Baby bunny becoming antisocial

[Chevvy]

Hello,

I am writing as a desperate new bunny mom (Almost 5 weeks) Coco is a 3month old day-time free roam minilop who was a very happy social bun baby who loves to be pet, started flopping next to me in 10days. I didn’t pick her up unless it was required to take her to her pen at night. Feb24th princess managed to move the cardboard blockers and get behind the fridge. I had to pick her up and she was really displeased (Kicked off with hind legs as she ran away) We have been having a strained relationship since then and morning zoomies are sometimes confined to the litterbox nowadays. She leaves the living area and hangs out in the kitchen most of the time. Now and then she lets me pet her and licks me back but I strongly feel she is frustrated with not being able to go to places that have been blocked Eg. Behind the fridge, behind the couch where I have some wires and dismantled furniture. Constant digging around the fridge (She seems stressed) She doesn’t come to me unless it is for food. Been 2 weeks and it is really worrying me. How do I fix our relationship (I have tried sitting down with her quietly as I am almost always on the floor since we met) How do I keep her happy ? Morning we have tissue rolls stuffed with hay, pellets hidden under tissue rolls so she can nudge them away, digging box which she doesn’t use, lots of hideouts around the room, 2 litter boxes, few dried banana treats to lure her out of mischief.

 

[LBJ10]

I don’t think your relationship was damaged necessarily. She sounds like a perfectly normal young bunny that is blossoming. 😉  She’s 3 months old, so I assume she isn’t spayed yet. As her hormones kick into high gear in the coming months, be prepared for more of this type of behavior.

[Chevvy]

Thanks for the response @LBJ10. It is worrying me as so many blogs mention that constant digging and tearing up cardboards is a sign of stress/boredom/frustration. She spends an hour in the morning and an hour in the evng tearing up and digging near fridge or couch 😛

Happy if it is her blossoming in progress 🙂 I am looking forward to those hormonal days with nervousness 😀

[Hazel]

She’s just growing up. 🙂  Baby bunnies are usually pretty chill and happy to be handled. Adults not so much. Even once she’s been spayed she most likely won’t go back to being as cuddly as she has been as a baby, but that’s completely normal for an adult rabbit.

[DanaNM]

I agree with others about growing up, but I will also say that if you have to pick her up every day to return her to her pen, that will likely harm your relationship eventually.

It’s best to only pick up buns when needed for nail trims, deep grooming, etc. Since she’s growing up, she could be starting to get annoyed that when you pick her up, it means play time is over, so it’s a double-negative (being handled and no more playtime).

Is there a way you can lure her back to her pen with food? I usually will feed my buns their salad or pellet ration in their pens to get them to go back in when I need them to. Usually a shake of the pellet cup is all I need and they come running!

You can also add some safe enrichment activities in the areas she digs. Block off the problem spots with NIC cubes or tiles, and add a digging bog, cardboard cat scratchers, or grass mats. Some destructo-buns also love shredding phone books.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Hazel]

Agree with Dana, it’s best to pick them up as little as possible.

[Chevvy]

The double negative totally makes sense.. I used to pick her up rarely to get her back in the pen and that I stopped after she started acting aloof (fridge episode).

Using only the luring technique with some treats so she gets happy to be in her pen 🙂 She was getting back to almost normal last week and then the vaccine appointment came up 🙁

13th March – She hated the vaccine trip and her usual living room rug got soiled accidently. She is still pouting about the missing rug and the vaccine episode for the past 16hrs now  😥

Pampering her with lots of pellets/argula leaves/handpicked green Timothy hay waiting for the rug to be dried clean and Coco to be binkying around.

Thank you all for the inputs 🙂 🙂 means a lot for newbies who are worried.

 

[DanaNM]

Aww she will forgive you. Some things definitely fall into the “tough love” category with bunnies, but all is usually forgiven with a couple of days of spoiling. 😉

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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