Is My New Baby Bunny Lonely or Naughty

[knnguy]

I’ve recently gotten my Holland lop. She is almost 8 weeks old. I’ve had her for a few days and I’ve noticed that she tries to escape her xpen a lot. I’ve put toys in there, a cardboard digging house and 2 tunnels for her. However, she rarely goes into the cardboard house and she really doesn’t like playing with her chew toys. All she wants to do is explore the world outside her cage. What should I do? She’s not litter trained so I can’t let her out. I’ve also notice that she tends to lay down and sleep a lot. Do you think she’s lonely? Should I get another bunny?

Oh, and another thing. How do I know she likes being petted? When I pet her while she’s laying down, she’ll just stay in the same position. She doenst move or do anything to show me that she likes being petted. What do you think? Sometimes when I pet her, she’ll lift her head up towards my hand. I think that means that she doesn’t want to be petted?

[sarahthegemini]

First of all, you’ve only had her a few days. She needs to settle in! Secondly, no animal wants to be confined so it’s hardly surprising that she wants to get out. That’s not naughty behaviour, it’s normal. Thirdly, bunnies sleep and relax during the day and are most active early morning and evening/night. 

I would always recommend having a pair rather than a single bun but you’ll need to properly bond them once all involved are neutered and spayed. 

[Luna]

She definitely needs time outside of her cage. Since she isn’t litter trained, you could maybe put down some puppy pee pads or a sheet if you are worried about her going to the bathroom on the floor. And even then, she might just hop back in her cage if she feels she is going to pee or poop. Buns are crepuscular (most active around dawn and dusk), so it isn’t unusual that you’ll catch her napping at other times. If she likes being petted, she probably won’t try to get away from you, and she may even tooth purr to show her enjoyment. If she doesn’t like being petted, she will move away from you, push your hand away, or thump her foot. It’s hard to say whether her lifting her head towards your hand is an offer to groom/pet her, or an attempt to push your hand away, though I’d guess that she is asking to be pet.

[knnguy]

What if I buy her a friend that’s about 1 month younger than her? They’ll both be babies so would the bonding be hard?

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By knnguy on 4/11/2017 10:35 AM

What if I buy her a friend that’s about 1 month younger than her? They’ll both be babies so would the bonding be hard?

You can’t properly bond babies and if you get a bun that’s a month younger, it’ll only be 4 weeks old? A rabbit that young shouldn’t even be away from its mother at that age. Bunnies can only be bonded once they’re healed from their spay and neuter. 

[Author]

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