Rabbit suddenly scared of his own shadow

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This topic has 1sd reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 1 month ago by Wick & Fable.

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- 10/05/2018 at 3:38 AM
  Minnie212
  Participant
  2 posts
  Dino my oldest bunny has been acting quite strange recently and it is starting to really worry me. He is bonded with 4 other rabbits and they all live in the living room together. Dino lost his brother last year and since then we adopted 2 girls and bonded them with him. We then adopted another boy and girl and bonded them all together in July. Since then there have been a few rocky patches but no fighting or anything. About a month ago we had to put them all back into the pen because bluebelle (our partially sighted bunny) had been nipping and chasing Dino. However after a few weeks in the pen we let them back out and they’ve been in and out of the garden since. What worries me is that Dino is scared of the slightest little movement from the other bunnies and runs and skids to get away when in fact no one is chasing or hurting him. The past few weeks he has been sitting on the couch for long periods of time which worries me he is not eating or drinking enough. (I have seen him eating drinking and pooping). He also actively avoids the area the others sit in and uses the other litter tray more than the one in their corner. I really need some help here because I said from the start Dino is our priority so I don’t want him feeling stressed all the time. I don’t really want to have to put them back in the pen as he seems really unhappy in there. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
- 10/07/2018 at 3:49 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5813 posts
  It sounds like Dino did not adequately form a bond with the others and while it was tolerable in the beginning, now it’s making him very uncomfortable, even if it seemed to be fine with all of them before. He sounds like a rabbit scared of other rabbits due to instinctive reasons. Rabbits have good eyesight for seeing movement, so if a rabbit is scared of seeing other rabbits, it’s natural its own rabbit-shaped shadow would be frightening.
  
  Could you restart the bonding process with him and the others, potentially just one at a time? Focus on one rabbit pairing, and keep at it until you can do more introductions.
  
  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.
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