Activity Levels

[MimzMum]

What does everyone here notice about activity levels in your bunnies as they age?

Mimzy used to be a bit of a hyper little thing (a fraidy cat is more like it) similar to Fiver but not as pronounced, even after his neuter it went on until just recently. I notice these days (especially in the last few months, so maybe it’s a winter thing) he is much calmer than he used to be. He would either snap or grunt at my hand if I put it in his pen, at the very least he ALWAYS jumps to attention at any intruder.  For the last few months I’ve noticed a distinct change in him that he will almost either ignore me or give me a look that says something like, “Yes, you may give me a noserub now” and I actually get to TOUCH him without him springing away and giving me the stink eye. Sometimes I even see the eye closest to me close a bit when he sees it’s me and it’s akin to a greeting if I’m reading it right.

He will be (I’m assuming) three years old in springtime.

Now I really don’t spend my every waking moment with him, so I don’t know that this is familiarity or if he’s just mellowing with age. Like wine.

To compare, Pip has always been rather stoic. No great highs or lows with her…unless there’s a cookie involved. She is the easiest to handle, although she can get high-strung if my husband walks in the room wearing his full winter gear and his baseball cap. (We had a thumpfest the other day when he did that, she wasn’t expecting him and tore through her pen to get to the lower level and hide and then feet started tap dancing.)

Fiver *sigh* will always be Fiver. I have almost given up that he will calm down at all, (let’s face it, that’s how he got his name), so I just do my best to not irritate him and when I do have to (like the recent nail trim) I make sure plenty of loves and a good treat are handy so that he doesn’t have to think it was all for naught.

However, if Mimzy could show this level of ‘bun-ness with the universe’, it gets my hopes up that Fiver may also find that inner soothing vibration when he reaches 3. (Sooner if possible, please Lord!)

I realize of course that every bun is different and so will react accordingly to stimuli, but….

Thoughts, anyone? Once again, my main concern is for Mimzy, as many things about his moods have altered and I want to be sure it’s not due to illness. He is also a bit more playful of late, tossing his carrot, pine cone and the last of the large straw mat I’ve bought him, plus some furious litter box digging. He’s just a different bun all around.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

The only really active bun I had was Kokanee-and that was the dutch in her-she was insane-always active, always interested and always doing something. She had to get on top of everything I remember once she found a pizza napkin and immediately zipped to her litter box to hid it (litter boxes are the ‘no touch’ zones for my buns-I feel every animal should have one spot where you don’t mess with them )
My buns now-totally lazy :p I could block them out of an area with a few inches of fence. Kahlua is most active but still won’t do too much :p Lots of loafing and chewing and a bit of throwing *shrugs* Just their nature-but they definitely calm down with age I think

[Sarita]

Honestly it’s hard to really know. I guess what I would look for as far as behavior changes is changes in eating habits and litterbox habits as well if those have not appeared to change that I would just take it as a mellowing out behavior but if there are changes in those things then I would say perhaps it could be illness.

I think that is why it is so important to have the regular annual checkup with the vet – vets can look for any physical signs of changes and they are also looking at your rabbit in a clinical way rather than an emotional way so I think that makes a difference as well – not that your vet doesn’t care about the emotional well being of your rabbit just that they look at it differently.

[RabbitPam]

With Mimzy it could be a combination of things, since my first thought is how much trouble he’s had this past year with the sneezing issues. It’s possible that it’s effected his behavior or stamina. But if he’s playing with new things in new ways, I take that to be a good sign. Definitely get him a regular checkup just to be sure nothing has changed in an important way.

Otherwise, yes, many do mellow out quite a bit with age. Also they have their routines and gain more feelings of security and familiarity so they can gradually allow you to do more repetitive things that they have learned are nothing to be afraid of. Noises that were once disturbing are now “I know that. It’s the phone, but it’s not for me. zzzzz” Fewer reasons to worry and disturb a good nap. Spockie was in his prime around 3, but he was always growing and changing. I remember thinking when he was 7 that he could still surprise me with something different just when I thought I knew all his responses. So it can get interesting to watch them change.

Fiver will mellow. It will be amazing. And probably not for several years.

[RabbitPam]

Oh, and you know about silhouettes scaring them? Your husband’s hat and coat outfit made him look different, and unfamiliar, so he was scary. They tend to recognize us by our shapes among other things, so he didn’t look like himself to Pip. Poor girl.

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