New bunny

[Hailey]

Hi everyone,
Saturday night (5/11) we got some bunnies in at my work. They were in a hoarding situation, all went to the vet and checked out in good health, and we partnered with 4H to get them adopted. I couldn’t resist, so I took one home. I’m not sure how old he is but I know he is full grown. I’m also not sure if he is neutered (not sure how to tell??)
Anyway, he seemed nervous the first night, but by the second day he was acting like he’s lived here for 40 years lol.
I just have some concerns and was hoping to get some answers to ease my mind.
First off, I have not seen him drink any water. I have tried putting water on my hand for him to lick off – nothing. I tried putting the water bottle to his mouth – still nothing. He is eating, but I haven’t noticed him eating any of the pellets. I have only seen him eat a carrot, lettuce, Timothy grass and a vitamin treat.
Also concerning his behavior, like I said he seemed okay the first two days but then he started acting weird. Last night he started to try to dig into the couch/blanket. Today it’s like all he wants to do is dig/scratch/chew the couch and blanket! He also has been nudging me hard, almost like he wants me to get out of his way. He is very curious and while he sometimes will sit still while being pet, most of the time he is trying to explore. Earlier today he kept nudging my hand while I was relaxing on the couch, and he actually bit me and pushed my hand out of the way. Almost like he wasn’t even trying to bite, he just wanted to move my hand. I let it go but then a few hours later I took him out of his cage again and he nipped the back of my hand and grunted.
I have been trying to find answers on google but I haven’t really found anything helpful.
Does he not like me? He has not acted like this towards my boyfriend at all. Or maybe he is just adjusting to his new home??
Any info is appreciated.
Thank you,
Hailey

[Bam]

Thank you for taking this bunny in!

A mature male bunny should have scrotal sacs ie testicles. A rabbit can suction them up into the belly though for example when he’s feeling stressed, so the absence of visible testicles is not a sure sign the rabbit is neutered.

If he’s been eating veggies and not a lot of pellets, he’s probably got enough water from the greens. Rabbits on a diet with lots of fresh greens barely drink at all.

As for digging and scratching it could be about stress relief (getting a new home is stressful even if it’s a change from a bad situation to a much better one). Rabbits have a proneness to digging. It’s not a sign of anything being wrong. You can give him a cheap fleece blanket to dig and burrow in, it’s often highly appreciated by the bunny, but the blanket will never be quite itself again, so don’t give him anything you really like.

As for nudging/nipping you he probably did want you to move your hand. Nudges and nips can mean “Pet me” or “A treat, perchance?” Or just “You’re in my way, move”. Rabbits as a rule use their nose and mouth and teeth to communicate with us. Aggressive biting tends to be rather unmistakable and often accompanied by growling and/or boxing.

It seems like he’s trying to communicate with you, and that rather means he’s accepting you. If he didn’t like you I doubt he’d try to “speak”with you.

[Hailey]

Thank you! This makes me feel a lot better.

[Nutmeg]

LOL Pretty much everything Bam said.
Almost everything you said above is my bunny to a T lol.
He only wants to be petted on his terms… And he loves to dig dig dig too.
But its honestly good that he’s up and exploring and feeling comfortable so soon. – it will take some time for him to get used to you and more comfortable. Just sit on the ground at his level and just mostly ignore him. Read a book, watch tv, mess around on your phone. Let him come up to you and even then don’t do anything for the first few times.

Oh and when he nips at you just squeek really loudly – after a few times they usually start to learn that it hurts you and either stop all together or just nip a bit gentler.
I know you said he doesn’t act that way towards your boyfriend, and honestly mine doesn’t act the same way to my husband as me… BUT I’m with them a lot more than he is lol.

Congrats on the new addition and good for you for taking him in.

OH And here is a great article from this site on good things to feed him
https://binkybunny.com/BUNNYINFO/tabid/53/CategoryID/2/PID/940/Default.aspx

[Author]

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