“New”bunny

[Astrodex]

We just took in a 3 year old female bunny. Our friends found out their youngest child was allergic and they had to find her a new home. At one time she spent a lot of time out of her cage and was even friendly with their two dogs. But as the allergies developed she had to spend more and more time in her cage until she was no longer coming out of her cage at all. The cage is a large two story thing with an enclosed room for “privacy” and areas of flooring as well as grating, so she does have a good deal of space. We have had her for six weeks now and she has warmed up to us a lot. She is happy to see us, loves, loves, loves having her head pet and if you stop she stomps her back foot until you start again. The main issue is that she totally refuses to come out of her cage. She can not be coaxed out and if we take her out she exhibits fear behavior and just wants to go back in. Everything I read says that it is important to give them time outside the cage for exercise and to keep them from getting bored. We have a small animal “playpen” that I have put her in with food and things from her cage but she just freezes until you put her back in her cage. We have tried holding her in our laps or on our chests but she reacts the same way. Do we just leave her in her cage and interact with her there or continue trying to get her out of the cage? Any suggestions would be very helpful. This is our first bunny. Thanks.

[lovebellabun]

I am not really sure on what to say. I am new to. I just wanted to say to keep up on this site. It is a life saver. Read, read, and read more about being a bun parent. Mine is my first and thankfully there is this site.

[Luna]

That’s great that you rescued her and welcomed her into your home! I had a similar situation with Luna. My sister had her for a year but didn’t want her anymore so I took her in. Even though Luna was used to being around me, she preferred staying in her cage. She LOVES her leafy greens so I would use that to coax her out of her cage. At first she would jus stick her head out to grab the veggies, but as time went on she eventually would come completely out of her cage to eat them, though she would run back into her cage immediately after. I can’t remember exactly how long it took her to feel comfortable out of her cage but I think it was at least 2 months. Now she wants to be out of her cage all the time! Generally most rabbits don’t like being picked up/held, so you might want to limit holding her in your lap until she feels more comfortable. If she doesn’t like being held, then doing that when you take her out of the cage will result in her associating being out of the cage with fearful behavior. In the meantime, keep up with the head petting and loves and I’m sure she will come around. You could even try just laying next to her cage and talking to her if she won’t come out. It sounds like she is already bonding with you, but give it time and she will trust you more every day, and hopefully start spending time out of her cage.

[tobyluv]

You could try sitting on the floor outside of her cage, and read or watch tv, basically ignoring her, and see if she becomes curious and comes out to interact (and to get head rubs). To give her more exercise, but still give her a protected feel, you could attach an x-pen to her cage, and see if she starts coming out on her own.

[Juicy]

First of all, congratulations! It’s so sweet of you to have taken her in, and that you’re a concerned bunny “parent”.

Post-adoption, there are a lot of little kinks to work out because bunnies are smart enough to know what to expect from someone, and if things weren’t great at the last place it will take time for her to understand that her expectations can be different with you. 100% agree with tobyluv. That’s exactly what worked for Demi (although she’s cageless, so in her case it was the laundry room). Bunnies are naturally curious, so if you just leave the cage open during all of playtime and just sit on the floor outside the cage and watch TV or text a friend, she will eventually want to explore beyond. So for a week or so, just make a date with the floor maybe 5-8 feet from her cage. Be sure to have a piece of lettuce or cilantro handy for when she comes out.

Another thought is, like Luna said, you could tear up a few pieces of kale and make a Hansel and Gretel-style trail starting juuuuuust outside the cage. Just to remind her that she can leave if she wants to! Don’t want to rely on that though, we wouldn’t want to “overcondition” her!

Have fun getting to know your girl!

[Bam]

Thank you for taking in this bunny-girl I agree with the orhers about getting to know her. It can be a slow process, sometimes really slow, but I can think of few things more rewarding than when you’ve gained a bun’s trust and he/she comes to demand pets from you

[Astrodex]

Thank you everyone. It sounds like we’re already on the right track. They never had her spayed so we will be doing that soon. I hope that doesn’t wreck all of the progress we’ve made. She doesn’t spray or have any aggressive behaviors so they didn’t think it was necessary but I know she is at high risk for cancer without the procedure. Thanks again.

[Author]

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