Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

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.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

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.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny’s attitude changed??? Help!!!

Viewing 4 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • craicbunny
      Participant
      2 posts Send Private Message

        I got Java from a breeder about two-three weeks ago as an early birthday gift (my birthday isn’t till next week) and the breeder told me that he was only eight weeks old. When I first got him, he was very snugly and cuddly; he would usually just lay on my lap and let me pet him. I even got him to cuddle with me by petting him repeatedly and slowly laying him down on my chest! He would even “play dead” and lay his back down on my lap like a little baby and would attempt to lick my do fingers. Everything seem to be fine for the past few days that I had him and I thought we had a close bonding with each other, until recently… I read somewhere that I should let my little bun run around the house freely for about 2-4 hours everyday so whenever I come from school, I let him out of his cage and let him do his thing while I do my homework. He would come to me and nudge my hand with his paws and I pet him then he does his little happy binkies which were always so adorable and helps me get through bad days! But I observed that the more I let him out of his cage, the more distant he got from me. He doesn’t let me pick him up anymore and when I try to pet him, he runs away. He would still hop and sit on my lap from time to time when I’m sitting on the floor but once he sees that I try to pet him, he would run away and end up scratching me. Is there a reason for his sudden behavior, does he not like me anymore? My friend (who owned a bunny before too) told me that he might be a little stressed out because he stays in the living room and my little sister could get really loud most of the time, and she said that bunnies aren’t too fond of loud noises. Java only comes to me now when he sees that I have his favorite veggies but even so he would just rob them and run away. Did I do anything wrong??? It really frustrates me that I was his best friend for the first few days but now it seems like he doesn’t trust me anymore, please help?

        PS.
        Can someone please help me identify what kind of bunny he is?! Thank you!


      • Tessie
        Participant
        1231 posts Send Private Message

          Hmmmm. Well what first came to my mind is that if its possible that he’s perhaps a bit older than you were told then he might be beginning to hit puberty, which causes attitude changes and means he needs to be neutered. 3 months would be a little bit early for puberty but its possible. Are his letterbox habits changing? Has he been humping anything? If so then it’s time to talk to your vet about getting him neutered (although you won’t be able to get it done until he is 4 months).

          Also, often baby rabbits will tolerate being held a lot, but as they get older they no longer put up with it; this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like you, just that he doesn’t want to be held. Rabbits are prey animals so being held is an uncomfortable feeling for them. So what I’m saying is I think it’s most likely that he’s just getting older and doesn’t want to cuddle so much.
          You can still enjoy socialising with him by petting him, sitting on the floor with him, etc. don’t force him to cuddle because this will make him distrust you.

          As for the breed, without any pictures that’s pretty hard, haha! Either describe him or post some piccies


        • LBJ10
          Moderator
          16870 posts Send Private Message

            I voted, hehe! What you’re describing sounds very very normal. Baby bunnies are very tolerant of being held, but as they grow older things change. They realize that they don’t like being held and sometimes petting is only okay on their own terms. He is also getting to know his new environment better and becoming more confident. So he’s going to express that in other ways too. And Tessie is right, things do start changing around puberty too.


          • craicbunny
            Participant
            2 posts Send Private Message

              Thank you!! And I’ve been trying to upload pictures of him but I’m currently using my phone and it’s not allowing me. Hopefully I get to post a picture of him soon! I did realize that he got a bit bigger than when I first had him. Thank you so much


            • Timberlee Fields
              Participant
              53 posts Send Private Message

                I got my bunny yesterday and he was very snugly (4 months) and I got home from work this morning to a biting, skittish rabbit. I believe he’s testing his boundaries to see what he can get away with and he just realized that he’s not going to be leaving this home so he’s trying to figure out what’s dangerous and what’s not. It could be the same thing with your bunny. (:

            Viewing 4 reply threads
            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Bunny’s attitude changed??? Help!!!