Anxious bunny

[Cloversmom]

Hi everyone! As some of you know a few weeks ago I brought home my first bunny. And while I’ve had my few new bunny mom freak outs for the most part things have been going extremely smooth. I am just wondering though how much anxiety is normal in bunnies? I know they’re prey animals so they will obviously have some I just feel so bad for my baby when she gets so anxious. Today a gun shot went off outside and my poor baby was terrified I was worried she was going to have a heart attack she was breathing so fast and made this small noise that I can’t even describe. It completely broke my heart (I’m a sucker) She ran into the corner and I laid on the ground with her for a good half an hour just speaking to her calmly and letting her climb on me and hide under my arm and give me kisses. She finally calmed down but it took a while. And then just little things like when my mom (who I ask to kindly speak in a quiet voice) comes over she freaks out and runs and hides and won’t come out til she leaves. And she gets scared any time we open the front door. My husbands motor cycle pulling up scares her. If I get up in the middle of the night she can’t tell it’s me in the dark and she’s terrified and runs away. Is this normal? Will her anxiety hopefully improve as she is home longer? Any other suggestions for how I can help her relax? I think she feels really comfortable being here. She spends a lot of time with us she likes being in the center of the room where we can see her. She flops all the time does lots of binkies. She’s just very easily startled. Even the timer on the oven which Is a small ding that she’s now been hearing for 3 weeks still makes her run away. I try to minimize loud sounds as much as possible when doing house work or washing dishes because I don’t want to scare her. I keep the tv and any music low. I try to leave the windows closed when possible since the outdoor noises scare her. But as much as I’m trying she’s still super jumpy. My poor baby. Thanks so much for reading!

[Cloversmom]

Oh! I also wonder if any of you have had success in using rescue remedy in bunnies? When I lived on a farm we used it for our alpacas all the time and it really seemed to help. Is it safe and effective in bunnies? It’d be nice to have something to take the edge off for her when things like the gun shot happens or going to the vet.

[Wick & Fable]

It’s normal for a rabbit to spook new sounds. It’s important that you provided immediate feedback and reaction to the noise so clover knows it’s safe or not. When something happens and she’s spooked, it’s important that you are calm and comforting and you ensure her she should be as well. For Wick, this is just going up to him and petting and snuggling for a minute.

Wick used to spook at the door bell, vacuum, ice machine, kitchen trays clanking together, dryer buzz… But after a bit he got used to it.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[sarahthegemini]

Aw I think it’s quite lovely that she was snuggling you to calm down. It shows that she feels safe around you. But yes its totally normal for certain noises to spook your bun. My Peanut hates the sound of the oven hob for example whereas Buttercup doesn’t even Bat an eyelid at the loud blender lol. Both buns freak out a bit in the dark when I get up to go to the loo, I speak as I’m approaching their room (I walk past their room to get to the toiket) Sometimes it helps, sometimes they hear my footsteps before I’ve managed to talk to them and they get a little on edge. Once they realise it’s me tho, they’re okay. Usually just saying “it’s okay bunnies it’s just me” is enough, other times I put the light on and pet them to reassure them. 

About your hubby’s motorbike sound – you could get a recording of it (or, YouTube) and play it quietly, gradually increasing the volume. All whilst being sure to talk calmly to bunbun. I did something similar in preparation for moving back to my mums house. She has/d two German shepherds with very stereotypical deep barks so I played dog bark sounds multiple times per day in the lead up. It really helped!

[Cloversmom]

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I really like the recording idea. Part of the trouble with spooking her at night is that she’s basically free range now and even though she has a nice safe x pen that she can come and go from with a bed and a hidey box she refuses to sleep in it. She much prefers flopping in random spots like the direct middle of the kitchen floor haha. And I live in a studio apartment so it’s all open wide open. So I imagine she feels vulnerable and that’s why she freaks out so much when I get up. I try to avoid talking so I don’t wake my husband up but I might have to at least quietly for now until she stops spooking so bad.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Cloversmom on 12/24/2017 9:43 PM

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I really like the recording idea. Part of the trouble with spooking her at night is that she’s basically free range now and even though she has a nice safe x pen that she can come and go from with a bed and a hidey box she refuses to sleep in it. She much prefers flopping in random spots like the direct middle of the kitchen floor haha. And I live in a studio apartment so it’s all open wide open. So I imagine she feels vulnerable and that’s why she freaks out so much when I get up. I try to avoid talking so I don’t wake my husband up but I might have to at least quietly for now until she stops spooking so bad.

I would definitely try to make a point of talking when you’re up and about. As they have such sensitive hearing, even if we try and be quiet, chances are they’ll hear anyway so I’d just speak to her so she knows it’s you right away

[Sirius&Luna]

I’ve been using a plugin called ‘pet remedy’, which is bunny safe and was recommended to me by an exotics nurse. It smells a bit gross to me, very heavy chamomile scent, and to be honest, I can’t see any change in the bunnies, so I’m not sure those sort of remedies have much effect. It could just be my bunnies though, since it was recommended by a very experienced person who uses it when bonding.

[Deleted User]

Normal for her to be like that. Ophelia has been living with me for 8 months and she has calmed down a lot, but there are still random triggers that get her. Like my neighbors smoke alarm went off the other day, or an ambulance driving through or the dump truck emptying the trash in the morning. She is totally fine and relaxed with us, we can step over her without her even batting an eye. She will get better about it, but there will always be some degree of stress that she’ll have!

[LittlePuffyTail]

Does your bunny have a safe space? A spot where she can run to if she’s scared and be left alone if she desires? My bunnies like an upside down cardboard box with a door and a window in it.

[Deleted User]

I’ve had my bunny for about the same amount of time as you, yours sounds more skittish than mine, but what you describe – being very easily startled – is 100% normal bunny behavior. For example, if mine is eating/grooming/etc., he’ll go up and prick up his ears even if I just rub the sole of my shoe across the floor. The advice I’ve gotten from others is that a few weeks isn’t much, and they’ll continue to relax as time goes by and you build up more trust with your bunny, but they’ll always be very easily startled.

[Cloversmom]

Yes she has an xpen that’s left open with an upside down box with two doors. She won’t use it though as a safety she just plays with it sometimes. She tends to hide in the closet or under the couch more often.

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