New Bunny Very Shy, Won't Venture Out of Crate

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 6sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 6 months ago by HipHopBunny.

Viewing 6 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 08/19/2020 at 12:17 PM
  BraveDandelion
  Participant
  4 posts
  Hi all,
  
  We adopted Dandelion on Saturday and he is about 6mo. At the shelter he seemed very outgoing/active (coming up to the door of his cage for pets, running, jumping, digging, etc). We were actually a little worried after visiting with him that he might be too rambunctious, but we liked him a lot so we went for it. Now that we have him home however he seems very sedentary, very easily startled, and will almost never let me pet him. He mostly stays inside the cardboard box we gave him to hide in and only seems to venture out to stealthily eat and use the litter box. He doesn’t seem to be playing with toys or anything much either. I am starting to wonder if what we interpreted as him being hyper were actually just anxiety behaviors. I have fully bunny-proofed our living room/kitchen, but he seems like he wouldn’t dream of venturing outside of his crate. He is eating and drinking just fine and seems healthy, so I’m not worried about that. Is it likely that he will ever be brave enough to play around the house?
- 08/19/2020 at 1:37 PM
  HipHopBunny
  Participant
  640 posts
  I wouldn’t worry. Some buns are very shy when introduced to new places, there are new sites, new smells, everything is foreign to them. He will come out of hiding, in his own time, so I wouldn’t force him out or anything. 🙂
  
  Hopefully, he comes out of shyness and nervousness soon! All good and happy bonds do take time. 🙂
- 08/20/2020 at 7:39 PM
  BraveDandelion
  Participant
  4 posts
  UPDATE: After much bribery and hanging out, Dandy finally decided to venture out of his cage tonight. He’s back in his hiding box now, but it’s definitely progress.
- 08/20/2020 at 7:44 PM
  HipHopBunny
  Participant
  640 posts
  Yay! One step at a time. 🙂 Keep us posted.
- 08/31/2020 at 11:48 AM
  BraveDandelion
  Participant
  4 posts
  UPDATE: after a little over 2 weeks, he has progressed to exploring daily, binkying and doing zoomies, lying around on the rug, and accepting pets when relaxing 😊
- 09/01/2020 at 6:38 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5834 posts
  So exciting! Things take time, especially for a prey animal. As long as your consistent in sending trustworthy vibes, most rabbits come around.
  
  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.
- 09/01/2020 at 6:44 PM
  HipHopBunny
  Participant
  640 posts
  YAY! The things we cherish the most are the things we worked hard to get. 🙂 I’m sure you will have a loving bond in no time! Keep us posted!
Author

Messages

Viewing 6 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.