I adopted a one year old Mini Rex last week from a lady who could not take care of him. She didn’t share much about him or his past history, but I knew she was wanting to get rid of him because she was highly allergic. I’m not too familiar with this type of breed; I am in the process of learning! If you know anything about the Mini Rex, please tell me all that you know!
Humphrey, my new rabbit, is currently in a large cage in my basement. Inside the cage he has his own bunny house, litter box, food dish, and water bottle. So far he seems to be doing well. I left him in the cage for the first couple days so he could get used to his new home. Since then I’ve been letting Humphrey out of his cage three times a day in a small area in my basement. It was quite difficult at first because I could tell he had no human interaction before I got him. He was so scared of me; it took quite a while for him to get used to me even petting him. Humphrey lets me pet him when ever I have a treat in hand, but if I don’t, typically he will hop away from me. Is this normal? If I make any sudden movement, he runs off. If I keep on bonding with him, will he sooner or later not be afraid if I move around a bit or pet him even if I don’t have food on me? How can I build trust between he and I?
He will NOT tolerate being held whatsoever, so I’m not going to try until he is completely comfortable with me being around and petting him. I’m afraid he’s going to be that type of rabbit that despises being held, but that’s typical. The only issue because of that is trying to get him back into his cage after his play time is over. I often have to wait for him to finally hop back into his cage or try to lure him in with a treat. How can I get him in his cage quicker?
Over all, he is a sweet rabbit that just hasn’t had much interactions with any human beings. He’s improving, a bit. Humphrey shows his affection by licking my hand once in a while, grinding his teeth when I stroke his head, and sitting on my back. Since he isn’t neutered, he sometimes circles me making a small honking noise. Only once has he attempted to hump my leg, but I discouraged him by pushing him away.
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