Depressed/scared rabbit?

[kcaupe]

Hi everyone, I got a new rabbit a few months ago and she has settled in ok, she is about 1.5 years old. She seems to be quite scared of a lot of things, seems angry or sad most of the time, and she bites your finger and you can tell that she gets really annoyed with human contact and she doesn’t play with any of her toys. I do know that the people who had her before had young children, and she also had another female bunny as her friend (they were brought up together) who passed away because they left her in the sun for the entire day in summer with no water, but she survived (just her friend died). The previous owners said she hasn’t been the same since her friend died. Has anybody been through a situation with their rabbit where their bunny friend has died and maybe the rabbit has been traumatized? Or depressed/sad/angry like this?

My previous rabbit lived until he was 12 and he was still so happy throughout his whole life without a companion, jumping/springing into mid air, jumping on the couch, wanting cuddles, playing with his toys and hide and seek etc. I just don’t know what to do to make her happy.

 

Does anybody know if getting another rabbit would be a good idea? If so, male or female? Because she is 1.5 years old is it too late to introduce a new friend – will they fight? She is not sterilized but I am willing to get her sterilized if she needs a male friend.

 

She is absolutely gorgeous, I know there is a happy girl in there somewhere and her sadness is making me sad!

[Roberta]

She is off to a good start, she now has a loving home and a hooman who cares. I’d start with small treats and nose rubs. A friend has a small puppy kong that she stuffs with hay, craisins,dried papaya all sorts of goodies. The kong gets dragged battered thrown and generally harrassed resulting in an exhausted happy bunny. Maybe once she is settled you could take her to some play dates at the local shelter and find her a friend who likes to romp and binky.

[peppypoo]

Welcome!

First off all, having her sterilized is a good idea whether or not you decide to get her a friend. In fact, her hormones may be responsible for some of the behavior you’re describing such as destruction and aggression. Not to mention that female bunnies have a high incidence of reproductive cancer if left intact. If you do decide to get her a friend, make sure you wait at least a month or so after the spay for her to heal up.

1.5 yrs is definitely not too late to introduce a friend…unlike some animals, bunnies are capable of making friends throughout their lives and there is no upper limit to age or benefit from raising them together from a young age. However I would first have her spayed and, as Roberta said, try to connect with her first before you take on another bunny. Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!

[Sarita]

She is definitely in a better home with a caring person. Definitely get her sterilized whether or not you decide to get her a friend in the future.

I think first I would do the sterilization and just continue on my own to build her trust in me. I do think in the future she could certainly benefit from a friend.

I think as far as making her happy, keeping her routine the same so she knows what to expect will go along way in helping earn her trust.

[kcaupe]

Thanks for the replies everyone . I took her to the vet last week to get her nails clipped and while I was there she recommended that I should get her sterilized. The vet also told me that if you don’t get female rabbits sterilized they are more likely to get cancer – peppypoo you are right!! So I will have to do that for her as soon as possible . Hopefully that will change her behaviour a bit, I’ll see how that goes before I introduce her to a friend. I have tried to connect with her many times but she just sees me as a big scary human. I’m going to try both of your suggestions Roberta and yours too Sarita. Would a male or female companion be better? Or doesn’t it matter so much? I don’t know much about female rabbits as I have only have had a male rabbit and he didn’t like being around other males. I will keep you posted if anything special works for her, fingers crossed!

[Elrohwen]

A lot of her behavior does strike me as hormone related, so spaying may help settle her down a bit. I would get her spayed and let her settle in for another 6 months or so and see if you can win her over. Sitting near her with some treats and offering them when she comes over to check you out is a great way to gain trust. When she learns that interaction can be on her terms, she should be more likely to approach you politely. Most rabbits don’t really play with normal toys anyway, so maybe getting her a cardboard box or something will give her some exercise.

If you do decide to get her a friend after she’s more settled in, a neutered male is generally the best choice. Females tend to be territorial and two females together can be a difficult bond. The best option is to take her to a shelter and let her meet a bunch of other bunnies to see who she gets along with the best.

[RabbitPam]

It’s great that you’ve decided to get her spayed soon. Be sure to wait a full month after the procedure before letting her meet another bunny. It takes that long for the hormones to get inactive and for her to not be at risk of pregnancy if she comes into contact with an un-neutered male.
Meanwhile, it will give you time to research your area for local shelters and rescues to find places that will let you bring her in to “date” other bunnies. Usually, a shelter will set up a supervised area for them to meet, and the bunnies themselves will indicate if they like each other. If they fight or growl, it’s not a good sign. If they groom it’s amazing, and if they ignore each other, it’s a good chance they will get along. You can find out the personality of the new bunny from the staff so you can know who you are meeting, and be sure to get an adult that is sterilized already. Either gender can be the rabbits’ choice, though opposite sex is often their preference.
I just want to add a thank you for rescuing this poor girl. I am horrified at how the other one died, and it may be more than grief that is making her so afraid. Sounds like she was left in the heat without water too. Trauma makes an animal sometimes leary for life, but they can regain trust and security around a loving family like yours. Just be patient with her and very, very regular with your food and water so she knows it’s always there for her. You might want to ask for a laid back, cuddly bunny from the rescue where she is dating so you can bring home someone that will be loving to both you and her.

[Beka27]

She is still very young and has many, many years ahead of her. Get her spayed and wait at least a month, but preferably longer. Try and work with her to form a bond before you introduce another rabbit. The better you know her, the better equipped you’ll be to help choose a suitable mate.

[CinnabunMom]

Agreed. Fixing is the best way to go. And never underestimate the power of a raisin! Sometimes when Cinnabun is sulky cause I’ve offended her (put her back in her pen, had to give a squirt of water when she was digging on the carpet) a raisin pulls her right out of her bad mood.

[kcaupe]

I don’t know if anybody is still keeping up with this story, but thought I would all let you know that we still haven’t got her fixed yet, but I got a nice big cage specially built for her and I grew some grass in there. Also put in a big pipe for her to run through along with a ramp and she loves it! She has been doing binkies and it’s the first time I have ever seen her do anything like it, she is so happy. When I take her out at night time to put her back in her hutch to sleep she tries to hide in the middle of the pipe because she doesn’t want to leave. She is a changed woman! So cute and she has recently only started licking my finger instead of biting!

P.s. I will get her fixed in my holidays coming up 🙂

[LittlePuffyTail]

Great to hear you have a happy bunny!

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