Doesnt Jump

[Dface]

I’ve had Peep about 2 and a half weeks now, and he doesn’t jump up on things.
He manages to get around fine, but simply clambours up things.
He can get onto my bed, using a box and blanket, and get up on the couch if there is a pillow available to assist his travels.

Initially I thought it might be because he doesn’t see very well (being red eyed) but he seems to manage to zoomie and binky about the room without bashing into anything (despite the ever changing layout of my room)

Yumi took ages to do much other than sit near me after I got her, but she was suffering from malnutrition problems and neglect.

Is this a serious thing, or maybe just a residual effect of living his life without ever having something to jump up onto ?

[Blue Moon]

it could be the effect of not jumping on anything

[Mikey]

It could be a few things. It could be that he has never had to jump, so hes nervous to try/doesnt know how. My Bombur is so severely afraid of heights, that he wont jump at all, too. He can binky super high and in a terrified spout, he has cleared atleast 3 feet with one jump. But when he isnt afraid, he just doesnt jump because hes afraid

[Q8bunny]

I suspect that Peep’s never really had a need or opportunity to jump much before, so it’s simply not something in his behaviour repertoire.

[sarahthegemini]

I dunno but neither of mine are jumpers. They jump when they binky but other than that they don’t really jump very much. They’ve never jumped on the sofa and they pretty much ignore the platforms on their cat scratcher thingy.

[Bam]

Bam rarely jumps, but he absolutely can, when there’s food within jumping distance. He certainly didn’t jump the first whole year I had him for. I was pondering ways of making ramps for him etc. Then he got a crush on my dog and proved only too capable of jumping up on the couch and marking my dog’s end of the couch.

He now jumps up on top of his bunk bed and his cardboard houses, but only to beg for food. He never jumps into my bed like Yohio did.

[Dface]

Thanks for the replies! I figured it was nothing to worry bout, but then had one of those sserious self doubt moments, where I was like-am I over looking something thats actually an issue !!

[Azerane]

I agree with the others, it’s possible he’s never been in a situation where he’s had the opportunity or need to jump. I think my pair were that way having been in a single level cage at the rescue for so long before I adopted them. After I brought them home and put them in their two story condo, it took almost two weeks for them to try out the steps to the upper level. I think they were still building up strength for jumping in addition to getting the confidence to do so

[Boston's Mama]

Oakley likes to jump but only 30-40 cm max – like get ontop of hide away ( his way of telling me it’s dinner time is to jump up there – same tikes everyday).
Boston has vision problems and he won’t jump ever. Even binky. He is not a nervous bunny at all ( flops on me for cuddles 100 times a day , happily wanders the lounge , not started by noises ) but he hates too things – jumping on anything or going in anything .

[Dface]

I think I just got used to Sampras being hella bold and jumping up everywhere-he was like a spring (window ledges were his favourite) Like he was head first into all sorts of problems. All windows had to be closed and food removed from counters when he was romping round the house.

He was a small rabbit but could clear his 4 ft enclosure gate without a problem, Yumi could too, but since he passed, Yumi isn’t as mischievous-she’ll still hop up on the things her and Samp used to, but she hasnt found any new trouble(which was a weekly occurrence when he was here)

Peep is bigger and seems to be adventurous so I was worried i migth have been missing something.

[HopALot]

Not all rabbits wat to jump/can jump! I used to have a Himalayan Mountain Rex (Noel), and Noel jumped on EVERYTHING, because his ancestors lived in the Himalayas. But i doubt that if i brought hop inside she would jump on the sofas, because she hasn’t had to jump on anything, what with her living in the garden and everything. So maybe Peep was an outdoor rabbit? Or he could be afraid of heights? xxx

[Boston's Mama]

From what I know it’s only a issue if bunny doesn’t jump because he can’t jump ( so you would see no jumping when startled or when binkying ) or if it is along side other issues ( stomach related pain being a cause in which you would have feeding issues or poop issues ) or head tilt – things like that.
It sounds like it’s a choice not to jump from what you are observing
Does he scan with being red eyed? Boston has a ruby glow to his half brown / half gray eyes and at first that was thought to be the reason he doesn’t like jumping or going in places – he scans to focus and fast moving can make it harder to focus. He turned out to have very limited vision on top ( lots of other signs though not just not jumping ) but given before we knew he had issues it was thought to be the ruby glows “fault” it must effect other buns in that way too
Could be worth asking your vet about the link next visit?

[Dface]

Sampras had red eyes too, and as a result saw very poorly -its how he broke his teeth in the first place (face first into a wall) it was just his style to be completely wild though.
Peep does scan a lot, the shelter said they didnt think his vision was fantastic either. Plus I imagine it’s hard to see out from under the mop of fur on his face.

[Boston's Mama]

Yeah sounds like the red eyes and scanning etc are coming into it. Also do you know why they say his vision is not great? Other symptoms or?
I only ask because I see you said he doesn’t bump into things ect but just want to point out not all with vision problems do from what I’ve learnt in my research when Boston was rescued. He does bump into things if I change his cage – so I keep that the same. He has very little vision though. He doesn’t run around mad ever – he takes it slow , not scared like , but like he has to be careful cause he can’t see you know?
But he sees shapes / forms
Like he knows I’m approaching as he will see my form or a shadow in place of my form I’m assuming, from about half a metre from his cage. He sees bigger things easier than smaller. Like the couch – he never bumps into it, yet his food bowl as can’t see and will be excited trying to find it as he an smell out but he looks like a lost boy hysterically trying to smell it out ! I always put it in the same place but he has to hear it being placed down before he knows where and stops frantically looking.
I’ve heard of others that are completely blind yet they bump into nothing at all.

[Boston's Mama]

Their other senses heighten to accomodate too. His smell and hearing are way more sensitive than Oakleys or any other bun I’ve owned.
The main effects for him even though his vision is very minimal are not being able to see small things like toys , hands , bowls so he needs them in the same place. And he hates tunnels / hideaways I can only guess it’s because it’s shaded inside from light blocking so he can’t make out shadows or forms making him insecure
Oh and a water bowl was a big issue – he used his chin to check the level and it would be wet constantly and that gives risk of infection / fur loss etc so we moved to a water bottle and trained him where it is by rubbing pellets around the nozzle and banana – his smell is heightened so it helped him find it. Now it’s always in same place so he doesn’t need smell on it now

[Gina.Jenny]

When we bought Pippi home, as a ten week old, he made his way up stairs within two hours of moving in. He jumped everywhere and at the time weighed around 1 kg. His biggest juvenile jump was from the carpet in front of the settee, to the carpet behind the settee, using the settee itself as a giant hurdle!

When we adopted Gina, not only could she jump a metre high with ease, but she could also climb like a cat.

Jenny followed Pippi, though she was always wary with anything new, each chair took time to be tackled.

Podge, like Pippi, made his way up the stairs straight away, less than two hours after arriving with his foster mum, but took a few weeks before following Gina in jumping up onto furniture.

So it came as quite a surprise when Mini and Snickers didn’t take on the stairs, or try to jump in the first couple of months we had them. In the end, I carried them up the stairs and then gently helped them make their own way down. Five minutes after that, Mini was tearing up and down. Snickers eventually joined him, but was very tentative for a couple of weeks. After mastering the stairs, Mini and Snickers then took on jumping onto settees, and now jump up and down like pros.

The vision issues might be affecting Peep. Can you give him something easy to see and easy to jump on? Our buns all have pet hammocks, which are about 2 foot x 2 foot square, and about six inches high, ideal for a small bun to jump on and off.

[BanditCamp]

When bandit was young I made little box stairs up to the couch with a towel on top. Eventually he figured that he can jump on them and hopped 3 times to the couch. After about a week I removed the smaller box, then 8n another week I removed the boxes and put them near my bed.

Bandit happily jumps anywhere and I still keep the taller box on the bed

[Dface]

GJ- everything has been made accessible to him (my boyfriend is keen to make sure Peep has access to places he can cuddle him-bed and couch are key) so he has little steps up to these places. But to be honest my bed is low enough that he can put his paws on it at a periscope, he’d just rather clambour(its not really climbing its far too awkward to be given that title)

OBM- The sanctuary he came from actually had three blind bunnies all bonded to rabbits with full sight- some of them depended on the bond rabbit to guide them, others navigated fine by themselves, but she said Peep often acted like a rabbit that couldnt see very well. I can change things in his cage, and he doesnt bump into things, he loves tunnels. But he doesnt seem to notice when I put things down. Anything new introduced isn’t immediately investigated (he is a nosey little guy so it’s not in character for him to be hesitant towards things) it;s like he doesnt notice.
I often refer to him as a dumb little thing- he is slow to react, takes ages to notice things etc I laugh but I think it’s he honestly cant see. Like if I offer a ttreat with a still hand, Im ignored, if I wave it around, he comes over for the treat.
When let out, he goes around the room checking everything, only when he seems sure does he start his binkies-Samp was the same, while Yumi just is helterskelter into them.
Granted Sampras also was a lunatic that figured he could jump anywhere as long as he did it with enough enthusiasm XD

Again the only concern I had was if I was missing something serious, but from your answers it’s either lack of muscle development, coupled with never needing to jump and perhaps slight vision imparment-all of these things are certainly things I’m happy to adjust my room to, to make sure he can get around happily and comfortably

[Author]

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