First Time Bunny Owner... Am I doing it right?

3018 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Purple-Hops, Sep 11, 2011

mharroun

Discussion Starter · Sep 11, 2011

Me and my girlfriend picked up a young dwarf lop rabbit the other day from the pet shop, before getting him we did some research on bunnies and so we expected an uphill fight getting him to like us. Suprisingly it seems to have gone much better then expected, but I would like to ask a few questions and get some comments/feedback if you do not mind.

We got him a cage which we keep in the living room up on a table, is it ok to keep him up high or should the cage be on the floor?
Also when we go to sleep should we leave the cage in the living room or should/can we move it into the bed room so he can sleep with us?

In terms of temperament, he dosnt seem to mind if we walk over and give him a small pet while he is in his cage, and when I go to pick him up out of the cage he dosnt fight at all. He seems to enjoy sitting on my chest while i pet his head.

We have also been letting him out on the floor of the living room, so that he can get some exercise, he seems to love to explore and has yet to get into mischief, he will even come to use and rub agents our legs or come to me if i am on the floor.

The trouble starts when its time for him to go back into his cage. Once we attempt to pick him up he will quickly move a few feet away and allmost play a game of "catch me if you can". He will show no fear of us and even will still come to our feet, but any attempt to reach for him causes him to take a few hops away.

Unfortunately the only way for me to reach him is to slowly go over and pet him and then quickly grab him. I dont like having to make such quick moments to get him back in and am afraid it will hurt our relationship. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a better way to handle his exercise time?

Thank you in advance.

ps: As a turn to look at his cage...hes looking at me... and it seems now hes trying to climb out... I hope he does not come to think of the cage as his punishment.

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Dragonrain

· #2 · Sep 11, 2011

Hey

Congrats on your new baby!

Okay so this is what I would recommend. Put his cage on the floor. You don't have to bring it into your bedroom at night, he'll be fine in another room by himself. Actually if you have the room to keep him out of your bedroom, I recommend you do because rabbits can actually be pretty loud at night sometimes.

So I recommend you move the cage to the floor. When it's time for his play time, open the cage door and let him come out of his cage on his own. You can try to encourage him with treats or by talking to him if you want, but don't pick him up and force him out of the cage.

Same thing for when it's time to go back in. Don't chase him, grab him, pick him up...just wait until he goes back into his cage on his own, or use treats to encourage him to return. Rabbits are smarter than a lot of people think. You can even try to teach him to go back into his cage on command.

Doing what your doing by catching him like that could very well set your relationship with him back a bit. It's all about trust with rabbits. You want to earn his trust, and by tricking him and then grabbing him like that you are unfortunately not really giving him many reasons to increase his trust in you.

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Nibbler

· #3 · Sep 11, 2011

most rabbits dont like to be handled,bunnys love to explore as for the bedroom thing its as you please if youd like him in your room then do that

but beaware they chew so make sure they have toys and something to chew while in the cage.As for the table I see nothing wrong with him being on the table although if u let him out of his cage perhaps put the cage on the ground, while he is out and leave the cage door open so that he can go in and out of it

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mharroun

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 11, 2011

Thanks for the info, unfortunately the "starter" cage they sold us only opens at the top, so for now the only way i have to let him out is by my hands.

After seeing how much he enjoys bring out on the floor in the living room were look at getting him an exercise cage he can spend most of his time in.

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caitlin14

· #5 · Sep 11, 2011

yay congrats on your new bun! Whats his name?

I agree the dragonrain, if you can you would probably be better off having him sleep in another room, my bunny goes thru times where she keeps me up all night!

I got a pen for my rabbit which i think is what your talking about,and i just put a hutch in there so when I am at Uni she has more room to play but also a secure area she can go and rest.

good luck!

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Purple-Hops

· #6 · Sep 11, 2011

Those "starter cages" suck. Not enough room for evena dwarf. I like you thought of getting him a pen. You can pick up, from any pet store and some retails, a large circular wire pen which he can live in on the floor. Just get a mat to put under it and plop his cage in there where he can use his litter box

Bunnies like to stand up tall and stretch and run around so the pen is great idea for long term keeping.

Sorry, CONGRATS on the babe!

I'd love to see pics

When he hits 6 months, I recommend neutering to eliminate bad bunny hormones from raging through him and turning his seemingly tame little self around

Maybe it's different with males, but my female was half crazy with hormones. DONT LET THIS DISCOURAGE YOU!!! Vets now are more experienced than ever in fixing rabbits, males are also cheaper than feales. It's beneifical to their health and increases their life span,.

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