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FORUM BEHAVIOR Bunny Behavior: Is my Bunny Just Shy?

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    • Roxygirl
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        Hi there,

        I’m pretty new to this site and still a new Bun Mom and I have some questions about my Heffie’s behavior.

        Heffie is 7 months now and was just neutered 4 days ago so first and foremost we are working on getting him healed from his surgery, 

        Heffie is a sweetheart, he will come up to me to say hi when I crouch down to his level and pat the floor.  When we first got him, we kept him in the living room area mostly for lack of space anywhere else in and xpen and we would let him out while we were there to supervise.  Heffie would come out of the xpen, but mostly only to hide under or behind the couches and didn’t interact with us too much.  

        When the holidays rolled around, we were planning to have a few get togethers and because my husband is in the military, some of the get-togethers can turn a little rowdy.  So, we decided to turn the room intended to be the office into Heffie’s Room, where he has his xpen and all of his things, but can also have full run of the room when we are not home.  We thought he might be a little more comfortable away from all of the ruckus, and away from people who are ignorant about bunnies trying to grab him or feed him harmful treats out of ignorance.

        Now that Heffie has his own room, he rarely comes to the living room and doesn’t socialize with us very much.  I’ve read how other bunnies are always near their Bunny Slaves and jumping on couches and cuddling in bed.  Heffie pretty much keeps to himself.  He spends the majority of the day lazing around ( I assume all the time, I olny observe his day behavior when I’m home on the weekends) and likes to come out and explore for a little bit while I’m getting ready for work in the morning.  He doesn’t come out as much in the evening, but every once in awhile I will catch him dozing in the hallway. 

        Is this abnormal behavior for a bunny to be kind of standoffish like this?  I’d love to have the bunny that follows me around, wants to snuggle, jumps on the couch to be with me, and wants to curl up in bed at night, but if this is who Heffie is and there’s nothing healthwise causing this behavior, then I will continue to love him as much as I do.  He was just at the vet on Friday to be neutered and the vet said he looked pretty healthy, and then went back again on Saturday for Sub  fluids and the second vet thought he also looked pretty healthy aside from a little post-surgery dehydration. I just feel a little concerned that his behavior seems so different from a lot of other buns out there who act like little humans.  He did come from a former neighbor who breeds bunnies and was kept with about 5 other bunnies (all girls, as we were told he was a girl when we got him…we didn’t find out unti his scheduled ”spay” surgery, that he was actually a boy!I guess he was a late bloomer… 😉 ) so is it possible that he just misses or wants bunny companionship?  The biggest reason for getting him neutered in the first placebesides for his health was so we could adopt a bunny to be his companion.  Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated! 


      • LoveChaCha
        Participant
        6634 posts Send Private Message

          Hi Roxygirl,

          It is normal for rabbits to laze around. Is his room door open to explore?

          Rabbits, most do not enjoy being held or cuddled. There are a few exceptions. They’re prey animals and do not like to be held.

          My bunny is situated in the living room. I just let her roam around while I keep myself busy. She nudges me for attention and demands. Lots of pets, but hates being cuddled.

          Bunnies tend to be active around night and early morning. Mine snoozes on and offf during the day.


        • Roxygirl
          Participant
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            Hi Love Cha Cha,

            Thanks for the info, it sounds like a lot of things I have been reading about behavior and bunny tendencies. It just seems that there are a lot out there that like more human interaction and Heffie doesn’t really seek us out for pets or affection unless we come to him. We do leave his room door open to explore when we are home so he doesn’t get into trouble while we are gone. When we leave, we have a baby gate up so the door can stay open but he can’t get into anything he’s not supposed to!
            Sometimes I’ll lay flat out in the hall just outside his room and he will come over to explore me, he puts his paws on my legs and arms, wriggles his nose in my face and tickles me with his whiskers, and likes run around me in circles and jump over my legs. So he will be kind of social sometimes, but he doesn’t really leave his room unless it’s to hide under furniture or try to find some yummy baseboards to chew on!

            I just feel like a bad mom sometimes because on one hand, I don’t want to be constantly invading his space, but on the other, I don’t want feel like I’m ignoring him either.


          • LBJ10
            Moderator
            17230 posts Send Private Message

              My Leopold would prefer to be left alone so he can get busy being naughty. He really only wants attention if he thinks you’re going to give him something. I think it just depends on the rabbit. Some are really standofish, sort of like some cats. Well, I guess that’s not true for my kitty. He was such a sweetie! But some cats are like that and that’s just the way they are. So having a bunny that isn’t all that interested in being held and whatnot doesn’t sound unusual at all.


            • Sarita
              Participant
              18851 posts Send Private Message

                I think it just depends on the rabbit too – some are more outgoing than others. Some are grumpy, some like attention, some do not. Why? I have no idea why, I sure wish I did though.

                He sounds like he’s content and friendly to me.


              • Elrohwen
                Participant
                7318 posts Send Private Message

                  It sounds pretty normal to me, depending on the rabbit. Often Otto would be happy to stay in the pen (in the dining room) rather than come to the living room, but we drag him out (using the maze haven) so we can spend some time with him. Hannah comes and goes as she wants, but will spend a good amount of time back in the pen just laying down. To keep them coming out to see us I use a lot of treats (just pellets mostly) and do tricks and things with them to keep them engaged.


                • Roxygirl
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                  69 posts Send Private Message

                    Thanks for all the input and tips everyone! I feel better about not being a bad Bunny Mom. 🙂

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                FORUM BEHAVIOR Bunny Behavior: Is my Bunny Just Shy?