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timid bunny-

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Purple-Hops 
#1 ·
I've tried to give Ms. Bun plenty of time to just get used to things, and she has pretty much chosen to stay in her cage the whole time. I leave the door open much of the day, but she doesn't want to step out. She WILL eat from my hand, and I feed her all her greens/veggies/fruits by hand, so at least she's getting used to me as the giant food bearer.

It's not really a big deal in most ways if she takes a while to venture out. It is a problem, though, when it comes to cleaning up her cage. She does NOT like it when I move things around, and that includes soggy bedding or little bunny poops. She's semi-trained, but she's still kind of going everywhere. I've been trying to clean quickly, while she was busy, & just do part at a time. She still gets mad & digs & throws stuff around & does big skittering jumps.

Today I decided to just get all the filth out, because it was too gross for her to be in there. I took her house-box out, picked her up & put her in it next to the cage. She didn't seem TOO upset, but she wasn't thrilled. When she got back in, she re-arranged everything, dug some and now is sitting in a back corner & won't even come out for salad bits. She's mad. She actually pretends I'm not there, closes her eyes & scrunches up when I hold food out to her. It's almost funny, but I honestly don't want her to be upset.

I don't want to freak her out & set back her socialization, but I can't let her sit in grossness. Any advice?

Thanks for any ideas,
Denise
 
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#2 ·
is the room you are trying to get her out in too big and noisy? maybe take her to a smaller quite room..

I'm not sure, but just keep messing in her cage to make her used to you and she'll come around i guess..

someone with more bunny experience will help more :p
 
#3 ·
Is there any way you can lure her out of the cage (this is next time when she is speaking to you again) when you want to clean it out? Maybe put a yummy banana outside of her cage and let her come out on her own?
I also suggest you offer her something very yummy and just keep telling her that she had to have her cage cleaned out.
I do love how they rearrange if you move something and how they get mad at you.
 
#4 ·
my little guy hates it when i mess with HIS arrangement. its the only time he speaks nasty to me. Does not like it when I put his toys some place that he did not choose
 
#5 ·
Has Ms. Bun been spayed?
 
#6 ·
Ahhh,sounds alot like Miss Acacia before she was spayed..that was also when i had her in a cage and not her C&C (?) like now. i used to have to take the top of the cage off and force her out via holding her head down to avoid getting attacked and also i heard that this reduces stress to a degree and is done by bunnies who are exhibiting dominance behavior to the more submissive bunny in the "tribe". anyway needless to say she HATED that and once down on the floor she could go wherever she wanted so i guess that kinda helped her feel a little more comfortable with the whle situation..you should never come down on a bunny and rather should come across the floor at them since predators are usually swooping down from above and it just plain scares them,but i did find this worked in taming my wild wild bunny,regardless if it scared the bejeezes out of her.

arent bunnies also kinda like dogs in the sense that they need to be dominated? i must be coming off as a real jerk to you guys and you all must think i intimidate my pets or something-which i dont. but i mean -and i read this somewhere- bunnies may need the guidance from a higher up "bunny" and keep them in their place? NEVER hit or smack an animal esp. a bunny but through voice actions and body language?.i may just be rambling now,but i hope you and your bunny get along soon.


tips: spay the bunny which reduces the hormones you are unfortunate to recieve and maybe build her a mansion? a girl likes to be spoiled!
 
#7 ·
Hey! Thanks for the answers.

The girl will NOT come out of her cage. It's funny, she will lie on her tummy with her paws next to her side, leaning out as far as possible to try to grab whatever treat I'm dangling without having to actually put paw on floor. I even sometimes leave treats or salad bits just sitting right out of reach in the hopes that bunny curiosity will get the better of her, when I leave her door open in the day.

She's a determined little thing & obviously has no trust in the floor. I do have hope she'll get used to it someday! You're very right that that would make it much easier, she didn't like being forced to move at all.

She's going to the vet today, actually, for her first real check up. After she started to eat well, I decided to let her wait a week before taking her in just because she seems so scared of everything & I wanted to let her get more relaxed first. And she's kind of doing that, but I bet after today she'll be freaked out again. Some things, she's just got to do though, I can't let this go forever. We'll set up spaying when I talk to the vet -& as long as she's a she, lol, I was TOLD but never checked myself, part of why she's still ms. bun instead of a more formal name.

So spaying will help with territorial behavior? I'd love it if I could just clean the thing without her freaking out.

I know, I'm probably paranoid about freaking out the bunny. I just want her to have a peaceful, non-stressed life, and I want her to be comfortable with the big people around her. Last night she decided to come & eat salad from my hand again, so maybe she's forgiven me (or she wanted salad, either way is OK). I just don't want her impression of me to be a giant hand reaching into her home & pulling her out against her will, y'know? That can't be reassuring. I also need to start brushing her, she has so much hair. Her past people did give her a clip- she's an angora- but she is going to end up with hairballs and dreadlocks if she doesn't let me touch her more.

Anyway, thanks & I appreciate any other advice anyone has on socializing a bunny that's spent a whole year or so just living in a cage.
 
#8 ·
Spaying does tend to make rabbits less territorial, females especially tend to be very cage aggressive and protective as their "den".
 
#9 ·
What kind of floor is outside of her cage? If it's wood or something else slippery, she may not feel comfortable walking on it. Rabbits don't have pads on the bottom of their feet, just fur. That can cause them to slide around on certain types of floors which a lot of them don't like. It would be like if you had to walk on ice every time you stepped out of your house.

Barnaby won't walk on my wood floors, so I went out and got a cheap area rug to put next to his cage. Now he'll come out onto his rug to play, but he almost never ventures off the rug.

Also, I suggest you leave the cage door open and walk away somewhere where bunny can't see you. She may feel more comfortable exploring outside when she doesn't think you're around, especially if she's not use to you yet.

I also highly recommend you get her spayed.
 
#10 ·
Do you ever pull her out and just place her on the floor? Forcing her to walk on it might help her get used to being out there. Maybe put a treat down next to her when you do this, so she won't be as stressed out.

Also, I agree with Dragonrain that wood or tile are likely to be slippery for her. Flash rarely comes into my kitchen, because he slides a little on the tile. It's funny when he's on the tile and decides to start running real fast, because he runs in place for a couple of seconds before finding his footing. Usually, he just watches me from the carpet at the edge of the kitchen, though, so he can beg me to get a carrot out of the fridge for him without actually walking on the tile.

--Fromper
 
#11 ·
not that i'm an expert, i'm new at this, but lucy hates the few seconds between cage and not cage, if you know what i mean. she's cool with being held once she's been out of the cage for a bit, but she just hates the transition, until she remembers all the fun that awaits her. oddly enough, lucy runs for the kitchen, despite the tile, which she slides all over!!!
 
#12 ·
hilarious night, last night i had Acacia in my room and for some reason she thought behind the baby gate was a cool hang out,mind you it was just leaned up against the wall not in use, and she leaned against it it fell and she took off it looked soooo cool as she slid probably a whole foot or two before stopping completly.i felt bad because i really should have put the gate somewhere else but man,it fit this topic due to the slippery floor.mine dont mind it usually.
 
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