Can an old bunny be taught new tricks??

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 1sd reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 9 months ago by Sirius&Luna.

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- 07/05/2017 at 11:25 PM
  Nivens&Kookie
  Participant
  3 posts
  Hi, I’m new here!
  
  I have a 7 year old female lion head, she’s an outdoor bunny and was in a hutch for a long time until she decided to dig herself out and now refuses to go anywhere near her old home. She comes to the back door for food but is wary when anyone is near her. My sister caught her once and she seemed fairly calm for a while and out of no where panicked. Any time we tried to block her into an area she would make loud noises and so we left her be and she eventually escaped again.
  
  I know it’s extremely dangerous for her to be outdoors on her own and my goal is to bring her indoors to stay but i hate that it causes her so much stress to be in the house. We have to put her in somewhere because we can’t bunny-proof the whole house.
  
  Does anyone have any experience with a rabbit that got away? What can I do to get her more comfortable?
  
  As of right now, i call her to eat and she comes, then i show her my hand from the side and she sniffs it. I try to give her a little petting and sometimes she lets me sometimes not. This has been a work in progress where before she would watch me put her food down and wait to hear the door close before coming over and if i tried to open it again she would bolt.
  
  Any advice on how to earn her trust back and get her safe inside would be appreciated!
- 07/06/2017 at 9:14 AM
  Sirius&Luna
  Participant
  2320 posts
  Does she live outside with no shelter?
  
  I would try putting her food in a carry/vet cage at the door where you normally feed her. Once she’s inside the carry cage you can close it and bring her to an indoor area you’ve prepared. She may be distressed at first, but its far safer than leaving her to roam a garden where there could be predators. It will also get more dangerous in winter, when she might freeze.
  
  I would work on earning her trust once you have her indoors, not before. Now, my priority would be to catch her by any means and bring her in, but if you’re not comfortable handling her then the carry cage is probably the easiest way to do that.
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