In advance, sorry about the blurry photos, I swear she never stays still but I love her anyway. First off I would like to start by saying I have had rabbits before, but I was never the primary caretaker so this is new to me. I let her free roam whenever I am in my room so that is pretty much all day, and I only put her in a cage with soft cloth on the bottom for her feet at night because she is still a baby and I’m worried about her. I’ll probably get a new cage she can go in and out of whenever she wants but I’m a little brokeish at the moment. I give her unlimited pellets, Timothy hay, and greens to eat and she is practically litter trained at this point with the exception of here and there small poopies (and she likes to mix the hay in the litter box with the bedding and her own poop, not sure if this is normal or not). My questions and concerns relate to mostly to bonding with her and if she is even content or happy right now.
She runs around sometimes but she has never had the zoonoses in the month I’ve had her. I’m just hoping this is because this is all so new to her and she is not quite comfortable yet. Flopsy loves hopping up on my chest and licking my face when we are on the same level, but if I ever try to touch her body she runs away. She is alright with me lightly petting her head but that’s on her own time. She loves running around my feet if I move slowly and make no loud noises and even is interested in what I am doing up on my bed. I’m just worried that she will never feel happy or safe enough to jump around, lay down on her back to nap, or allow me to gently pet her. Am I being overly anxious because I have only been with her for a month or is there something else I can do?
I have also been wondering if she is lonely and bored. She loves chewing and I have gotten a bunch of toys for her but I was wondering if I should get another rabbit, probably another girl, in a few months when she is more comfortable or is this not a good idea for now?
Also if there are any other tips you guys have learned with your little fluff monsters that aren’t normally iterated I would love to hear them, thanks!
(and if you were wondering I did name her after the rabbit from avatar the last airbender:))
by katherinepoe
11 Comments
I just realized I spelled zoomies wrong.
Ok so first of all take that collar off. It’s not only dangerous but might be contributing to her anxiety.
Hay in the litter box is totally normal.
Unlimited hay is a must, but limit her pellets depending on her weight. It’s usually ~1/16 cup per pound.
It’s easiest to bond with a rabbit when they’re completely integrated into your life. Honestly in the beginning just be in her space but ignore her unless she asks for pets. Some rabbits just take longer to get used to their humans, and one month isn’t that long! Be patient, match her vibes, and you’ll be besties before you know it!
Also please replace the cage with an x pen. The wiki on this subreddit has lots of information about best housing practices.
no collar no cage invest in xpen grids
Bunnies can take a long time to relax around people so give her time. She will learn to trust you more and more, but to be honest it seems like she likes you a lot. Spend time on the floor reading or whatever but just ignore her unless she comes to you. Treats help. A friend would be good for her, but bonding is a whole thing, do some research. I love that you care so much to ask for advice, you clearly love her a lot!
To bond, spend time on the floor with her. Only pet her when and where she likes, “her fluffy body, her choice” 🙂
Bunnyproof the whole house.
Look for an exotic vet experienced with rabbits, as you’ll have to neuter her relatively soon.. you’ll know because her behaviour will change.
Check out the wabbit wiki, https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Getting_started_with_a_rabbit
There’s sections on toys, food, enclosures and bunny proofing.
Regarding a second bunny, that’s after she’s spayed. See if you have bunny rescues in your area and if they do bunny dating. They’ll have already neutered buns you can bond her with after she’s been neutered.
Rabbits are very fragile, so the collar needs to be removed ASAP, otherwise they might injure themselves surprisingly easily. Let them have more space with an x-pen enclosure.
Unlimited hay, but that looks like you’ve got that covered in the pictures of the hay box. Water from a water bowl low enough they don’t have to contort their neck to drink from, same reason why water bottles aren’t great for rabbits.
If you get another female rabbit you must call her Mopsy and then you will have the pair of names out of Peter rabbit. Ours is called cottontail (my daughter named her)
I have my bunny for over 3 months now and we have already bonded so well! I have to say that I understand you; at first I was like that too. I was overly worried about making him feel as safe and good as he can and to show him love by pets and cuddles etc. but from my experience, bunnies are not like that. I saw a comment on this thread saying something like “pretend like he/she isnt there” and i couldn’t agree more. At first i gave my bunny pets every time he left his cage (he’s in cage when im not at home because of couch pee issues) and it wasnt helping, he just ran away. After a few days i “gave up” and just let him be. Little did i know, while i was minding my own business and wasnt trying to pick him up or touch him, he came up to me and started sniffing me 😊 i still didnt react and after a week or two he was already comfortable with me to the point where he let me pick him up and pet him while he rests. Take it slow and just let her be. That’s it. Make sure not to yell at her and touch her as little as possible, maybe some very gentle pets when you feed her just to let her know you’re her bestie! One thing i did is i laid down on the floor and let my bunny sniff and jump on me without scaring him. I feel like it made him more comfortable. Anyways, hope i helped. Good luck.
She’s a gorgeous baby, why on earth have you put a collar on her? If I even attempted that mine would be enraged, I never would anyway as they’re not supposed to wear them.
She should be free roam ideally, not in a cage. If you want the ultimate bond free roam is best, for them and you, and gives them way more space to run around.
Please I beg you remove that collar 🙏
flopsy is so beautiful tell her that pls!!