Nothing crazy…just curious…

[WinnietheLops]

My husband and I have had a Hollan Lop, Winnie, for just a year now and she’s been great for the most part besides her sassy attitude lol. She does have cataracts, unfortunately, so she can be rather skittish sometimes, but she has learned to trust and love us after a lot of trial and error. But we finally understand Winnie’s language and the last 4 months have been awesome.

Well, today we brought home a 10 week old Mini Rex and we named him Leo. In just the few hours that we’ve had him, we’re assuming it’s a him, we can see HUGE personality differences. Winnie is spayed, but we won’t be attempting to really bond them until after he has been fixed and healed. Winnie and Leo did meet with sniffing through the wires of Leo’s playpen, but that’s it. Since then, Winnie hasn’t shown any interest and that’s totally okay with me. Winnie is a free-roam bun and once her and Leo are bonded, he will be free-roam as well. We still definitely plan to give him time out of his playpen when Winnie is eating or relaxing in her playpen.

But what my husband and I have noticed with Winnie, is that she has been the clingiest she has ever been and has constantly been seeking us out which is pretty rare for her. She has her patterns of coming to us, but this is very out of the ordinary for her. I’m not at all complaining since it means more Winnie snuggles, but I’m wondering if anyone else’s older rabbit has done this after bringing home a new rabbit? Is this her being possessive or her feeling threatened?

Also, Leo is already putting on the explorer hat as much as he can but is tearing his playpen apart pretty badly. We didn’t have this issue with Winnie and still don’t really, she keeps her home rather clean. But Leo is already digging, chewing, and definitely trying to escape even though he is living in a much bigger enclosure than the friend we got him from. Leo has chew toys and even the stuffed animal rabbit he would carry around with him from his previous home, so he has things to do. He lived in an outdoor hutch with 4 of his sibling and his mom, so I know he can be homesick, but I’m not used to this destruction–any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know it will take Leo some time to adjust to an indoor bunny lifestyle and that we’ll see his true personality in a few days or some weeks once he’s more comfortable with us, but if I’m missing anything or there are any tips to helping him adjust easier, please let me know!

Thanks so much!

[DanaNM]

Very interesting!

Regarding Winnie’s behavior change, it’s great that you are seeing positive changes. That might shift a bit when Leo hit’s puberty, but hopefully not. I don’t think she feels threatened. She could be smelling Leo on you and wanting to check that out. She also could be comforted by the presence of another rabbit around, especially since she can’t see well and he’s a baby (so not a threat just yet). It also could be that she’s just settling in more and more each day (or a combo of all of those things).

And OMG i feel your struggle about crazy young bunny energy. I have two girls who are just so tidy, and both my boys are so gross LOL. And my newest bun Cooper is a young neutered male who has crazy energy, gets into everything, and needs lots of toys to keep him occupied. I’ve really had to up my bunny-proofing with him as he jumps and climbs on everything.

With Leo, I would work on making sure he is safely contained and can’t eat through his pen. NIC cube grids work really well for making temporary housing and fencing that can be reconfigured once they are bonded. Finding chew toys that he likes will help, as well as him getting used to his routine. Even simple things like cardboard boxes stuffed with paper will help keep him busy.  I think it’s normal for them to test all the borders and everything at first, and then once they settle in to the space they stop (unless something changes). I always joke that ours are like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park… always testing the borders for weaknesses.

. . . 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.  

[Author]

Messages