“Normal” Baby Bunny behavior??

[BunnyNewbie]

Hi,

We just got a baby bunny for my 12 year old daughter. She’s an old soul and when she told me she wanted a rabbit, I told her she better start her research.  She did, for months – she figured out the best breed for her, asked for a male and to neuter him, knew what size the enclosure should be and how to bunny proof her room for him to free-range, and would “pop-quiz” me on diet and grooming and bonding details.  We lined up a vet and I started looking for local breeders with good reputations. We were as prepared as we could be for caring for and bonding with a skittish, delicate, fearful, sensitive, baby bunny.

We brought him home three nights ago and … well, he’s not at all what I expected. He’s an 8 wk old Holland Lop, and he’s not fussed by much of anything.  He seems to love being held and petted and picked up and he’s not really scared of anything. I clipped the tips of his nails today and I’m not even sure he noticed. He’s so content with just about everything that I wonder if I’m misreading him. I’ve never had a rabbit before, so I’m going on similarities to other animals (neonate kittens, sugar gliders, dogs, cats), and what I’ve read.  Every sign I know of tells me he’s happy and chill – but we were prepared for it to take weeks for us to be able to handle him – is it possible there’s something wrong with him?  He eats and drinks and poops as described in the literature.  I know from reading this forum that bunnies have their own personalities, but is it really “typical” for a bunny this young to be so completely laid back??

[LBJ10]

This is normal… but don’t get used to it. 😉

Baby bunnies are often very “chill” and tolerant at that age. People will be like “Aww, my bunny is so sweet! He likes to be held and cuddled!” Boy are they in for a shock when hormones start kicking in, which is sooner than a lot of people think. It isn’t unusual for it to happen overnight, as if a light switch was flipped on. Suddenly, baby bunny isn’t so sweet and cuddly anymore. They begin exhibiting normal adult-like behavior and, of course, hormone-driven behavior. Hang in there though!

Once your new bunny is neutered, you will be able to work on that bond again. He will likely never be the same cuddly bunny again, but he will definitely find ways to show his affection in his own way. For some bunnies, this comes in the form of begging for food and demanding pets.

[BunnyNewbie]

🙂 thanks for the heads up.  We will enjoy the cuddles while they last. I’ll be sad when he’s not sweet any more, but I do have experience with hormones turning a darling child into a terror (my 16 yo son whom I love dearly but am not speaking to at the moment).  😆

 

Speaking of neutering, I’ve been reading 4 months, but is there a better metric, like weight, to go on?  For example, we spay foster kittens as soon as they hit two pounds. I’m just thinking a 4 month old Holland is going to be much smaller than a 4 mo of another breed.  Also, with sugar gliders we are careful to find a vet that will use a laser to close the incision rather than sutures, because stitches can make gliders self-mutilate. Are there any similar considerations to be aware of for rabbits?  Preferred methods or techniques?

[LBJ10]

He’s a Holland, so I doubt he’ll be too crazy. Maybe… LOL

My Holland is the typical lazy lop. His puberty phase was pretty mild, but everybun is different. They really are like a box of chocolates. 😉

Boys can technically be neutered once the testicles have dropped. Generally, this is around 12 weeks. Some vets may prefer the bunny is a certain weight, but that is their preference and not necessarily a requirement. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe most vets use glue. I don’t recall having stitches that needed to be removed. Most bunnies will leave it alone, but we have seen a few cases on the forum where bunny needed an e-collar. It’s best to avoid an e-collar if possible though.

[jerseygirl]

It’s possible he will stay a love bug, after that bump in the road a.k.a puberty. 😛  It’s definitely the exception, not the rule. Most rabbits will tolerate but not enjoy being held. But you could be lucky enough to have yourself one that does even as an adult bun.

Perhaps the breeder handled the rabbits a lot from birth and they’ve gotten use to it. You’ll still get rabbits that wont like it regardless of that though. They can all be different.

[BunnyNewbie]

Thank you both!

[Author]

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