Any tips on getting Hoppers to come out of his shell?

[avarismom1]

 So we have had dragonfly and Hoppers-hoppers for about 5 weeks now and they are dues to be neutered in about 2 weeks hopefully (they have their first appointment monday).

Dragonfly pretty much has run of the house in the mornings while the dogs are out.  He uses his litterbox all the time now and is a good little bun.  He is very curious, hops up on the couch lays on top of my daughter – and really seems to enjoy all the attention and qaulity time and exersize he has gotten since we adopted him.

 

Hoppers-hoppers on the other hand hides.  In a corner.  All the time.  He is usally gated in teh kitchen since he does not use the litter box – and I’m not going to stress either of us out  over it until he is neutered.  He gets some time in the living room but I have to watch him more carefully and it just seems to make him nervous.

So he either hides under a table with a table cloth over it in the kitchen or in a narrow area near the laundry.  If I come into the kitchen and he is out he runs like I am cahsing him and goes back to his spot.  Poor little guy.  I sit on the floor and talk to him and feed him his morning greens from my hand – and he will veture out but retreats so quickly and seems so on edge when he is out of his cage.

So any ideas on how to make him feel more relaxed or playful.  I want him to enjoy his free time not sit huddled in a corner.

[Elrohwen]

Is it possible he doesn’t like the kitchen floor? One of mine hates slippery floors and would act the same way if I locked him in the kitchen with no carpet. My other one doesn’t mind the floors, but she hates the kitchen because it’s noisy whenever I’m in there, so that could be another factor.

He might also relax more once he’s bonded – often fearful bunnies get much more confident when they’re around a confident bunny.

Otherwise, just sitting with him quietly, maybe reading a book so you don’t watch him and make him more nervous.

[Stickerbunny]

What type of flooring do you have in the kitchen for him? My girl is very nervous super skittish if she has to be on tile, since it has little traction for her and she can’t get away fast, she gets nervous. A mat down for him might help a bit.

Likely you’re going to have to just take it slow with him though. My mini rex baby was so skittish for the first 2 months, if I even stepped in the room it was *ZOOM* hide behind something like I was going to eat her. They are prey species, so you’re a big old mean predator until proven otherwise. I will admit I used bribery on my mini rex, every morning I would step into her area and give her a treat. Now she runs up to me like “treat? wheres my treat? gimme!” every morning instead of running away scared.

[avarismom1]

I didn’t even think about the floor bothering him. We have a couple throw rugs but otherwise it is linoleum. Maybe I can throw down a few more washable scatter rugs and some fleece while he is in there.

I am certainly not above bribery! I usually give him a little carrot or a berry (we have raspberry and blackberry bushes) when he comes in. He would come sniff my feet or head butt/nudge my hand now and again – but now that they are separated he really doesn’t seem to as much. I wonder if that is directly related to their being separated. It all makes sense I guess!

Man, I am a dog person – they are easy – put 2 happy dogs together in a neutral space once and you’re good to go! This bunny stuff is much more involved

[Stickerbunny]

Some dogs can be more complicated than that – I had a little bulldog that wanted to literally kill any other dog bigger than her :s and rescued several dogs that were soooo scared of everything because of mistreatment it took years to get them to open up. One dog I had wouldn’t even eat food out of a bowl because anytime she did at her old place, she would get beaten for “stealing” the cats food because they wouldn’t feed her (gr!). Your buns weren’t in the best conditions when your friend found them, so a little skittish behavior is to be expected, just like with all rescues. I’m sure with enough love and care Hoppers will open up as time goes by, when they rebond he’ll have his friend to protect him again too.

I have cardboard I put down when I want my mini-rex to be able to run around the kitchen – before I got that I used towels for her. My male couldn’t care less what surface he’s on, but some buns are just sensitive to the slippery surfaces. Hope the rugs help him feel more secure.

[avarismom1]

Stickerbunny- both my dogs are rescues too.

Avari was so scared she feigned narcolepsy to avoid human contact. She would jsut clsoe her eyes and pretend you weren’t there. . Took her close to a year to go up stairs without being carried. I remember sitting on the floor crying the first time she wagged her tail when I came home. She was 6 months old and had never been on a leash and the shelter was pretty sure she had never been outside She used to (and still does with high value items) hide food all over the house, in clothes, under blankets in her crate. She was sure that she would never get fed again.She is the most amazing dog in the world. She still picks dogs over humans – but she loves our family and no longer shakes uncontrollably when ever someone moves. She is 9 now – and has had 4 knee surgeries and the vet is now a little concerned about one of her eyes. She is the greatest dog to ever live IMO.

Niko our other Shiba also not a fan of people. He is very protective of the kids but wary of all strangers – and fear aggressive and loud and reactive. I just know dogs so much better – I can read my dogs body language and moods. Twitching noses just look the same to me right now! My dogs just tend to like other dogs!

I never knew how carefully one had to bond rabbits and such! I am learning so much.

[KatnipCrzy]

Could there be something that is intimidating him- dragonfly or the dogs?

[avarismom1]

The dogs are either outside or in our bedroom. Today I tried them in the rest of the house with just the baby gate up and they were great – they didn’t even sniff at the kitchen or anything. They have been really great at ignoring the buns.

And since they got in the fight dragonfly intimidates him for sure – but they are always separated too. I think he is mainly just nervous and scared. And now without dragonfly there he is even more so. He did hop from the kitchen through the dining room and briefly into the living room this morning before I let dragonlfy out. He stood on his hind legs looked around and then went back to his table. I think that’s pretty good progress for today!

[Author]

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