Another new bunny owner

[Eli]

Hi all,

We’re first time bunny owners to Billy, who’s 3.

Billy was part of a bonded pair, but his buddy died and his owners didn’t have enough time to help him through it, so gave him to a nearby adoption centre. He was terribly depressed at first, but was improving well by the time we decided to adopt him, which was around 17 days ago.

Billy is really quite a shy / scared bunny, so we’ve been taking things slowly. He’s at a stage where he will take food from our hands, but he still darts off when we enter the room, and hasn’t left his cage. I managed to lightly stroke his cheeks a few days ago, but think I possibly tried to push him too much with that, as he regressed a bit afterwards.

We’re still happy to give Billy time, but the adoption centre mentioned he needed his nails clipped soon and that we should also pick him up daily and check his tummy is healthy. We’ve been avoiding picking him up at all until he is happier, but I wanted to ask what’s more important: to pick him up and check on him, or to continue gradually gaining his trust?

I don’t have any cause for alarm – he’s using the toilet as normal, eating OK (except yesterday he didn’t eat much as we had a plumber in, and the plumber has a cat), but we have probably been giving him a few more treats than we should to coax him out.

[tobyluv]

I’m surprised that the adoption center didn’t clip Billy’s nails before you took him home. If they had done so, they wouldn’t already need clipping after just 17 days. Would it be possible for you to take Billy back and have them clip his nails this one time, so that you can see how it’s done? That is, if they are a rabbit rescue, and know how to correctly hold them and clip their nails.

I have never heard of picking up a rabbit every day to make sure their tummy is healthy. Rabbits in general do not like to be picked up and they may struggle and get stressed out if you do so. If your rabbit is eating and pooping normally, then it’s very likely that he has a healthy tummy.

To get Billy to be less afraid, you can try having his cage open and sitting on the floor nearby, but not too close to the cage. Then just ignore him. You can read or watch tv or just sit quietly and see if Billy gets curious and comes out to see you. You may also want to have a piece of aromatic fruit like apple or banana beside you. The smell may entice him to come your way. Try doing this for a few days, and hopefully Billy will start to come around.

[Eli]

Hi Tobyluv, thanks for the response!

To be honest, I’m also surprised the adoption people didn’t clip them too… But the guy who handled him at the centre made things very stressful for Billy (poor thing was chased around his cage), and I just wanted to get him away from the stressful situation so I didn’t push for nail clipping. He needs a trip to the vets for some jabs, so we will get the vet to show us then.

The tummy feeling must have been a personal preference of the guy that helped us, so I’ll stop worrying we’re going to miss a major problem if we don’t do it.

We’ve spent a lot of time sitting next to Billy’s cage, and have been feeding him all sorts of treats (banana, apple, carrot, dried dandelions), and setting up little games and puzzles for him. He is progressing gradually, so I suppose we will just keep doing what we’re doing.

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