New rabbit owner

[Buns]

Hi everyone.

I bought a cute bunny (dwarf lop) a week ago and I really love her. A few days ago, we decided to let her explore the house while still checking on her, to make sure that she wasn’t eating or chewing things that she shouldn’t. It took her a while, I think it was mostly because we have wooden floor and she was slipping when she was trying to walk on the floor. Eventually she was more confident and she was able to walk and run for a bit (she would slip if she ran too much).

I have the week off this week, so I let her out of her cage most of the time that I’m here. I noticed that she likes to go behind her cage (her cage is in front of our kitchen walls, on a corner) and just stay there, laying on the floor. She would scratch the wall, time to time, but she mostly passes her time behind her cage, quiet. The pet store told us that she was between 2 or 3 month old, not spayed. Do you know why she would stay there, most of the time ?

Also, I’m trying to litter train her (she would poop like crazy on the blanket that I put on my laps, even pee). She goes in her litter to poop, but not everytimes. She would poop half of the time in her litter and the other half would be outside her litter (but still in the cage). I read that I should put some hay on top of the litter and put some of her poop on top too, so she could recognize that this is the place to do her business. Do you have other ideas/solutions? I try to catch her while she’s pooping to put her on her litter, but I don’t really see when she’s pooping (I read that her tail should lift up, but her tail is so tiny, it’s hard to see). 

Thank you very much for your answers, I just want her to feel at home, loved and secured.

Sleepyhead

[Sirius&Luna]

Most bunnies will choose a tight spot to lie in, my bunny’s favourite places include the little space behind their pen. I guess its because it feels safe, like a burrow or tunnel. They do spend a lot of their time sleeping/lazing so it doesn’t sound abnormal at all.

I would suggest you get some rugs for your floor, rabbits tend to find wood difficult to walk on, and it will be hard for her to speed around and jump, and do the things bunnies like to do if she can’t get a grip on the floor. It’s also good for them to have soft patches for their feet so they don’t get sore hocks.

Does she pee in her litter tray? The easiest way to get bunnies to poop in their litter trays is to have their hay in there, as they tend to poop while they eat. Make sure she has to eat hay by sitting in her litter tray, and that should help. Pick up any stray poops and put them in the litter tray, and if she pees outside it, mop it up with a paper towel and put that in too. Some bunnies will just do the odd poop outside their tray unfortunately, mine still do. Luckily, you stop being squeemish about picking them up pretty quickly!

You might also want to gradually expand the space she has. Going from her cage to the whole house probably makes it harder for her to bother going back to her litter tray. If her cage is in the kitchen start with her in just the kitchen, then expand from there. You can also put litter trays in different rooms.

[Luna]

She is adorable! One of Luna’s favorite napping spots is against the wall too . Do you have a hideaway she could go into? Buns are crepuscular, so it’s not uncommon for them to sleep a lot during the day/night.

Intact buns tend to not have as good litter habits as buns who are spayed/neutered, but it isn’t uncommon for either bun to pee on blankets (I’m not sure why).

[Buns]

Thanks a lot for your answers, it helped me a lot. I took an appointment with the vet and I can’t wait to discuss these kind of things and the operation with the vet.

[Author]

Messages