My first bunny; questions

[Cinnabunny]

Hello! I’ve recently adopted my bunny Nancy, and she’s been in our home for 3 days, including today. She’s seemed very energetic (she’s especially very excited when it’s time to eat) and I just have a couple questions that I’d like answered;

Firstly, although very clean when at the rescue home, she was a clean bunny. Always went in her little box. She’s still fairly clean, but she leaves little poops everywhere away from the litter box. Anything I can do to make sure she goes in her box?

Secondly, she seems to be slightly scared; even though she’s comfortable with me, (she flops next to me often when I sit with her- I’d visited her for months before finally bringing her home) she is breathing very fast. I know that rabbits breath particularly quickly, it seems faster than it should be. Can I do anything to calm her down?

And lastly, as much as I love her (so so much), I am particularly annoyed when she starts to bang around her cage in the middle of the night. I have fed her 1/2 a cup a day (in segments; 1/4 cup in the morning, 1/4 cup in the evening) yet she keeps waking me up in the early morning. I love her lots but it’s interrupted my good nights sleep a little, and I’d appreciate it if I could get that little bit of sleep back.

Help is very much appreciated.

details on Nancy: she’s most likely a holland lop, and she’s a gorgeous girl. She’s eager to come and sniff your hand and loves head rubs. She’s brown and white, and she has an adorable little nose. She’s a precious bunn.

[Mikey]

Is she spayed? How old is she? Does she have unlimited timothy hay at all times?

1) Territory poops since she is in a new area Just pick them up and put them into her litter tray

2) Breathing fast and flopping is usually a sign that a bunny is out of energy and wants to relax

3) More energy! Help her burn it! More toys, more room, more running time, ect. If you can help her burn all of her energy off before bed, she shouldnt start to wake you up until much later as she gets used to running around during the day more often

[Cinnabunny]

Yes, Nancy is spayed. And thank you! I’ll make sure to find some toys for her to play with other than her cardboard box. Thank you very much!!

[Mikey]

No problem. Welcome to BinkyBunny! Is Nancy the pretty bunny in your profile picture?

[Cinnabunny]

Yes! That’s Nancy. I’m still trying to figure out how to upload photos on here (as I am using mobile) but when I do, I have over 70 I’ve taken in the last few days of her to share. She’s a lovely girl.

[LBJ10]

Yes, she is likely marking her new territory. Hopefully that will resolve itself as she gets settled in, but pick up stray poops in the meantime and put them in her litter box.

If she is making noise at night, do not reinforce the behavior. All bunnies make some noise, but they can develop annoying habits is they think it will get them what they want (assuming they are doing it because they want something). If she is just too full of energy, I like Mikey’s suggestion of getting her moving so she’s wearing herself out a bit before bed. Cat treat balls are great if your bunny is food-motivated.

[Cinnabunny]

Thank you very much!! I’ll be buying some toys for her sometime soon this week. The most concerning thing at the moment is her nighttime activities;; I’ll do my best to keep the bunn happy and myself well rested.

[BunnyFriends]

I have a bar chewer as well. Mine does it when she wants out – so I give a firm no, a squirt with the spray bottle, and only let her out when she has stopped. She still does it some, but Winter has gotten MUCH better.

It might not be the same reason your bunny chews bars, but once you get those toys she might stop. Even if she doesn’t, make sure you say no and don’t give her what she wants while she does it, otherwise she’ll continue.

[meridiian]

Welcome. Nancy looks adorable and it sounds like she has found a loving home. Things will settle down in time – good suggestions above.

Looking forward to seeing your pics 🙂

[Author]

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