Its no secret that your brother causes a lot of trouble for Bandit, whether you are around or not. Is it possible that your brother, and possibly his girlfriend, are causing more problems for Bandit than you may be aware of while you are at work now? You said you have cameras up everywhere, but is there a blind spot you dont know about? It would explain his sudden fear of the living room. A bunny purposely secluding itself and not wanting to eat often usually means stress, depression, ect.

It’s unfortunate that your brother and his gf don’t respect yours of Bandit’s boundaries. You said his girlfriend is a vet, so I assume she must smell of different animals which might contribute to Bandit’s fear?

I agree – I think it was your brother and his gf going into Bandit’s “territory” and also the different scents. I have a cam setup too to watch Luna, and if someone moved it I would go berserk.

Maybe he and his gf will take the next step and move out together!

I’m not familiar with nesting behaviors, but his veggie diet is ok. He’s still young, so his tastes may change when he grows older and he may become more receptive to different veggies. The kale is fine if you are rotating it with the basil, cilantro, and mint. He might like italian parsley (it’s flavorful like the basil/cilantro). Have you tried endive/chicory? (texture is similar to kale).

As for the the hays, start mixing in the other hay with his alfalfa hay. A bun’s digestive system doesn’t need to acclimate to different hays (they can be introduced freely), but this way when you make the full switch later down the road he won’t be so picky about not having his alfalfa anymore.

Personally, my bunnies come before people who do not respect me, blood related or not. It really sounds like your brother and possibly his girlfriend are stressing the hell out of Bandit. Always remember that stress and depression can kill a bunny if not taken care of fast enough

I think youre doing well with nesting and food habits. Keep trying to offer him new greens to see how he feels about it, and dont get too frustrated if he doesnt care for the new stuff. Always provide him with a few greens he does like, too When hes happier, he might be more inclined to try new greens/new hay. Keep mixing new types of hay in with his alfalfa so he hopefully starts to eat it more. You can try different cuts of hay as well, for example, my boys really enjoy 2nd cut timothy hay and dont care much at all for first cut. As for nesting, two of my boys like to nest in their litter boxes. Its a little gross because Bombur will purposely seek out newly peed on areas and sprawl right onto it. In winter, Bombur will thankfully use his bunny bed over the litter box. Blue will honestly nest anywhere. Badger likes to use the bunny bed he has.

Although the move is going to suck for the first month or two, it sounds like something you and Bandit really need. Once you two settle in, Im sure it will be relaxing and refreshing for the both of you

Granted, the situation you describe is not ideal. But the explanation seems very straightforward: change in Bandit’s routine + knobheaded albeit well meaning people in his comfort zone (one of whom smells to Bandit like unknown animals). Not my business to comment or advise you on the home situation but take comfort in a couple of things: since buns are crepuscular, most of the time you’re working falls within bunny daytime resting hours, so Bandit will adjust just fine to your new schedule; it is possible that in time, he will come to accept the GF’s presence (and most importantly the smells that linger on her) as normal, so even if he’s not thrilled about her being in his space, at least he won’t seem as bothered by it. (((Bandit)))