Hulloh. My name is Max, and somehow I've ended up with a bunny! Well, I've ended up with the bunny because someone else was unable to care for it, but that's not so much the point. My bun's is named Oliver Hopscotch and he's kind of a mystery in terms of age and his past, etc.
Up until a few days ago, he'd been living with some very nice folks, their kids and their two cats. Apparently, Ollie had been dumped somewhere in the woods and he was lucky enough to be spotted by a very kind fisherman who took him home. The folks who have been keeping him say that Ollie sort of just hopped over to the fisherman, and well, the rest is history. All of this is just to say that we really know nothing of his history, short of the fact that it seems he was at some point a pet, as he's quite tame and he's also been neutered.
So, on to the part about how I really know nothing about bunnies! Honestly, I really don't know a thing and I'm trying my best to make sure that he has what he needs. He came with a large cage but little else. As for my surroundings, I live in a very small apartment, so there's really no way for me to put him in a room by himself, or seclude him until he feels more comfortable. At this point, I've placed his cage under my dining room table, as this is sort of out of the way (as much as it can be in a 600sq ft. apartment), but there's really not an area that's secluded, or rather, there's not an area where he isn't subject to being sniffed by both the dog and the cat.
Oh, so that's the other part; I do have a dog and a cat. My dog is a senior, so very calm and very sweet - not prey driven in the slightest. As for my cat, she's very good, though certainly very interested, but all in all, I think once they meet she'll be just fine. For the moment, she is very curious, but she's also doing a good job of sort of ignoring Oliver.
Given that I don't really have a place to seclude Oliver, should I just let him be for a few days? I've read a lot of information indicating that I should work very hard to make him feel like his cage is a safe space, i.e. I shouldn't rearrange things while he's in the cage, or pull him out, or reach into his cage, etc. That said, he's really not interested in leaving the cage right now, either. I'd love to let him hop around a bit, supervised of course, but he seems really uninterested in hopping about. Of course I understand this has much to do with looking out and seeing my 70lb dog and my all-too-interested cat, but how do I peak Oliver's interest and coax him to come out, without physically removing him from his cage?
Sorry this is so long, but I'm definitely interested in any advice you might have on introducing a rabbit to other pets, a new (small, less than ideal) apartment, etc.
Thanks for your help!
Up until a few days ago, he'd been living with some very nice folks, their kids and their two cats. Apparently, Ollie had been dumped somewhere in the woods and he was lucky enough to be spotted by a very kind fisherman who took him home. The folks who have been keeping him say that Ollie sort of just hopped over to the fisherman, and well, the rest is history. All of this is just to say that we really know nothing of his history, short of the fact that it seems he was at some point a pet, as he's quite tame and he's also been neutered.
So, on to the part about how I really know nothing about bunnies! Honestly, I really don't know a thing and I'm trying my best to make sure that he has what he needs. He came with a large cage but little else. As for my surroundings, I live in a very small apartment, so there's really no way for me to put him in a room by himself, or seclude him until he feels more comfortable. At this point, I've placed his cage under my dining room table, as this is sort of out of the way (as much as it can be in a 600sq ft. apartment), but there's really not an area that's secluded, or rather, there's not an area where he isn't subject to being sniffed by both the dog and the cat.
Oh, so that's the other part; I do have a dog and a cat. My dog is a senior, so very calm and very sweet - not prey driven in the slightest. As for my cat, she's very good, though certainly very interested, but all in all, I think once they meet she'll be just fine. For the moment, she is very curious, but she's also doing a good job of sort of ignoring Oliver.
Given that I don't really have a place to seclude Oliver, should I just let him be for a few days? I've read a lot of information indicating that I should work very hard to make him feel like his cage is a safe space, i.e. I shouldn't rearrange things while he's in the cage, or pull him out, or reach into his cage, etc. That said, he's really not interested in leaving the cage right now, either. I'd love to let him hop around a bit, supervised of course, but he seems really uninterested in hopping about. Of course I understand this has much to do with looking out and seeing my 70lb dog and my all-too-interested cat, but how do I peak Oliver's interest and coax him to come out, without physically removing him from his cage?
Sorry this is so long, but I'm definitely interested in any advice you might have on introducing a rabbit to other pets, a new (small, less than ideal) apartment, etc.
Thanks for your help!