So I’ve had these bunnies for almost a week now.. two lionheads, one brown(Kiwi) and one white(Crème). Recently I bought these two bunnies from a pet store after being told they were on sale and they are only babies. For a couple days now I’ve been watching Kiwi closely because I did notice his behavior change drastically in the span of a few days. Much like his brother Crème was very timid and jumpy whenever anybody got super close to them. Kiwi however, opened up to me extremely quick and after sitting next to their cage for a while, they finally approached me themself and nuzzled into my hand. I remember petting the top of his head very carefully for the first time and seeing his brother Crème side eye the two of us before leaping forward to investigate my hand.
However, I think I’ve noticed that he has been possibly slowing down and has become less timid already with almost everything, I don’t even need to crouch down any longer when I’m near them so I could get close. Plus despite having their cage open, it seems like they like to remain in their cage for the most part despite being an adventurous little bun before hand. I decided to push my luck a bit and picked them up, they did struggle just a bit but they accepted it quite quickly today, they let me pet them and carry them around a bit. I placed them back down on the floor and they bounced back into their cage. I did the same thing with his brother and there was a giant difference, Crème being extremely timid and squirmy as a result of me picking them up. I almost got scared that they’d hurt themself so I put them down and they moved back at around the same speed.. the only thing that I am noticeably worried about now is the fact that when I held them earlier whenever I found him out of his cage (Had to go to work) I noticed his rump was a bit wet and I feared that he had diarrhea. I give the bunnies plenty of water that they drink out of and clean their bowl, I give them plenty of hay to eat that’s in their cage, I keep their cage open for them to bounce around and explore 90% of the time and I make sure to not force the bunnies into any uncomfortable circumstances or situations like holding them when they don’t want to be, or reaching out to pet them super fast along with super sudden movements. Should they be ok? Is this normal behavior? I cannot tell..
by MatthewTheDeity
5 Comments
First thing. If you think something is bad with bunnies, for example they have diarrhea, you go to the vet. And I mean asap.
Second, they are babies. They should be fed alfalfa hay (unlimited), unlimited pellets for junior rabbits.
It sounds to me that they are still adjusting. They’re in a very new environment and their cage is where they will feel most comfortable for a while.
Congrats on the new additions to the family! If these are your first pet rabbits and you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out [our sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/Rabbits/about/sidebar) and the [Getting Started](https://bunny.tips/Getting_Started) guide and [New Rabbit Owner Primer](https://bunny.tips/New_Rabbit_Owner_Primer). The article [“Helping Rabbits Succeed in Their Adoptive Home”](https://iaabcjournal.org/setting-everybunny-up-for-success-3/) is also a great resource on how to build a relationship with your new rabbit.
If you brought home two or more baby rabbits, please be prepared to have **separate housing** areas for each of them in case they do not get along in the future. See the FAQ [“My two bunnies used to be happily bonded, but now they are constantly fighting. What happened?”](https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Bonding_FAQ#My_two_bunnies_used_to_be_happily_bonded.2C_but_now_they_are_constantly_fighting._What_happened.3F) for details. It is especially important to separate out male rabbits after 10 weeks of age as they can impregnate a fertile female by then.
You must go to the vet as soon as you can diarrhea is a highly concern. Keep us update, please
You should definitely go to the vet, even if they get better just to make sure they are alright!