Posted By Boymom4 on 11/07/2017 7:54 AM

Hi, can anyone tell me if they have an inactive rabbit? Olive is our 5 month old doe. Recently she was sick with a yeast infection and low G.I. Bacterial count. We followed the vets treatment plan and she seemed to perk up and become friendlier and have less tummy troubles but she still just sits all day. Her mate runs all over the place during his free time each morning and evening while sometimes she doesn’t even bother to venture out of the cage.
She isn’t afraid. Just very inactive.
Any ideas?

Does she appear to be in any kind of pain or discomfort (e.g., hunched over with her ears pressed tight back against her head), or is she sitting in a normal pose (sitting with head up, looking overall comfortable) or “bunloafed” (sitting in a sphinx-like pose with ears up or relaxed back)? Look at her eyes; do they appear to be bulging or squinting, or are they open normally or partially closed in a relaxed/sleepy expression? Her ears also provide a clue; as I noted, if she’s feeling pain or discomfort they’ll be pressed tight back against her head, but if she’s feeling OK they’ll be up (if she’s paying attention to something) or relaxed backwards. Healthy, relaxed rabbits often like to sit for long periods of time just watching you or whatever catches their fancy.

She could be a lazy bun honestly. Inactivity during the day hours is quite common because of their sleeping schedule. If she’s not showing signs of discomfort, pain, or destructive behavior from boredom/depression, it could just be her nature.

Do her and her mate still engage in grooming? A left-field idea could be avoidance of the mate because they have lost their bond and she’s avoiding the other bun’s territory, feeling trapped in inactivity.

It sounds to me, all things considered, as if she’s doing OK. Lots of bunloafing and side-flopping is a very good indicator that she’s overall happy with her world; my own two buns love to bunloaf, bunny-rug (I saw them both bunny-rugging alongside each other with legs stretched out, should have taken a picture) and even do the occasional dramatic flop (*thump*!) Wick is correct that rabbits generally don’t do very much in the daytime hours; my two are pretty much out of it during high daytime from about 9 am to 2/3 pm, dozing contentedly in their hidey boxes or the sunlight. In fact, now that I know more about your bun, she sounds not unlike my own doe Panda, who loves her hidey box and always retreats there after meals to digest her greens and pellets (depending on time of day); her son Fernando is more active and playful but derives considerable enjoyment from sitting regally for up to 10/15 minutes at a time and gazing sidelong at me.

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