settling in

[Melissa]

Hi everyone.  I’ve been lurking for a few weeks now, and got my first bun from the Sacramento House Rabbit Society yesterday.  Basically I was wondering if I should just leave her alone in her cage, or open the doors for a few hours a day to let her explore if she’d like.  I opened the doors for a few hours last night and this morning.  She doesn’t seem nervous (she looks relaxed most of the time, laying down with her eyes half-closed) but she also doesn’t seem that interested in any interaction yet either.  Should I keep trying or just leave her alone?  Thanks.

 

 

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[MooBunnay]

OMG – Californian Bunny! Yay!! Those are my favorites Thanks so much for rescuing her! Those large bunnies with pink eyes tend to get left behind a lot.

She’s probably a bit nervous about her environment, and also in my experience, the larger bunnies are much more “chilled out” so that would also lead her to not being in “explore mode.” I’d recommend only leaving the doors open when you can closely supervise her, just because you never know what she might discover to get into, and you want to make sure her litter habits are very good in her cage, and then slowly give her more and more free range so that she maintains her good habits. With a nice large bunny like that though, I bet it won’t be long until you can let her have free range I recommend just sitting on the floor with her, hand feeding her treats from time to time, and lots of pets on the head for her until she starts to feel more comfortable.

[MarkBun]

My suggestion as always is to sit on the floor and read a book. It will get her curiosity up and she’ll come hopping over to you. Then, instead of a head pet, give her a small treat. She’ll begin to associate coming to you with a reward and you’ll find her becoming a more friendly bunny.

[babybunsmum]

oh she’s so sweet!  do you have a name for her yet?  sounds like you’re doing a fine job so far.. leaving the cage door open for times when you can hang out on the floor is a great way to get aquainted like others have said.  glad you joined us here

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Welcome to Binky bunny!! Beautiful Rabbit! She does look relaxed-she knows she’s found her ‘forever home’ now, so she’s just chilling Thanks for the pics!

[Beka27]

oh she’s so cute!  everyone pretty much summed it up.  give her a chance to explore at her own pace… keep a close eye on her (watching her will also alert you to things that may need to be moved or bunnyproofed that you might have overlooked).  and just do your thing, she’ll do hers, and she will try and come up to you to see what’s up.

[Floppy]

Thanks for the pics and rescuing a bun! I would try the being on the floor
and hanging out w her idea. She will come to you when shes curious or when
shes more comfortable with you.

[Melissa]

Thanks for the tips everyone.  I was just wondering if I was asking too much of her too soon.  I’ll definitely grab a book and get on the floor.

Babybunsmum, her name was Lucia, but we’ve renamed her Mocha.  I dunno, she just looked like a ‘Mocha’ to me, lol.  Thanks again everyone!

[babybunsmum]

ahhah!  hence the screen name… prolly could’ve cracked that one (if it wasn’t monday)   very cute name!  have fun getting acquainted

[Gravehearted]

welcome Mocha! My very first bunny was named Droste (which is a Dutch brand of cocoa) and he was a himmie – which have really similar markings to their California cousins 🙂 So, I can say on good authority… WHAT A CUTIE!!

I am so happy that you adopted, hurray!!

I’m a big fan of laying on the floor and ignoring the bunny. When we’re down on their level, we’re much less intimidating. They just can’t resist coming over and checking you out. Poking you is bunnyspeak for hey I’m here!

Hand feeding veggies can also help win over a shy bunbun.

[Hannah]

She’s lovely! I hope she becomes as cuddly as she looks. n___n She just seems like a very squeezable bunny. Good luck!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Awe Mocha is a cuite pie! Welcome to Binky Bunny! I haven’t anything to add except happy bonding with your new addition! I too want to thank you for adopting!

[Lisa_43]

Good on you for getting a rescue bunny.

The people on Binky Bunny are really supportive and have been a great help to me.

 So any questions will come up with some great ideas.

As the saying goes many heads are better than one.

[Deleted User]

i have somwhat adopted a buny..the person i got my bun from had too many..she could not take care of the ones she had…Beepers(the buns name)…is just a joy..but is shy..it has taken 3 weeks just to pet him on the head…is this normal? and will i ever get to pick him up and snuggle with him…he is neutered and is 1 1/2 yrs old…he comes from a place that had several buns..had full run of house…he has that here..thanks for any help with this…

[Scarlet_Rose]

It is normal for a bunny to be shy at first and the best thing to do is give them time and space and spend lots of time on the floor with them and let them come to you. You read a book during this time and bunnies, naturally curious will come up to you,, reward with a treat and eventually a pet on the head. I do want to caution you that most bunnies are not snugglebunnies and it will likely take a lot of time and patience for him to warm up to you. Just be persistent and gentle with the fella and I think you’ll do wonderfully. Also, if he was used to being around other bunnies and now he is alone, he could be a little depressed so it would be a good thing to spend a little extra time with him.

[Deleted User]

thank you for responding…i thought he was missing the other buns and i was looking for a way to help him along with that..i give him extra aple treats and carrot treats..he does not play with toys…but he does do binkies for me…so he seems to be coming around…thanks again

[MooBunnay]

As Scarlet Rose said – its pretty normal to not be able to pet a bunny on the head right away. For some reason, the “head pet” seems to be the most threatening to one of my shy buns, I think its because she used to live outdoors, and the motion of a hand coming over her head reminds her of a predator and she bolts. I would recommend hand feeding treats, and when the bunny is distracted with a treat, try petting him on the head then, or when he is eating his pellets, try giving him some pets while he is eating, so he will understand that the head pets are OK.

[Deleted User]

thanks moobunnay every comment helps i have never had a bun before and it is a challenge but he is such a nice bun and he needed to be out of his situationa..i wish icould have taken a couple of more..this person has way too many buns..and she can’t take care of them…they are allowed to run the house and that is a sight…so i need all the help i can get..thanks again

[Deleted User]

OMG!!! My bun look just like yours but mine is bigger and has white paws. Her name is also Mocha!!! LOL

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome and it sounds like you are doing a great job! Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with or if you’re willing to share the progress we would love to hear about it too!

[wendyzski]

Awww – sounds like she is settling in nicely.

My Pepper was a rescue too, and it was a good 4 months before she decided head-pets were okay.

[Deleted User]

I got a bun (Beepers) about 3 weeks ago and he has checked everything possible out and knows where his litterbox and food are…but that is not where I want to leave it…I fianlly found the cube things to build a space for him and his stuff that is not in the Living room (where it is now)…is it ok to move it….to the place where I permantly want it to be or is it going to confuse him..it is going to be in a room where he hangs out in all day…

Also he has never been in a cage according to the previous owner…I am not going to make this a cage per say…it wiil always be open at one end it will just be surrounded on 3 sides with his litterbox food and water dishes and toys and blankets in it…

[MooBunnay]

It will be really nice for your bunny to have a little “home/cage” to hang out in, they tend to like to have a little space they can call their own. If you move his cage, I would recommend once you move it, putting him in there for a bit of time, maybe a few hours, so that he can get used to the new location. Bunnies tend not to like change, so you might experience a bit of a protest from him for a day or two, depending on how familiar he has gotten with the current location. Once, I moved my bunny’s bedroom litterbox about 2 feet to the left, and in protest for this “unauthorized move” they peed and pooped on my bed! I actually just found it a bit funny, and a sign of rabbit’s intelligence, because as soon as I moved it back to its original location – they went right back to peeing and pooping in the litterbox.

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