When will he start to play?

[giantbunny]

I have had Howard since Saturday night. I was not home much on Sunday and then had to work on Monday. I opened his door last night (Monday night) and he came out and explored a bit but stayed close to his cage. Tonight I have the door open and he came out for a minute or so earlier but went right back in his cage. He is a very tame rabbit and lets me pet him and is very calm if I’m down on his level/feeding him/scooping his litter, etc. He gets happy every once in a while and will hop a few circles around the cage but the door is open and he could be doing that all down the hall. When will he come out and start to play?

Also my hubby and I added and shelf in his cage (a large dog crate) for him to perch on. I don’t believe he has gotten up there yet, will he eventually be interested?

[ReeNa]

Sounds to me that he is a little scared beings you just got him and he is in a new environment and a new territory. Keep letting him out to run and explore to get used to things and get used to you. He will be playing in no time, even pooping everywhere to mark his new home.

[Gravehearted]

I agree with Reena – it’s going to take Howard some time to adjust to your house, you all and even the shelf in his pen. It sounds like he’s making some good progress bonding with you though.

[Deleted User]

Ooohh he will be out and about in no time doing his bunny stuff lol.  Then you’ll think OMG lotsa poopies everything.

He is probably staying near his cage as he considers it is a safe haven there and thats his space.  Bunnies are very habitual and will go back to ensure their house is still there.  Just to check up that it has not disappeared LOL.

I have had Luey for 12 months nearly and some nights he will just lay near his pen and not bother at all about running around exploring.

Believe me your bunny is fine … he is just getting used to his new place.

Dawn xx

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m pretty sure you will see him zooming around the house soon. Is he the bunny in your avatar? If so, he’s very cute, I love his colour.

[Beka27]

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/toys.html

check out this HRS page.  it has alot of info about what kinds of things bunnies like to play with and HOW they play.  that is vry important to know b/c not all buns play the same way.  once you spend time with him, you’ll discover what he likes to do and when he is most active.  most rabbits are most active in the morning and late evening hours, and that’s when they’ll be more anxious to go out and explore.  case in point… i let Meadow out 28 minutes ago.  she was standing next to the door of her enclosure waiting for me (i had a late night last night!) and i haven’t seen her since.  every once in awhile i hear her tear thru the living room in a blur of white, but she’ll be running off her enrgery for a bit more this morning.

[JK]

He’ll come around.  They need to feel very safe before they venture out.  It took Edson a couple of months to come out of his xpen..  How big is this dog crate you have for a cage?  And do you leave the door open for long periods of time?  He definitely needs room to run around being such a big bun.

[Beka27]

i missed that you’re using a dog crate.  that’s an okay starter cage but you will need something much larger very soon.  the smallest recommended size of cage is 2×4 feet, but that is for an average size bun (about 6 pounds).  you will need something at least twice that size, and preferably even larger than that with plenty of runtime (at least 4 hours) each day.  i don’t remember if you said, but does he have his own room in your home?  what you may want to do is remove the cage all together and just allow him the run of the room when you’re not around, in addition to out time thru out the rest of the house.  let us know what kind of set-up you have and what you’re planning for him.

[CaptJackRabbit]

I was just going to add that my bunny loves to explore, but is really shy at first. In new places, he is reticent, but a couple days later he feels comfy and great. I moved him from a smaller cage to his big NIC condo, and after that he didn’t want to be out very much. The first day in there when I went to let him out, he was out for like a minute! A week later, things were back to normal. But CJ is litterbox trained so I don’t have to worry about the pooping everywhere!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve noticed with my new bunny Rupert, if I just leave his cage door open he is very reluctant to come out, but if I take him out he comes and plays…I almost feel like he thinks he’s not allowed out and I just forgot his cage door open!!!…You could try taking howard into the hallway and seeing how that works? It will take time for him to settle in though!

[BinkyBunny]

I’d let him settle in for another week. Hang out near the cage, read a book, do some bills, whatever, and just let him come out on his own. This will help build trust. Being that he’s sooo new to your home, he also needs to trust you, so if you allow him to come out on his own terms and come to you, he’ll trust you more.

The only time I broke my own rules of letting a bunny come out on their own is after I waited a month for Jack to venture out of the bunny room when we moved to a new place. That did make a difference, but also, he had been with already for a few years, and knew us, and felt safer once he knew we were all around the house. if he was newer, I’d reallly make sure to give your bunny a bit more time to explore on his own. It’s important for rabbits to know the route to and from their “safe” home base in order for them to feel safe in the rest of the house.

Keep us updated.

[kimberleyanddarren]

dont worry it is very soon yet for him to be as you would think a bun would be. Hopscotch took about 2weeks to start being comfortable but since then he has come on leaps and bounds i have had him about 5weeks and he is litterbox trained(90% of the time) plays with his toys and is happily exploring the house, he has also met and gets on with our 2 dogs so dont worry you will get there. Dont forget to update us

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