first off, is she spayed? how old is she approx? she’s 7 pounds, so i’m guessing she is full-grown, but do you know her age?

edited:  okay, i checked your profile.  she’s unspayed and about 2 years old.  have you done any research about spaying?  females have an 85% chance of developing reproductive cancers by the age of 3 if unspayed.  so this is something to think about fors off.  spyaing also helps with territorial behavior, aggression, littertraining.  what you will need to do is get her in to see a rabbit savvy vet for an intial check-up (always a good idea when acquiring a new pet), and then discuss the surgery with him or her.

you changed the litter.  what are you using now?  how is she taking to the new litter?  does she use the box for poop and pee everytime?

what was her diet before, you said Alfalfa pellets and hay, did she get veggies at all?  have you looked at the acceptable veggies lists of what she can have?  it’s recommended that they get betw/ 2 and 4 cups of veggies per day, along with (for her size), probably 1/3-1/2 cup pellets.  introduce these slowly, one at a time, watching out for any problems.

do you know what kind of food you will switch her to?  you have to do it gradulally, so get the new stuff and give 90% old /10% new for the first 2-3 days.  then 80/20 for a few days, 70/30 for a few days… and do this gradually until she is fully switched over.  expect angry bunny tantrums.  i would keep on the alf hay during that time.  once she’s switched pellets, then start switching out the alf hay to timothy hay.

Yes, you should look into spaying sooner than later.

As for the cage protectiveness, she’s doing it because it is her old cage – the only part of her home that she’s used to and she’s protecting it from intrusion. She’ll take some time to adjust though. Feel free to give her as much hay as possible to keep her lil’ belly full. It’ll just take time.

I’m sure she’s scared and confused, and you are doing a wonderful thing to take her.

First, I agree with Markus that she can get as much hay as you can get to her. It is excellent for her health, will help her slim down gradually, and be a substitute for more fattening foods. Can you get a hanging hay dispenser that fits outside the bars that she can pull through to eat? I’d also mix it a bit – introduce her to timothy mixed with the alfalfa if that’s the type of hay you’re still using because she’s used to it. Introducing veggies is good too, but the hay can be unlimited.

Since the two of you are alone in your office together, why not let her explore you at her own pace? Can you leave her cage door open so she can wander out if/when she gets curious?
Also the tried and true method of laying on the floor near her open cage but ignoring her completely often works to peak curiosity. Read a book, work on your laptop, whatever. Just pretend she’s not there. You may feel some little whiskers, a nose or feet coming up to you to smell you and check you out. If you have a treat, like a raisin, near your hand, so when she gets near your hand there’s a goodie to find, she’ll like that.

Since she’s used to noise and tumult, even if it wasn’t a good environment for her, maybe playing some music quietly while you’re in there will be soothing to her too.

But do take her to the vet ASAP. The sooner you get beyond all the scary moves and car rides and nail trims, the better she will be able to settle down. She’ll love you in no time!

Is she spayed? That could be your first problem. My little girl growls and spits at me when I try and touch anything in her cage– she’s very territorial but I’m getting her spayed in two weeks. Spaying controls the hormones a bit.

Also, you may already know this, but have you tried the old trusty manuver– leaving her cage door open and shutting both you and her in your office. Let her come to you, whether it takes an hour or more. Tempt her with treats but DONT pick her up and bring her out. Sometimes this helps, and usually curiosity will get the best of them eventually and they will want to come out and explore. Lay on your belly in the middle of the floor and read a book or magazine.. see if she hops over to take a look at what your doing.

Figure out her favorite treat and offer it to her by hand. This can reinforce a bond and make her think of you in a more positive light.

I am by no means SUPER experienced, but these are all tips I have read on this forum in other thread and have tried with both my buns when they are going through moody stages.

i edited my first post, then walked away from the computer and forgot to hit submit. whoops. looks like lots of people have chimed in since.

sorry about my post i didn’t read above ^ *smacks self*

Welcome to Binkybunny!!!

She’ll need time to adjust, it’s her whole world that’s gone upside down.

Try sitting beside her cage and talking quietly to her, as often as you can. Feed her the veggies through the cage bars so she’ll start to associate you with yummy food! You can also layer hay in her little box for her since theres no hay rack. I fnd that’s the best way to feed hay anyways

Glad your taking her to the vet for a checkup. Spaying will really help the situation! Bunnies take time to build trust; She’ll likely need a few weeks to know that your her new mommy and she can trust you.

i personally use Oxbow.  it’s the only pellet i’ve been able to find near me that matches the nutritional reqs.  it sounds like you’re doing a great job already, take it one step at a time, and i’ll bet that within 3 months she will be eating all the right stuff, and even losing weight.  it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you realize that everything is ”wrong”, but it’s so great you’re making it a priority.  she’ll be so much healthier and happier for it.  with my first bunny i made every mistake i possibly could, but i was able to learn from that and correct myself, then carry on that knowledge with my house bunnies now. 

as far as pellets: BinkyBunny posted this in another thread last night.  i hope she doesn’t mind my “cheating” and just copy/pasting… it applies to your situation as well…

When  looking for pellets  for adult bunnies, you want to find one that is TImothy based, high fiber (minimum 18% fiber) and free of those little “treat extras”.    The reason that a rabbit shouldn’t have all those “extras” is because their digestive system is already set-up to get the most nutrition out whatever they eat.  That is how their wild cousins survive – They must forage on whatever they can find, and most of the time it’s on grasses and such which don’t provide alot of calories and fat.  But a rabbit’s system is amazing about getting every little bit of nutrition it can out of the it.  Now even though our bunnies are domestic, not wild, they still have that efficient digestive system,and  when they are fed pellets that have too many calories,and too much fat, it can overload their digestive system, and over time this can cause problems for many bunnies. 

HRS Recommended Nutrional Value: (Compare these against yours)

• Fiber 18% minimum (20 -25% best)
• Fat 1 – 2% max,
• Protein 12 – 14% max (long-haired breeds,angoras, need higher)

• Calcium 1% max

  Also, never believe what the package says on the front – they always say “healthy” or “nutritional”, or try to sell you in someway.  Look at the pellet – if it’s got stuff besides pellets, don’t buy it.  If they don’t put nutritional values on the label, don’t buy it.  And if they do put nutritional values, then compare it to the ones above.  

  As far as recommended brands: Here are a couple of suggestons:

  1. Go to http://www.Oxbowhay.com and then click on store locations in the upper right hand corner.  You put in your zipcode, and it will display the nearest stores that carry that brand.  If you find one nearby, you want to be sure to get the BunnyBasic T. (for adults)

  2. Go to http://www.americanpetdiner.com/locations.html and type in your location – same things should happen – finding stores near you.  From this brand you would want the Timmy Rabbit Pellets.

  If you can’t find any stores near you, you maybe able to purchase online at places that sell these brands. 

  Plus, other people might have some suggestions as well for other healthy pellet that could work.

  Regardless of which pellet you go with be sure to SAVE the current pellet and wean them off over a month’s time.   This will be VERY important since this change will be more drastic.  

   

Oh and hey…if you uh, have any pics, you could post them for us!! Love pictures!!

I am wondering if she was territorial of her cage at the other place too.  If so maybe they got scared too and didn’t pet her or let her out much.

It sounds like she is starting to settle in just a little.  She should begin to relax and enjoy a quieter home.  I am sure she will be fine. Yes the spay. Good idea.  Some does get territorial a few don’t.  However she is that way so spay should really help and with her litterbox habits too.  I would take the newspaper out and just put the food hay litterbox water in there. Maybe she will go in litterbox better. I know the buns love to play with the paper.

the picture popped in while I was sending the prev post to you.  Awe she is darling.

i think she’s just gonna need more time to come around. SageCat adopted two very shy bunnies last winter and hers have completely come out of their shell. hopefully she will weigh in with what she did. i’m guessing that since the kids are gone now, she might feel less threatened…

She’s lovely!

Boy, I’d be very cautious too if I had two large dogs around and a baby with a sword jumping out at me. She may need a few days just to observe that that crazy baby isn’t waiting behind the door.

It’s too bad you can’t give her a tour of your home just so she can see that no one else is there with you. Well, she’ll explore on her own. She’ll probably venture out a little bit at a time, going farther with each attempt. She may also be wondering where the only family she has known has gone. Lots of changes, but again, all for the better.
(and bunnyballet, you just make me feel validated in my reply. )

How well do you know the people you adopted her from. A thought crossed my mind that maybe she was pregnant! It is possible they had another rabbit(buck) and had already given it away. That’s a big “what if” scenario. You seem pretty educated on rabbits so you would probably have noticed some nesting instincts at the former home if she was pregnant.
Best to get her checked out at the vet either way. They may pick up on any other issues and you’ll have a baseline there for her.

When you do come to handling her, be confident! They respond better to confidence. I’m sure once she has discovered her new found freedom, she’ll bless you with those adorable bunny antics. Look forward to seeing more pics of Bella~beautiful!

I’m glad you think they wouldn’t have pulled wool over your eyes! Fingers crossed. If Bella is peeing in one spot, perhaps put her litter box there now. In the pic you had newspaper down. If she’s peed on it, put some of the soiled paper in the box too so she’ll get idea where to go – again!
If there is no room for hay, you could suspend a little box or rack on the cage wall to hold the hay. Otherwise, if the litter box is big enough, put hay up the end she doesn’t pee in. They like to munch and poop at same time. She’ll be able to fill up on hay and won’t be looking for the pellets so much.
See! Giving her time works! From your first post to now, she’s already becoming more adventurous – won’t be long until she rules the house!

p.s. Don’t know if display name is your actual name but I really like it!  I’ve never seen the name before.

       Welcome to BinkyBunny!

you can try using diff litters. you might just buy small bags to see what she likes, or try putting hay over the top.

I’m putting the name Jola aside for future bun name now! Some buns can get fussy about litter. When you change litter over, try mixing the old and new. If she likes the paper, use a new litter with handful of the shredded paper on top. Paper litters are pretty good at odour control by the way. At least I think so, plus you can compost it afterwards.

Hi There,

So cool that you rescued little Bella!

it sounds like you are on the right path – she will settle in and before you know it, you won’t be getting as much work done!

As Beka mentioned earlier in this thread – I adopted 2 very shy buns from the HRS shelter here in Denver last February – it took them a few weeks to come around. Now they are super friendly!

It took me a while to figure out the whole litter box thing – I started with some that were too small – got bigger ones – placed 3 of them around their territory – had a hay ball hanging over one.
They now use one big (14 x 20 inches) box – in a corner with a hay basket in it. That way They can eat & poop & pee to their hearts content – they never pee outside of it. Only occasionally do I find the stray poop out side of it.
I use “Back 2 Nature Litter” – it is like Yesterdays News – works great!

Good Luck!

Heheh everyone say’s “Hay? In the litter box?” but yeh, it’s total magic That’s great -pee in the box all the time is key. Poops are easy and come with time. Pee smells and yeh, just not nice to deal with! SO That’s fantastic-your taming the rescue and litter training-Way to go!!

mine are both potty-trained, so i thought… hmmm… i will remove the hay from the litterbox. everything was fine for awhile and then bit by bit more poops were being dropped right by the hay container. so i positioned the hay container over the litterbox, problem solved immediately.

Yes, definately hay oin the litterbox is key…they will figure out where to “go” and where tomove the hay in the box if need be. I also use Feline Pine, but mine prefer a thinlayer of Carefresh over that…

Sounds like you areon your way!
Kim