rescue rabbit won’t go off her own carpet

[peach&winny]

Hi! I recently adopted a 5 year old bunny from someone who had rescued her 6 months ago. Before that she had apparently never really been out of her cage, had some respiratory and gut issues, & the kids she lived with had been pulling out her little lions mane.
Despite all that, this is the sweetest bunny ever. She will never bite, she doesn’t chew at all on things she’s not supposed to, she eats the smallest pellets out of your hand so carefully. She loves being pet, she runs over to me once I get close and demands face scratchies.
She came with a carpet. I have wood floors, and they were far too slippery for her I could tell, so I put down another carpet beside hers to give her more area. She’s been completely free roam since day 1, zero issues, mostly because she won’t leave her carpet!

She’s ventured a few steps onto the other carpet, but she’s very cautious about it & it doesn’t last long. I made her a cardboard box hide with exits on all sides and I can only coerce her front half in with treats. I’ve put down towels, fleece blankets, etc etc, I can tell she kind of wants to go on them and explore but she’s unsure about it all.

She’s so sweet & I just want her to know she’s safe here & she can explore. I know since she’s older & so timid she’s just more comfortable in her own space with her own stuff. Just want the world for her ahahah

[DanaNM]

Thank you for adopting her! How long has she been with you? It sounds like you are doing all the right things, and she prob just needs more time. 🙂

If she doesn’t already have one, she may appreciate having a cage, condo, or pen as her “home base”, even if it’s left open 24/7. I’ve noticed especially more timid buns like to have a “burrow” to retreat to.

She may surprise you! My bunny foster-fail Bonnie (a bun who had been at the shelter far too long and had gotten cage-aggressive) was very shy at first and took a while to come out of her pen. She started venturing out at night while we were asleep first, then I heard her zooming around at 4 am! Then when we moved it took her about a month to start exploring the room again. Now she is quite comfortable though. 🙂

. . . 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.  

[Wick & Fable]

Over time, especially onto a new carpet, I’m sure she’ll explore. You can try placing and serving food closer to the border of the two carpets. One of my rabbits is particularly anxious — she ‘army crawls’ whenever there is a change in environment. This includes leaving socks on the floor.

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.

[DanaNM]

“army crawls” ! That sounds so cute. We say Bonnie acts like a clown fish when there’s a change… she goes a step out of her pen… then back in… then out… then back in… then eventually she comes out lol

. . . 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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