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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.

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Forum BEHAVIOR Mosley isn’t social

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    • bunnylove10
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        Hey everyone-

        I have a jersey wooly rabbit that is now 4 years old. She and I used to snuggle all the time but lately she hasn’t been the same. Don’t get me wrong, ever since she was a baby bunny, she has always been a little “sassy” and nipped a lot. For a phase there, I got her to quit nipping and just enjoy cuddles. It got to the point of her coming over to me on the couch on her own time and making an effort to spend time together and do binkys. Then, she figured out how to climb down stairs and found the dark basement couch to be her new “favorite” hideout. She would sit down there for an entire day in darkness by herself without food or water. Whenever I tried to go down to get her, she would run away from me. Then it would be a 45 minute chase to try and catch her. So, I had to wait until the next morning for her to decide on her own that it was time to come back upstairs to her cage. I then started blocking off the basement and the stairs, so that she couldn’t go down there anymore. Now, it has come to the point where it seems that she wants nothing to do with me. Everything is on her terms. If she sees me coming her way to try and pick her up, she will run and hide because she doesn’t want to be held. She has free roam but her cage is her “home base” that she chooses to stay by. Her cage door is always open so she can come and go as she pleases. If I put hay in her holder in her cage, she sometimes lunges and grunts at me. I will call her and try and talk to her to come snuggle on the couch like old times, but she just looks at me and then continues grooming herself in her cage. I’ve actually had to “trick” her into letting me pick her up for snuggles by giving her a treat and scooping her up quickly. I bring her over to the couch to sit and get her head scratched and she is free to do what she wants on the couch (I don’t hold her or restrain her, I just let her sit next to me and bounce around if she wants. She even has a bed on the couch that is hers) Most times, she will tolerate it for a few minutes, then take herself back to her cage. Or she will be all sweet and snuggly then all of a sudden nip me and run back to her cage quickly. We did foster 3 rabbits for a while about a year ago, and Mosley HATED it. She did not get along with them (we kept them separated in different spots of the house) but Mosley would purposely go find their enclosure and sit and glare at them and thump. We got rid of them, and she still hasn’t been the same. I’m not sure if it is related to that or what. She also hates when I brush her. She may be holding grudges about that as well.

        Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem of their rabbits becoming anti-social? She has little tantrums where she will pick her food bowl up and throw it when she is done with her food and I haven’t cleaned it up yet. I try to make an effort, and she chooses to leave and go back to her cage. I just don’t know what to do. Is this maybe just her personality? I thought Jersey Woolies were supposed to be very friendly and social to their owners.


      • sarahthegemini
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          Posted By bunnylove10 on 2/03/2017 1:19 PM

          Hey everyone-

          I have a jersey wooly rabbit that is now 4 years old. She and I used to snuggle all the time but lately she hasn’t been the same. Don’t get me wrong, ever since she was a baby bunny, she has always been a little “sassy” and nipped a lot. For a phase there, I got her to quit nipping and just enjoy cuddles. It got to the point of her coming over to me on the couch on her own time and making an effort to spend time together and do binkys. Then, she figured out how to climb down stairs and found the dark basement couch to be her new “favorite” hideout. She would sit down there for an entire day in darkness by herself without food or water. Whenever I tried to go down to get her, she would run away from me. Then it would be a 45 minute chase to try and catch her. So, I had to wait until the next morning for her to decide on her own that it was time to come back upstairs to her cage. I then started blocking off the basement and the stairs, so that she couldn’t go down there anymore. Now, it has come to the point where it seems that she wants nothing to do with me. Everything is on her terms. If she sees me coming her way to try and pick her up, she will run and hide because she doesn’t want to be held. She has free roam but her cage is her “home base” that she chooses to stay by. Her cage door is always open so she can come and go as she pleases. If I put hay in her holder in her cage, she sometimes lunges and grunts at me. I will call her and try and talk to her to come snuggle on the couch like old times, but she just looks at me and then continues grooming herself in her cage. I’ve actually had to “trick” her into letting me pick her up for snuggles by giving her a treat and scooping her up quickly. I bring her over to the couch to sit and get her head scratched and she is free to do what she wants on the couch (I don’t hold her or restrain her, I just let her sit next to me and bounce around if she wants. She even has a bed on the couch that is hers) Most times, she will tolerate it for a few minutes, then take herself back to her cage. Or she will be all sweet and snuggly then all of a sudden nip me and run back to her cage quickly. We did foster 3 rabbits for a while about a year ago, and Mosley HATED it. She did not get along with them (we kept them separated in different spots of the house) but Mosley would purposely go find their enclosure and sit and glare at them and thump. We got rid of them, and she still hasn’t been the same. I’m not sure if it is related to that or what. She also hates when I brush her. She may be holding grudges about that as well.

          Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem of their rabbits becoming anti-social? She has little tantrums where she will pick her food bowl up and throw it when she is done with her food and I haven’t cleaned it up yet. I try to make an effort, and she chooses to leave and go back to her cage. I just don’t know what to do. Is this maybe just her personality? I thought Jersey Woolies were supposed to be very friendly and social to their owners.

          That’s probably part of the problem. If she doesn’t like being picked up, you shouldn’t trick her, ignore what she wants and pick her up anyway, just for the sake of cuddles. Sometimes we need to pick our rabbits up, but in my opinion you shouldn’t pick a rabbit up that absolutely hates it just to be able to cuddle them. She’s probably lost the trust she had with you now so you need to build it back. Do not keep picking her up. If you want cuddles, then sit on the floor and wait for her to approach you and let her climb on you. Pet her if she’ll allow it. It needs to be on her terms, not yours.


        • bunnylove10
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            It’s not often that I “trick” her. Anymore I just let her be and don’t even try to get her to come socialize. I just walk over by her and talk to her and pet her head. I understand things needing to be on her terms because she is nicknamed queen bee I’ve just seen that when I don’t make an effort, neither does she.  I miss the way things used to be where she would make an effort to actually leave her cage and come over to me. Even if I just walk over to her and pet her head she grunts. Do some rabbits just prefer to be on their own? She acts like Miss Independent.


          • sarahthegemini
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              Posted By bunnylove10 on 2/03/2017 2:26 PM

              It’s not often that I “trick” her. Anymore I just let her be and don’t even try to get her to come socialize. I just walk over by her and talk to her and pet her head. I understand things needing to be on her terms because she is nicknamed queen bee I’ve just seen that when I don’t make an effort, neither does she.  I miss the way things used to be where she would make an effort to actually leave her cage and come over to me. Even if I just walk over to her and pet her head she grunts. Do some rabbits just prefer to be on their own? She acts like Miss Independent.

              Ah okay, sorry for the misunderstanding

              Hmm, perhaps she’s mad still about the fostered bun situation? Is it possible that she doesn’t feel secure right now? How long has it been since the other buns left? Are you around other animals at all? Maybe she can detect anotger/a new scent on you? Sorry for all the questions, I’m a little perplexed myself! 


            • bunnylove10
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                I’m not sure how she would feel insecure where she is, like I said, her cage door is open so she can always go inside and up to the closed in second level. She loves to lay out on her doormat of her cage. She is in the family room right now so that she feels like she is a part of things. When I’ve tried to move her “home base” to my bedroom-she really didn’t like it. I am around other pets, like my lizards. She thinks one of the lizards is her boyfriend though, they sit together all the time. I am a wildlife rehabber so sometimes she may smell squirrel on me. The buns left about a year ago now. I brush her about once a week or so, could she be holding grudges about that? Considering she hates being brushed so much. Idk, it’s tough cause you just never know when she is going to bite out of nowhere! I know there is a sweet girl deep down in there


              • SeeShmemilyPlay
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                  I would personally just avoid picking her up or touching her until she trusts you again. There doesn’t seem to be much you can do except build trust back up again by not touching her unless she comes up to you.


                • bunnylove10
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                    How do you suggest I build her trust again?


                  • SeeShmemilyPlay
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                      By giving her treats and not touching her– that’s how I build trust with my buns whenever I break it (usually by trimming their nails)


                    • Jessica
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                        Work on rebuilding trust by sitting on the floor with her in her space. Offer her food and treats from our hand, give her special one on one time that’s just the two of you. My bun loves when I first get up in the morning befor my husband gets up, she wants time with just me, it’s developed into about 20 minutes of cuddles, then she eats some of her breakfast right out of my hand. At first it was just I’d open her cage, she’d run like a wild child, then come and eat a bit of her pellets from my hands.


                      • sarahthegemini
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                          Posted By Jessica on 2/03/2017 6:59 PM

                          Work on rebuilding trust by sitting on the floor with her in her space. Offer her food and treats from our hand, give her special one on one time that’s just the two of you. My bun loves when I first get up in the morning befor my husband gets up, she wants time with just me, it’s developed into about 20 minutes of cuddles, then she eats some of her breakfast right out of my hand. At first it was just I’d open her cage, she’d run like a wild child, then come and eat a bit of her pellets from my hands.

                          That sounds adorable 

                          I agree with what’s already been suggested – sit with her and give her treats (can be veggies or part of her pellet ration) and just prove to her that you’re not a threat. The more you sit with her without attempting to pick her up, the sooner she’ll stop associating you with that and instead she’ll associate you with treats.

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                      Forum BEHAVIOR Mosley isn’t social