Advice on sudden seclusion or overreaction?

[BanditCamp]

Hello everyone,

I have a question and need a second opinion, ive recently gotten a job as an armed security officer and it involves me being out from 0500 AM to 1400 (2PM) and I feel like im neglecting my bunny as today hes become very secluded. Let me also state that he is pooping and peeing well, no gas or hard lumps and he presents for pets when approached by me. However this may be when I stayed home all evening he refused to come out to the living room for whatever reason except for potty breaks and immediately runs back to the master bed room.

He also refuses as of late to hop on the bed or furniture completely, I checked his feet and no sore hocks or rubs and no smell of urine on fur. But he loves when i set him on the bed and he runs around and chews things like my duty belts (impossible to eat just likes to chew) Ive also just introduced him to wheat grass and he seems to really like it but still refuses to eat anything new like spring mix or herb mix. He will eat Kale by itself and he will eat basil, cilantro, mint but wont eat anything like green or red leaf lettuce, romaine or pretty much anything on the BB Aproved veggies list and being so few on the very LARGE list and i feel he might not be getting enough vegetables as I know Kale is high in vitamin A and can be bad if fed solely. Ive tried hand feeding, mixing it in with chopped bits, I simply cant get him to try new things and im worried that if all he eats is kale and a few select herbs ill upset his tummy. I get kinda jealous when i see bunnies eating huge romaine leafs and I want him to do that as well but I hold the leaf or place it down and he looks at it sniffs, and goes “Meh” and hops away. He will also not eat carrot tops, carrots in general, fresh strawberries or raspberries or any berry for that matter, Pineapple, apples (all kinds).

Im also trying different hays as hes getting older (3.5 Months) to see what he likes and he will Outright eat alfalfa hay, and will snack on timothy and orchard grass. Im trying to test a small bag of oat grass to see if it interests him but if his favorite alfalfa hay isn’t available he will straight up eat pellets alone (alfalfa based oxbow)

 as for the main behavioral problem I only have a few  deductions why this may be but im not too sure if its just overreaction or me just not letting bunny be bunny.

1. My brother (roommate) has this new girlfriend and shes a vet-tech and owns a few rabbits herself (several). Shes normally around every now and then and shes nice and all but always approaches my rabbit like its one of her own. Normally when supervised I have no problems with this but however I have IP cameras throughout my home to keep an eye on my bunny while im away (as hes free roam) and while I was not there I witnessed them enter my room (as this is a no-no because I have firearms and sensitive items there) and try to pet Bandit while he was in his favorite corner where he likes to lay or feel safe. Afterwards I watched them leave the room and he ran back to his house to potty and they sat near the cage and he didn’t come outside of it until they left. As a result of this I think he might fear the living room or being super social?
2. I’ve somehow offended him by not being around for play time like normal and therefore im scum (does no loaf away from me though)
3. Something im missing?

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts that would be helpful, hes very zoomy in the morning but the rest of the day its hit or miss, no binks or head shakes.

Strange Litter Box nesting behavior:

His Favorite Loaf Corner:

Tasty Wheat grass:

Wheat grass Video:

Click Here to Watch Video (One Drive Link) or click signature

[Mikey]

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.

[BanditCamp]

Hes super offended about the cameras, there are currently two of them one in my bedroom where i can see the floor space and the bed. and one that sits in the living room however he has an issue with the living room camera because “THE NSA IS SPYING ON US 24/7” and i tried to tell him and my brother keeper (mom) that even as a former military policeman that even if we were being watched there was no reason as the IP cameras are run privately through an IP address and not a company so unless they have a reason to try and find my IP address in the literal billions of IP addresses good luck.

Every time hes home he turns the living room camera off or unplugs it, and dosent re plug it. or he just turns it around to face the wall. The cameras are mainly for bandits safety as hes a free roaming bunny and if i see him doing something im not ok with I can communicate through it and he scampers off.

[sarahthegemini]

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?

[Luna]

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.

[BanditCamp]

Yeah, I wish I could just leave but it would start family drama. Theres a few condos available and their in my pay range with my new job now but if I leave he will be homeless pretty much. As for the other stuff like the nesting and food habits am I doing it right you think?

[Luna]

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.

[Mikey]

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.

[BanditCamp]

Thanks for the advice, sadly I got into another argument with him about the cameras which I programmed to turn off as long as one of us is home (detects phone mac address in Wi-Fi area) he left earlier for school today and before he left he made a gesture at the camera and threw it across the room and broke it (and it’s on camera lol his mother is furious)

I’ve decided that come end of summer I’ll be looking for a condo As broke as it will make me I’ll feel safer that he will be able to move around freely and unmolested :/

[Mikey]

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

[BanditCamp]

Yeah I plan to move in August as the loan will be good for 90 days. Sadly everything in Los Angeles even tiny gang homes are like 300k

[Q8bunny]

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)))

[Author]

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