixed). Turns out I have two girls. One is larger and feels a healthy weight. The other is very skinny and you can feel every ounce of bone on her body.

I consulted with some vet friends and bought a bale of Timothy hay and have been feeding them around the clock and changed their cage to a XL dog cage which they are let out of to free roam around the room when I’m around to supervise.

Everything has been getting better. They are still very skittish however, they continue to stop and grunt. It’s very discouraging as I do everything I can to make them happy and comfortable and I never see them binky or look happy. In addition to the occasional stomps.

I’m just wondering what I can do from here and if their past has damaged them too much as to not ever trust humans.

I’d really appreciate any input!
Thanks!

[Gina.Jenny]

Hi

firstly thank you for saving these two and do not be discouraged

I currently have five rescued bunnies, all with different issues. Gina and Jenny were caught from living feral when they were only a few months old. I think they are sisters, but they have to be kept apart, each is bonded to a boy bun. Gina growled and lunged at me for maybe 8-9 months before letting me touch her. She had to be kept as a solo bun during this time. Once she stopped lunging and growling, and let me stroke her, we were able to find her a nice husbun, and Gina and Podge have been happily bonded for 7 months. We’ve now had Gina for nearly a year and a half, and its only in the past few weeks she’s let my friend rub her head. A couple of months ago, when my friend tried, Gina swiped my friend so hard her glasses flew across the room. Thankfully they didn’t break. Now Gina is coming to my friend and demanding ear rubs.

Jenny lived feral for over two months as she hid so well, until five of us where able to finally get her into a pet carrier. She nearly died after, and was saved by bonding her to my only pet-shop bunny, who had just lost his bonded bun-friend. Jenny is still semi-feral, but does let me rub her ears.

Podge was caught running loose in the streets and handed into a local rescue. He came on a date to visit Gina and never left He has an easily upset tum and cant be altered. He is fairly people-friendly, and demands lots of fuss.

Snickers and Mini were handed into a local pet-shop and I brought them home almost 12 weeks ago. Mini soon made himself at home and has few issues. Snickers is another story. She was clearly terrified of humans at the pet shop, and in spite of both the lady there and myself being confident bunny handlers, it took some effort to get her safely into a box to bring her and Mini home. Poor snickers had several partly healed bite wounds and was constantly startling. Even a sneeze sent her running round in frantic circles. It took around two months for her to start gaining confidence to venture out during floor time, or to let me touch her. at first, she only let me rub her head through the run bars, now she sometimes lets me rub her face to face, but not always.

so be patient, and over time, they will trust you in what way feels safe to them!

Barley rings are really good for getting healthy weight onto an underweight bun, though only one a day to start with and no more than 3 a day, as they are very high energy foods. Barley rings are sold for horses, so if you want to try them, try places that sell horse food! Porridge oats are also good!

[Love4Bunny]

Oh wow, I’m sorry to hear about the abuse of your precious little ones. Very sad. I’ve read a testimony of a rehabbed rabbit who learnt to trust again, so I believe it is def. possible. The stomping (I assume “stop” was a typo?) and grunting sounds normal for bunnies experiencing new sounds and spaces, especially if they were cooped up in a closet! The only time you’d worry about that (that I know of) is if it were continuous thumping. You’d want to console them then. Give it time. It may be as long as a good year or two before they come alive, but I think anything is possible because now they have you to love and care for them! It took my shy girl a whole year to come out of her shell, and she was not mistreated that I could tell. In fact, she was in perfect health when I adopted her (and I wondered who in their right mind would give up such a sweet bunny!). Bunnies like to binky on carpeted surfaces. Slippery surfaces would make for awful binkies, hahah! So that’s a consideration. Patience, love, time, food, routine and exercise are some of the best things you can give a bunny.

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