Why is my rabbit like this?

[Taehyungie]

So I adopted a rescue rabbit a few months ago. I estimate her to be around 1-2 years old. I’m a first time rabbit owner so I’m not sure if this behaviour is normal or not.

well Spot (her name is not ideal, but i didn’t choose it haha) sits in the same spot every day just staring at nothing, either that or sleeping. She has a whole room to herself, with a large hutch in the corner, many toys and I try to interact with her as much as possible, however, she just sits there all day. She has an abundance of chew toys but she refuses to chew them and so has to go to the vet to get her teeth filed down because they keep growing. Sometimes, though rarely, when I come in she might run up to me to smell me, but then returns again to the same spot to sit down and do nothing.

I don’t know if she abused by her previous owners (the ones she was rescued from) but she seems very uncomfortable with any interaction, hates touching anywhere except her head and maybe back. I tried touching her paws and picking her up once and quickly learned to never do that again (she completely freaked out) 

Any idea why this is? Are many rabbits like this?

[Limit]

Could be what she’s been used to? Sitting and waiting. So it’s become some sort of habit?

Are you able to get her another bunny companion? She’ll benefit from the company and they may encourage her to move around more/become more confident? x

[Bam]

I think Limit is on to sth here. When I’d found my Bam, he more or less sat in the same spot for a year. My theory is he’d been caged and gotten used to just sitting, a form of learned helplessness. He’d only come hooping for a treat, then return back to his spot under the coffea table with it. He didn’t like being touched. Maybe he’d been housed outside, with not a lot of human interaction.

Anyway, he did come around. It took a long time, but then he started to explore the apartment and find new spots to lounge in. The first person who was allowed to pet him was my mother when she was visiting, but once he understood that getting pet is nice, he became very cuddly with me and other people as well.

Hay is the best thing for wearing down the teeth. My Bam has never taken any interest in toys (exept his treat ball), but he does like to gnaw on apple twigs.

[Azerane]

You may need to teach her to interact with her environment and to play with toys. It happens to some dogs from shelters, some of them in their previous home were never played with, so they don’t understand what toys are.

I would put a lot of interactive toys around for her. Things like a toilet paper tube stuffed with hay but with a really tasty treat inside that she can smell. A box with hay in it also with treats in it so she has to dig through the hay to find the treats etc. Anything to get her interacting with toys and doing something for a reward. It may take her a little bit of time to come around or learn, but I’m sure it will happen. Regarding her teeth, is she eating plenty of hay?

[Taehyungie]

I have hay bedding all around her hutch and a pile of it in the middle of the room. I took advice from a friend and hide treats in there everyday so she likes to dig around to look for the treats, but after she finds them all, she resumes to sit silently and seems to never chew on the hay.

Now I don’t want to sound mean but I have the feeling she is quite.. “dumb”? Not because she doesn’t interact but many times she will forget things that happened 30 seconds ago and when I put treats around her, she doesn’t even notice them until I point at them or hand feed her. I once tried to play with her using a ball and she grabbed the ball with her teeth and violently threw it away from her. I’m more used to dogs and cats so I’m not sure if this is just rabbit behaviour…

[Taehyungie]

I have hay bedding all round her hutch and a pile of it in the middle of the room. I took advice from a friend and hide treats in there everyday so she likes to dig around to look for treats, but after she finds them all, she resumes to sit silently and never chews on the hay.

Now, I don’t want to sound mean but I have the feeling she is quite … “dumb”? Not because she doesn’t interact but many times she will forget things that happened 30 seconds ago and when I put treats around her, she doesn’t even notice them until I point them out or hand feed her. I once tried to play with her using a ball and she grabbed the ball with her teeth and violently threw it away from her. I’m more used to dogs and cats so I’m not sure if this is just rabbit behaviour…

On another note, she gets scared extremely easily. I think this may have to do with her past as a rescue rabbit but one wrong move she she will dash away to hide under the table. Any way to get her more comfortable? nothing seems to have worked so far..

[Deleted User]

My girl Cinders is like this, doesn’t like being stroked, will tolerate being held for a few seconds (Just long enough to put her in the carrier usually) doesn’t interact with people – She is also a rescue.
She has just never come round, i’ve had her since she was 1 she is now 5. She has a partner who she is bonded with but she still just hides or lies staring at the people in the room, she is always very wary of any strangers and will hide in a box, if its just myself & Aaron home she will sit out in the open but with eyes always on us. In all those years i’ve only ever seen her sleep with eyes closed twice and that was through the bunny cam.

She never lies in the dead bunny position so is never fully relaxed poor girl

[Author]

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