Depressed or scared…?

[Fiona]

Moony seems to be becoming either depressed or more scared of any action going on around him lately, mainly when I take him out to eat veggies/play. It used to be that he would immediately eat a ton of parsley (his favorite veggie), explore, or basically be comfortable when I take him out. But now he will maybe nibble on offered parsley every 20~30 minutes… Maybe not move much for 40 minutes to an hour. And especially when I start to pet him, he will stop eating. 

When he’s in his enclosure, he seems fine. It kind of seems like his “socialization” to the outside world is going backwards. I’m not sure what this is due to.

I don’t know if I mentioned here, but I had to move his pen upstairs to his own room a month and a half or so ago, because one of my dogs bullies him and pushes on his pen whenever I’m not home… So he has been lonelier and less exposed to household activities, in comparison.  Which may be why, but I still do take him out downstairs and all. This depression/fear also has only been in the last couple weeks. 

Any ideas or advice?

[Love4Bunny]

Continue to just be there for Mooney and spend time with him whenever you can. I think Mooney is still adjusting to his new space. Like you said in the title of your post, he may be scared because of his experiences. The only time to really worry is if he doesn’t eat hay, pellets, or poop normally (his health). I think it’s normal for rabbits to be cautious about the space outside of their cage (mine still are when they hear new noises). Also, if you take Mooney out when his internal clock says, “rabbit sleep time”, he won’t do anything. My rabbits only come alive after 10pm. I can leave the enclosure door open for 45mins and they will prefer to lie down inside their cage for ages.

[Author]

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