New Anti-Social Bun?

[MyBunGusGus]

I’ve adopted a few rabbits from different situations – I had GusGus who was super social and all he wanted was human attention, GiGi who came from an abusive past and would do her own thing, and my mom and sister have had rabbits who were loving/social.

I recently began fostering-to-adopt Moxie, a 1 year-old dwarf bunny girl who knows absolutely nothing about human interaction. She had no name, and had only been in a hutch with her parents and sister before. Unfortunately, she was surrendered and now is a solo-bun. We have plans to introduce her to my mom’s 1 year-old boy, but are waiting for her to be fixed and more settled.

She is not interested in coming out of her cage, and hides from us when we come near, or reach into her cage to feed her or straighten her things (put poops in their box, clean boxes, add hay, etc.) She doesn’t seem to show any signs of depression, she eats and drinks well, as well as uses her litterbox well (although we’re trying to figure out a solution to peeing in her bed). She isn’t aggressive at all, and has never grunted, growled, or tried to bite us.

My question is: how do I encourage her to come out of her cage? I want her to run and stretch her legs, but she won’t leave her cage. She can’t be bribed with treats, and she is very wary of humans. We’ve only had her for a few days, so part of this might just be a waiting game, but I was wondering if there’s anything that you guys have done to socialize the anti-social bun?

Binky Free, GiGi and GusGus. You are always in my heart.

[DanaNM]

I think she just needs space and time, you’ve only had her a few days. My foster Bonnie showed no interest in coming out for basically the first two weeks I had her, so I just gave her space and didn’t bother her or try to pet her. I basically would only feed her and clean her litter box. I even did the litter box every three days instead of every two, just to not mess with her “stuff” as often.

The third week I decided to try opening her cage at night when it was quieter and we were in bed (in the same room, since I’m in a studio), since I didn’t think she showed much inclination to be destructive. After a couple days of this she started coming out and then would zoom around the room late at night. Then after about a week more she was ready to come out, basically waiting at the door to her pen as soon as we let her out.

Now (several months later) she loves nose rubs and seems like a totally different rabbit.

So yeah, just give it time! Try not to hover. Hand feeding is good, and giving her the option to explore without you right near her will prob help too.

Regarding peeing on the bed, lots of rabbits pee on soft things. So it might be good to remove everything soft for now, so she only has her litter box as the enticing spot to pee. Spaying should also help, but some buns just can’t really have soft beds for that reason.

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[snowballsmomma]

When I was volunteering at my animal shelter, we frequently had buns come in that seemed anti-social or scared.  We were always encouraged to go into the pen, and just sit away from the rabbit, read a book, or lie down for 15-20 minutes.  The purpose was in hopes that the bun would slowly get used to people and maybe come inspect you once they feel comfortable.  I think with Moxie, maybe just sit outside the cage for a while each day, and slowly move closer to her each day?  I definitely agree though that it’s quite early and is probably a waiting game either way though 🙂

[HipHopBunny]

I agree with all that has been said above. 🙂

Try not to give up hope! It is hard, for all we want is to see them be happy, and binky. Different rabbits take different amounts of time though. 🙂 That being said, the things we value most, are the things that we worked hard to get. In the end, you will have a happy bond, and see binkies daily. 😉

One thing that my rabbits love is listening to some soft piano. It calms them down and relaxes them, takes away some of the tenseness. 🙂                                                                        Playing off what has been said above – sitting in the room during that time is good too, so that she will remember fond times with you, and feel calmer with your presence. Another idea is to read aloud so that she can get used to hearing your voice, or you could sing her a song. 🙂

You will get there! The longest journey starts with a single step. 🙂

Wishing you calming energy! 😉

[Wick & Fable]

Indeed, patience. Also remember that as you may observe progress, there may be better and worse days, and that could be from her end, not anything you might be doing particularly wrong. When I first got my Fable, in a somewhat humorous fashion, she would always be at the furthest side of the room possible from me. I would move somewhere (not towards her), and she would get herself to the hidey hole furthest away from my new destination. It took about 6mo for some interaction to be more stable, and now we’ve had her for a year and she is much more sociable, asks for pets, and doesn’t run away. Lots of patience and understanding is needed for some buns.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Bam]

My Bam took a very long time to get used to his hooms. I dont know what kind of life he had had before he came to me, but he was very withdrawn and mostly sat under a coffee table. I could only pet him when he was eating – he probably didn’t even notice while he was eating, he was very food oriented. I just let him do his thing, I didn’t know much about rabbits, so I thought all rabbits were like that 🤪

I learnt so much thanks to Bam. He eventually became a very cuddly, very social bun. It took almost a whole year though (he was fully adult when I found him, so he was probably very set in his ways).

 

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