• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Does this make my rabbit normal or not ? :$

Bunny218

Young Bun
My rabbit doesnt like to run around, like most rabbits that would be roaming around for hours!
I'm pretty sure nothing is broken in her leg, paws etc, because she has been like this since i first got her.
She is somewhat lazy but does run around once in a while.
When she seems bored in her cage, i let her out but then she usually sits around or just hops a few timeees.
So then i give her some food because i think she might be hungry, but no she just finished her meal and doesnt want anything

Is this normal? Is she just different from most bunnies? She is probably 3 1/2 years old.
And I've known she was like this the whole time and started to wonder whether or not its normal :$
 
What times are you witnessing this? Rabbits are generally sleepy in the day, they are diurnal and are generally active late evening and the early hours of the morning, this can vary more with house rabbits that obviously have an artificial 'day' because we control the lighting, but generally speaking they will be more active when we are asleep - so we dont see it!

I leave my rabbits to run about at night for this reason, because my two are most active around 9pm-1am and 4am-8am. If they didnt wake me by running about I wouldnt think that Barney ever really moved, as he's very lazy the rest of the time!

I dont know much about your rabbit's past, but if rabbits are kept in hutches/cages, particularly small ones, and dont have enough time and space to exercise properly everyday, they can develop spinal problems and premature arthiritus and weak bones which can affect their mobility, and may not become apparent at first. So there is also the possibility of something like this in many rabbits, as most rabbits do not have the reccommended 6ft hutch connected to an 8x4ft run.

What I would be worried more about is that she is refusing food, if it is food she normally likes refusing it is usually a sign that something is wrong.
 
What times are you witnessing this? Rabbits are generally sleepy in the day, they are diurnal and are generally active late evening and the early hours of the morning, this can vary more with house rabbits that obviously have an artificial 'day' because we control the lighting, but generally speaking they will be more active when we are asleep - so we dont see it!

I leave my rabbits to run about at night for this reason, because my two are most active around 9pm-1am and 4am-8am. If they didnt wake me by running about I wouldnt think that Barney ever really moved, as he's very lazy the rest of the time!

I dont know much about your rabbit's past, but if rabbits are kept in hutches/cages, particularly small ones, and dont have enough time and space to exercise properly everyday, they can develop spinal problems and premature arthiritus and weak bones which can affect their mobility, and may not become apparent at first. So there is also the possibility of something like this in many rabbits, as most rabbits do not have the reccommended 6ft hutch connected to an 8x4ft run.

What I would be worried more about is that she is refusing food, if it is food she normally likes refusing it is usually a sign that something is wrong.

Hi, + Thx! :) I'm witnessing this pretty much all day , but i do notice that when she is more active while i'm eating my dinner and i watch her (usually 7pm-9pm) !
I don't feel so safe having her out of her cage while I'm asleep :$ So when will she be getting her exercise?

She isn't in her cage most of the day, because i let her out. But how much time is not enough time of exercise? Or how long does it take for their spine to become weak, because i just hope i'm giving her enough exercise!

As far as i know she refused the food because she just ate, her bowl is almost always full with hay, and a good amount of pellets because I do my best to make sure she always has the food she needs when she wants it :D
 
Hi, + Thx! :) I'm witnessing this pretty much all day , but i do notice that when she is more active while i'm eating my dinner and i watch her (usually 7pm-9pm) !
I don't feel so safe having her out of her cage while I'm asleep :$ So when will she be getting her exercise?

She isn't in her cage most of the day, because i let her out. But how much time is not enough time of exercise? Or how long does it take for their spine to become weak, because i just hope i'm giving her enough exercise!

As far as i know she refused the food because she just ate, her bowl is almost always full with hay, and a good amount of pellets because I do my best to make sure she always has the food she needs when she wants it :D

This might help, especially the video, its a bit long but it explains everything really well, including the health issues: http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/ahutchisnotenough.htm Generally the buns that get the severe problems are ones that dont get let out often at all, or are in cages where they cant stretch or periscope properly, so I'm sure yours isnt one of them, as it sounds like you let her out everyday. Its not short term that the problems develop, its when they consistently dont get enough space, although obviously for their mental health they need exercise every day.

I'm guessing she's indoors? When you say cage, do you mean a commercial cage, the ones that look like giant hamster cages? They are generally too small to keep a rabbit in overnight. To give her more room and time to exercise when she'll be most active it would be a good idea to get her a big pen to either attach to the cage or replace the cage with the pen. To be honest, if you bunnyproof properly and she isnt the type to decimate your furniture, she could be out at night, if its safe enough for the day it is safe enough for the night - although if she is in your bedroom she may disrupt your sleep if she's noisy.

People have different opinions on how long a house rabbit should free-range for - in my opinion 6 hours a day is the minimum, but it also depends on the size of their base/cage. The smaller the cage/base, the less time they should spend confined to it.

If you would like her to get more exercise, you could also give her her pellets in a treat ball so she has to work to get them?
 
If she is on her own she probably won't move very much - even when they have lots of space they tend to sit there. If she had a companion then that may motivate her a bit more. Females ssometimes don't like to stray far away from their home territory,males are more active. Can she go in the garden or is she just indoors? There's quite a few things to consider. If she has just had a meal then she won't want anymore. Are you over-feeding her? I have a biig New Zealand White that doesn't move a lot so she is a bit of a worry too. Just try to do the best you can for her.
 
If her bowl is 'almost always full with a good amount of pellets' this may be part of the problem. Unlimited pellets isn't really a good idea. If you read the back of the packet it should say a recommended amount per day per bunny. Most people on here don't even feed that much but believe in an egg cup full per bunny per day.

Hay should be your buns staple food, the pellets should be just to ensure that they are getting the right nutrients. I know my buns are lazy after dinner, maybe she's just too full to bother most of the time!

If she is confined to a commercial indoor cage overnight then she prob does need more room. I don't trust mine either over night but they have plenty of room in their little house. Maybe you could get one of the folding metal puppy pens, they cost about £20 on ebay or about £36 from a pet shop then you could set it up around her cage and she could have more space without access to things she could destroy/pee on!
 
Back
Top