what does it mean when a rabbit…..

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

 gets very low to the ground when you pet him? i think i had read somewhere before that it means the rabbit likes it? but what makes me think that thats not true is: earlier i tried to grab while he was on the ground (i know i said that i wouldnt do it but i was desperate. but now that i know that THAT behavior is what makes bunnies and their owners not bond together; i will not do it anymore) and he ran and i tried to catch him.. and yeah it was bad… i did this like 3 times. now i regret it D: he ended up scratching me while he was trying to get away… not a big deal but i feel bad for him. anyway, i was out in the kitchen and when i came in my room he ran to his litter box (very back of his cage) and was scared of me D:! even on the first day he wasnt scared of me… i know i’ve probably ruined everything… 

but then i opened his cage (at this point he was on his second shelf) and i started to pet him. at first he seemed sort of hesitant but then later he got low to the ground and had “heavy eyes” and everytime i would pet him he would act as if he would close his eyes and sleep. ha. and this went on for oh.. around… 1 min. and then i left because i didnt want to annoy him. and then when i came back he didnt move at all (he was sleeping on the second level, but even if he did try to hide theres no where to go to hide on the second level lol…/: ) 

and now he is just sleeping on the second level. he usually has his feet out from behind him (flop) but eh… now he just seems to be on guard but “relaxed” just a tiny bit. 

 

what can i do to make my rabbit like me more? also the reason why i tried to grab him was because he kept on going under my bed and yesterday i bought NIC grids to block off the “restricted area” but he keeps on nudging them and moving them away. im going to return them soon since i am getting a 48″ high xpen soon.. but im ordering it online so im not sure how long it’ll take. and i can also use the xpen as a gate thing. and i can also bring it outside so he can have some outdoor time. any suggestions on what i can do to make him like me more? and whats worse about all of this is that i got him 2 days ago…………………………. -.-…….. /: 

also what does it mean when a rabbit gets low to the ground when you pet him? is there any way he could forget about me trying to catch him and hold him and stuff? i WONT try and do this again; i can assure you for reals this time lol. when its time to cut his nails and etc im sure he will be more used to me then… or i could just take him to the vet. any advice on any of these things would be great! 

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

oh and also is it normal for a napping/ resting rabbit to get up abruptly and start grooming / itching themselves? like for NO reason whatsoever. for example; my rabbit could be relaxing and stuff and all of a sudden he’d get up and start grooming his back or something.. i cant tell whether he uses his teeth or not…(i think he does for some of the grooming; and it almost looks as if hes itching himself?) im worried he might have fleas or mites? but ive never had a rabbit before so i dont really know if him jumping up out of no where and grooming himself when he was just relaxing 5 seconds ago is normal. my yorkie does NOT have fleas or mites and he isnt allowed in my room anymore anyway. so if he does have fleas or mites then he probably got it from his foster mom; but again it seems unlikely? there are no missing fur patches or anything

[Monkeybun]

Best thing to get him to trust you more is to NOT touch him when he is exploring and discovering his territory. Let him come to you, but don’t go to pet him unless he demands it. He needs to learn you aren’t going to hurt him. Grabbing at him will not help

Getting low to the ground during pets does mean he is enjoying it. the Bunny Puddle is quite cute just don’t push him into letting you pet him if he isn’t ready for it.

Take your time. he is a prey animal, so don’t expect the world of him just yet. Read up on articles about bunnies, research all you can. There is tons of info here on BB that will help you and explain bunny behaviours to you

[bunnyfriend]

This is a really good website to read up about communicating with your rabbit and figuring out what they are trying to say: http://language.rabbitspeak.com/

Monkeybun: Bhahah “bunny puddle”, I like it

[Monkeybun]

My buns do that. Sleep, then wake up and instantly start grooming. I think it’s just a bunny thing. But if you are worried, keep an eye on him and see if he’s scratching excessively, especially his ears.

[Beka27]

As with most things, the good must outweigh the bad for bonding to be effective. You will need to groom him and trim nails, and sometimes go to the vet, give meds, etc. He’s not going to like that at all and he’ll probably be ticked at you the rest of the day… but if the good days and positive experiences outweigh the bad, you will have a good relationship with him.

You need to be able to pick him up in a calm way. Grabbing isn’t recommended, but you can be assured if there was an emergency or an imminent danger, I would grab my buns without hesitation. I know they love me and would forgive me.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thanks, i’ll try and take things slowly

[Elrohwen]

When you were petting him, he was enjoying that. A rabbit who doesn’t want to be petted will hop away from you every single time. When they stay and put their head down, they are enjoying it.

Grabbing at him isn’t helping your relationship, but really, it takes weeks or months to really form a relationship with a rabbit, so don’t beat yourself up over it. He was enjoying the pets you gave him, so he wasn’t that upset. You haven’t ruined anything – just don’t grab at him from now on. Like Beka said, they will be mad when you pick them up for nail trims or whatever, they all are, but if the positive interaction with you is strong they’ll get over it. Just think of the bunnies who live with little kids who grab them every day – those bunnies might not like people, but with some time in a new home they are just fine, not traumatized for life. Just be patient with him and don’t expect him to love and trust you so quickly – it will take a lot of time.

And getting up to itch or groom is totally normal. Rabbits are often very light sleepers and will go from sleeping to jumping up to do something pretty quickly.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

thats very re-assuring! thanks. but now he doesnt want pets; he doesnt run away but he doesnt get close to the ground and tries to get out of his cage (i didnt have any time to let him out this morning.) but he doesnt seem to like it… he just doesnt care. but i will be more patient and worry too much. thanks a lot

[Stickerbunny]

Rabbits don’t like pets _all_ the time and a lot of the time when they are in their cage they will just want to be left alone. Especially if they want something else, like ot get to come out and play. It’s nothing abnormal for him to not like pets every time you give them. I usually ask my bun if he wants to be petted – I put my hand out like I am going to pet him and if he wants them, he’ll lie down with his head down and if not, he’ll hop away.

[Elrohwen]

Stickerbunny is right – no bunny likes pets *all* of the time. Hannah loves to be petted, but if she’s in an exploring mood or really wants food, she’s not interested in being petted. Since you said your bunny is hyper, he was probably more interested in getting out of his cage and running around at the moment than in being petted.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

oh okay, yeah he is very hyper BUT ever since i blocked off my bed (under my bed), and my desk area he has been chewing the nic grids (whats blocking the area; but i will be getting a puppy pen soon) he will not stop chewing on the grids! should i allow him to be under my bed? i just have to block off my desk because i have a lot of wires and stuff. whenever he sneaks under my bed i can hear him jumping and running around under there and he has even hit head on the wood under my bed because he was jumping and running around so much! i just have a BUNCH of junk under there; i use my bed (under my bed i mean) more like a closet. i have plastic bags filled with teddy bears, toys, and lots of junk. basically everything ive ever had when i was a little kid. i guess i could somehow put those in my closet (which is SMALL. partially because there are already a bunch of toys and stuff in there that i never play with anymore, and i cant get rid of them because … i dont know.. i always think i’ll need them later. or that “they are a memory” of something special)

so do you think i should let him get under my bed? once i clear everything out? (i still dont know if thats possible or not though.. seriously i have so much stuff under my bed). i can just block off my desk area. he seems to like to climb around in the legs of my table (which is oddly shaped so i think he likes that). he comes out whenever he wants to though.. its not like i can persuade him out of there.. not even with a treat! and usually he’ll get it.. and then run back towards the “restricted zone” after hes done eating; ive tried to block it off mutliple times but he really likes it there under my bed -_-.. and plus EVERYTIME he gets out for free time he is biting the nic grids so he can get under my bed or desk

[Stickerbunny]

If you let him under the bed, chances are he’ll one day chew on your box springs, like a lot of bunnies do. It depends on if you’re ok if he makes mischief under there. Powder for months just would lay under there all nice and calm then one day … up in the box springs he went, chewed a big hole in them to get up there. Took a while to get him out too. lol Since then I have the bed blocked off. Rabbits learn boundaries, they just don’t like it at first – I have a corner my rabbits want to use as a litter area in the living room, but I don’t want them to, so I blocked it off and they try to get back there but they’ve learned it’s no use. Same with the rooms I have blocked off since they destroy the carpet. It doesn’t sound like letting him under there is a good idea, so just leave it blocked off – he’d chew the plastic bags most likely and that isn’t good to ingest! Offer him a different dark area, some cardboard houses or something in the room.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

oh okay, hm i’d be freaked out if my rabbit got up into my mattress 0_o. but i have long wooden dowels below my mattress? so if you go under my bed you can feel the mattress only the thick wooden dowels that support the mattress.. is it still possible for him to get into the box springs?

[Stickerbunny]

Is there any space between the wood that is covered by fabric, like in a normal box spring? Or is it a platform bed type thing with solid wood? Also, the wood is chewable and that can become quite enticing to a bun.

[DutchRabbitsFtw]

hm.. not sure ;o! i’ll just block it off just to be safe! would a 36″ high pen be okay for a bun? or is it too short?

[Elrohwen]

Stickerbunny is right that they eventually do learn boundaries. When we first got Hannah she was obsessed with getting under the couches and tv stand. I blocked off the sides and back of the tv, but I didn’t want to block the front since I need to open the doors to get to the dvd player, xbox, etc. For a while I just had to block it off because she kept sneaking under there. It was annoying for me and for her, since she kept trying to move the barrier, but eventually she learned. I haven’t had the barrier up on the tv or the couch for over a year now and she never tries to go under there, even when we’re not supervising. A bed might be more enticing and you’ll always need to block it off, but he will eventually learn to leave the barrier alone.

Try clapping your hands when he chews on the bars, or even spraying him with a squirt bottle (as long as it doesn’t scare him – it can work for some buns but not so much for others). If you can startle him so he stops, then reward him with some other toy he’ll learn that chewing on the grids is a bad idea but chewing on his own things is good. He’ll also get better as he gets older and has less energy.

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