Why is bobo behaving differently?

[t-dogg]

Ok, i have yet another question and i’m not sure if anyone had to deal with this with their rabbits but, earlier today; when i let him out of his cage (like I usually do every mrning pretty much from 1PM- whenever he wants to go back to his cage because the cage is in his room, and the place where he usually stays is outside his cage and he likes to hide into these two boxes, 1 cardboard and 1 trashbox (tb never used bought it specifically for bobo), so anyways he usually hides there and lets me pet him almost 99% of the time, but when I came to his room today approx 4-5hrs after he was ;left out his cage, he is acting differently around me and the two boxes. When I came to go pet him he dashed away (like seriously) like he was scared of me, and i’m pretty sure he was scared of me, also he does not go back to that box area anymore either.. i haven’t put anything new in that area that would scare him or anything everything was normal today, and right out of nowhere he got scared ran in to his cage and started stomping his feet, so i went to pet him while he was inside his cage, and he stomped stomping his feet and became calm after about 10 minutes. But now (6 hrs later) he seems a bit less frightened of everything. than the past 5 hrs. but he doesnt go hide in the boxes anymore, and he got scared of a shoebox that had all his treats in it. It’s been approx 5-6 hrs and he lets me pet him now more than the first time he got scared. but now he lies around the door and not the boxes, and when i place him by the boxes he just simply moves.. why is this? is something causing this unusual behavior?

[Sarita]

Honestly, it’s hard to know sometimes why our rabbits behave the way they do. I doubt anyone can give you a specific or a real reason for this especially if you are uncertain and you are the person who knows his environment the best and his behavior.

All you can hope is that it is an isolated incident and he will get back to his normal self soon. If not then you may have to do some further investigation.

Many times I think just because we don’t see any changes or differences in the environment, we don’t always see things the rabbit way so all we can do is just hope we can figure out what the cause is.

Another thing that I do consider if it’s a radical change in behavior or even a small change is something is medically wrong, but that has to make sense too and requires a process of elimination.

[t-dogg]

Yeah, well update is now its been  approx 15 hrs, and he seems a little diffrent he will come to me a littl (almost as much as the last time) but he still does not go back to that area to chill, he will go there for 2-3 minutes and lie there but than goes to another room, and he tries to stay out of the room a.ma.p. What medical probelsm could this be related to ?

[Sarita]

It could be any medical problem, not any one in particular.

[t-dogg]

So what can i do to make him trust the boxes and that specific area more?

[jerseygirl]

Do the boxes have just the one opening? If so, cut a smaller one at the opposite end, or in the coner or side. It’ll still be haven like but have more than one escape route. It could be that when he was in his box he heard or sensed something unfamiliar and this has frightned him. Outside noise, kitchen noise or smell, a insect visitor into his box. He seems to be wary of the boxes now and may associate them with some incident. Having 2 holes in them may make him feel more secure. Maybe put some treat hay, herbs or something equally enticing in there also to make it a more “positive” place for him to go.

[t-dogg]

Oh, okay so I just get like what two boxes and do that?

[RabbitPam]

my frist thought was that he heard or smelled something that you couldn’t, or took for granted and didn’t notice. Also, it’s an odd fact that a person’s silhouette can cause a bunny to not recognize them at first, like if you wear a big brimmed hat, he may not know it’s you. If you changed perfume or shampoo, if there was a smell that got in and got into the boxes, all these things can put a bunny off.

sometimes they get bored and make changes themselves. But they are creatures of habit, so make sure he’s eating and pooping normally or it could be medical.

[t-dogg]

Well just a update,, just about 2 hrs ago I was watching a movie in a big room with bobo and he came up to my lap and starting smelling me and than jumped to the ground and started doing binkies So it seemed pretty good, and he does go back to the boxes now again (not as much) but still goes alot.
And about the poop thing, well actually about 2 days ago his poop seemed a little diffrent (soggy/mushy) but since that I haven’t seen a difference its been the same as last time and he’s pretty much acting the same as last time.
Thanks guys !

[Author]

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