can rabbits be agrophobic??

Hi people,

Was wondering if you could possibly advise on the above please - our new bun (14 wks old conti) is petrified to go outside and i was wondering if this was normal behaviour for a bun & any ways i could get her used (&happy!) to being outside (with her male neutered partner). They both currently live in our converted garage but we like them to go outside in their large run when the weather is nice as the bun in question is being treated for snuffles (we thought the fresh air would do her good)
Any advice would be so appreciated as we hate seeing her get so stressed outside.

many thanks in advance,

Robert

alvins not keen on outside, hell only go out for 10 mins and then goes back into hiding under the sofa, he does like to sit in the safety of the doorway to sniff the air tho

can you give your bun the choice? or put the cage by an open door until the outside isnt so scary??

We do put the rabbit in the hallway to sniff the air outside - she is happy enough there, but as soon as shes outside she just freaks out - seems really cruel to put her out whilst she panics so much.

thank you for your reply.

Robert

ouch... must be terrifying for her all them smells and noises she doesnt know..... maybe one day she wont be scared anymore but i wouldnt force it on her if she really reacts so bad.... with us only having a small yard i can leave the kitchen door open and let the buns choose so its a lot less forced, when i first got alvin i bought a run and he spent his whole time trying to escape it so i broke it down and use the wood to block escape holes out of the yard now

I am sure someone on here said that bunnies are naturally agrophobic??? Have you searched 'agrophobic' to see if that comes up with any old threads?

Yes that was me, despite being laughed at for it by someone that claimed to be a behaviourist and should have known better :roll:

There is a book, 'Why Does My Rabbit' by Anne McBride with a few references and case studies of agorophobia....its worth investing in. Heres an extract for you:

Rabbits are not keen on wide open spaces. Even when out feeding in a meadow or on the roadside, wild rabbits are never more than a short sprint from the safety of a burrow. Being exposed with no access to such shelter is likely to be very stressful for a rabbit as it has no escape from potential predators.

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How was she housed before? I'm just thinking that if she has never been outside, that may contribute to her anxiety.

Is there any way that you can allow her to go outside if she chooses? If it's possible for her to access the outside world under her own steam, she may be more inclined to.

Princess hates going outside and sits petrified til I bring her back in. I know how much she hates it now, so I don't put her out anymore.. she likes the house and thats it....