Bunny & Mama Bonding

[Oatmeals_Mama]

Hey y’all! So my rabbit and I are buddies and I try to play with him daily but for some reason he’s still pretty skiddish around me (all people really, I’m the only one he really comes out of his hutch for).

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on making him for comfortable with me.

[Doodler]

Could you describe in what situations he’s skittish for you? How do you try and play with him? Bunnies don’t play the way cats and dogs do so I know some people unintentionally scare their bunnies by trying to play with them in ways that just doesn’t work for bunnies.

You say in your profile that you’re best buds and he enjoys snuggling with you so it doesn’t sound like he’s particularly afraid of you. With that said it sometimes does take time for them to learn trust, especially if they haven’t had the best past. The way to my buck’s heart was through his stomach. I had visitors to my home give him a little treat and he now goes up to everybody and anybody can pet him.

Being prey animals it’s not unusual to see some skittish behavior. My buck for example will sometimes be laying down in his room and I’ll walk into the hallway and sometimes he’ll half stand and I can tell he’s alarmed. It’s because I caught him by surprise.

More details on exactly what is happening will help people here be able to give you tips.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

Sadly he’s in a cage. Mom doesn’t let/want me having him roam my room/a room so he often lies in and hides in his little shelter thing. We’re buddies and he’s usually pretty snuggly once I get him out. However it’s always me trying to coax him from the shelter and then trying to actually get him out without him trying to run from me. He’s just skittish in general. Like he’ll come up to then cage door and sniff my hand or let me give him a treat but as soon as I try to pet him… off he goes, running to hide. I’m wondering if he was abused before I got him…

[Sirius&Luna]

It’s very important for bunnies to have time to exercise outside their cage. How big is his cage and how much time does he have outside it? Could you add an X-pen ‘front yard’ to give him a bit more space?

The best way to bond with a bunny is to just sit on the floor and let them come to you. You can give them a tasty nibble of something when they come close to you, and over time you can try head scratches and see what kind of petting he likes. Try to avoid picking him up, as most bunnies don’t like to be picked up.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

His cage is on a desk so no I can’t do that and mom won’t allow him on the floor because if he goes to the bathroom (which he is known for) everywhere. I try to give him at least an hour each day but some days it just is not possible. The cage is the one he came with when I adopted him. It’s roughly 44” long, 19” width

[Doodler]

An hour a day out of a cage is not nearly enough. It’s also not fair to have a bunny that’s not allowed on the floor. That’s where they really need to be.

I would sit down and talk to your mom about the needs of a rabbit. I’d also look for ways to protect the floor that your mom would agree to so he can get out of his cage a lot more.

[Sirius&Luna]

I agree, an hour some days is just completely unfair on your bunny. Bunnies need at least 4 hours of time out of a cage all day, and personally I think more. You wouldn’t keep a dog or cat in a cage 23 hours a day, and bunnies are the same. Once you’ve seen a bunny running and binkying you’ll understand why they need freedom.

Can you buy a piece of Lino or something similar for the floor so that the main flooring won’t be damaged if he pees? You could also use children’s play mats, a big rug, puppy pads etc. You need a solution to this.

It’s also not great to have his cage on a table because you have to pick him up to let him out.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

I don’t have any room in my bedroom and that’s the only place he’s allowed. When I first adopted him I had room to do that but I was forced to move home due to crazy roommates. We have a cat so he can’t be in any other room. He seems to binkying quite a lot even in his cage.

I’ll talk to my mom about it. Would bunnies jump out of a fenced in area? How big of an area would I need for him.

[Oatmeals_Mama]

Would any of these work?

1. https://www.amazon.com/JYYG-Playpen-Portable-Animals-Rabbits/dp/B01N0EJ3A2/ref=sr_1_27?keywords=Rabbit+run&qid=1550442519&s=gateway&sr=8-27

2. https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Foldable-Metal-Exercise-Playpen/dp/B000H904WI/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=Rabbit+run&qid=1550442758&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-19

3. https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Pet-Products-Multi-Color-40090/dp/B003SZSVCI/ref=sr_1_28?keywords=Rabbit+run&qid=1550442758&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-28

4. https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Hamsters-Exercise-Transparent-ULPC02W/dp/B07FQ411ZH/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=Rabbit+run&qid=1550442758&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-33

5. https://www.amazon.com/Small-Animal-Pet-Playpen-Exercise/dp/B0002DHXEQ/ref=sr_1_83?keywords=Rabbit+run&qid=1550442942&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=gateway&sr=8-83

These are all I can afford. Which would be the best? Thanks!

[Oatmeals_Mama]

If it has a plastic bottom would that be okay? Or should I put bedding in it? Or should I get one and use playground squishy flooring?

[Doodler]

1. People do use these to make cages but since they are just under 14 inches you’ll need to make it at least three grids high or have 2 with a top added. You can honestly find them cheaper. If you google NIC grids you can shop around and get ideas of ways to set it up.

2. If you went with this one I would buy at least the 42” (depending on your bun this still might not be tall enough). I use a different brand of these and they are great for bunny proofing. I also used them as a temporary living area for my one bunny until I could bond them.

3. 13” is way too short so this one won’t work.

4. 18” is also too short.

5. 15” is too short.

If I had to choose between these I would choose #2. As I said I have something similar. I have the Frisco pens you can get on Chewy. I have 30” and 42” ones and my buck did attempt to jump over the 30” one. He did jump higher than the pen but the silly boy tried to jump in the corner so he hit the wall instead of escaping. Height is definitely something you need to consider. Of
course the space he has to exercise is also important. If he is required to stay in a cage and pen I would recommend two pens at minimum. I honestly feel one pen is not enough. With that said it might end up being most of your whole room anyway. Why won’t your mom let him be out in your room considering that’s the only room he has? Im not sure what your room is like though that you don’t have room for his cage on the floor.

As far as flooring I don’t recommend bedding at all. This will cause litter box training very difficult. I would just have a litter box with whatever you are using. I personally like wood stove pellets.

You can have a plastic floor but I wouldn’t have his full living and play area as a slippery hard surface. I once had a set up that was two pens together with vinyl on the side where food, water and litter box were and on the other part I used a cheap carpet. It worked great. I actually bought big enough vinyl that went under the carpet to protect the flooring underneath in case there was an accident on the carpet. You can also use the playroom puzzle piece flooring but you’ll want to put something over it like fleece to avoid them chewing it.

Thanks for trying to do the best you can for your bunny with what you have to work with!

[DanaNM]

Hi Oatmeal’s Mama,

I’m happy to hear you are working on improving your bun’s housing situation! You might even consider ditching the cage entirely for a pen, or a NIC cube condo that can be custom sized to fit your space. I have a small apartment and decided to build up instead of out with my bun’s condo, so it has multiple levels and a relatively small foot print (that said, they do still get several hours per day of free-roam time). It can be hard to convince parents to let buns run around, as many grew up with bunnies in hutches outside, that never got to be outside their cages (sadly many bunnies are still in these types of situations). But just like other animals, bunnies need time to run around each day.

You also mentioned Oatmeal (cute name!) toilets all over and that being a main reason that he’s not allowed to roam around. Neutering often helps a LOT with this. Sadly many bunnies are given to shelters (or confined to their cages all the time) for this problem, when neutering usually solves it. If he’s at least a few months old, you should look into getting him neutered if he’s not already. Then you can litter box train him (they often do this on their own), and hopefully your mom will be more open to letting him roam. Cats and bunnies also usually get along fine, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

I’m guessing he is skittish because you have to pick him up to let him out? Most buns don’t like being picked up, so it will be good to set up his area so all you have to do is open the pen for him to be able to run around.

I agree that an x-pen “front yard” that he has access to 24/7 will be great, and then if you can let him run around your room at least 4 hours a day (2 in the morning, 2 in the evening), he will be a happy bunny.

. . . 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.  

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