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My bunny coco - younger?

cocoandphoenix

Young Bun
My mini lop coco seems somewhat more terrified than my other mini lop phoenix. We think she might be younger, as she is a lot smaller in size and her fur is quite like the really soft fur they have when they are born and she is shedding a lot of it now. Do you have any tips in how to help her trust us? Phoenix and coco are always quite friendly together, and they pal about. Coco tends to go to phoenix when she is scared or when they are playing. We were told they were from the same litter, but coco just seems so young. Me and my boyfriend just don't want to scare her, she's a nightmare though - constantly running away from us and kicking etc when we go to put her in her cage when we go to bed. :( we're going to the vet tomorrow anyways, but I thought i'd ask here. :) thanks
 
When you have 2 brothers or sisters I have found that one is more forward than the other, and if one of the rabbits is scared of the other then it might be that they are 2 boys. It takes rabbits a long time to feel secure in a new home and to start trusting their humans. Don't try to force them.
 
Where did you get them from? Are they indoor or outdoor?

Being scared doesn't necessarily mean she is younger, animals have different personalities just like humans and some are more timid than others. It also sounds like she doesn't like being picked up either (this is normal) so, as you are picking her up on a daily basis, she may be associating you with this and hence is constantly worried you are going to pick her up when you are near her. I would leave off with the picking up if you can, at least for now whilst she settles in - can she get into her cage by herself, if you tempt her in with food? If not, a ramp would be a good idea so she can come and go from her cage when she likes, as knowing she is able to get back to her 'safe place' if she needs to could help with her confidence - rabbits are prey animals and need to know they have a bolt-hole to run to if threatened.

Here is an article about bonding with your bunny that can help you to gain her trust: http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm

Here is another one all about handling that I found very useful: http://flashsplace.webs.com/handling.htm


As I said before, being scared doesnt necessarily indicate a younger bun, but being smaller does, although it may be that she was the runt of the litter or perhaps isn't doing as well health-wise. I think taking them to the vet like you suggested is a very good idea, to rule out any health problems that may be stopping her from gaining weight and growing properly.... have you got a pic to show the size difference? Is she just small, or thin too? If she is a bit timid, is she getting her fair share of food or is her sister eating it all?
 
Where did you get them from? Are they indoor or outdoor?

Being scared doesn't necessarily mean she is younger, animals have different personalities just like humans and some are more timid than others. It also sounds like she doesn't like being picked up either (this is normal) so, as you are picking her up on a daily basis, she may be associating you with this and hence is constantly worried you are going to pick her up when you are near her. I would leave off with the picking up if you can, at least for now whilst she settles in - can she get into her cage by herself, if you tempt her in with food? If not, a ramp would be a good idea so she can come and go from her cage when she likes, as knowing she is able to get back to her 'safe place' if she needs to could help with her confidence - rabbits are prey animals and need to know they have a bolt-hole to run to if threatened.

Here is an article about bonding with your bunny that can help you to gain her trust: http://flashsplace.webs.com/bondingwithyourbunny.htm

Here is another one all about handling that I found very useful: http://flashsplace.webs.com/handling.htm


As I said before, being scared doesnt necessarily indicate a younger bun, but being smaller does, although it may be that she was the runt of the litter or perhaps isn't doing as well health-wise. I think taking them to the vet like you suggested is a very good idea, to rule out any health problems that may be stopping her from gaining weight and growing properly.... have you got a pic to show the size difference? Is she just small, or thin too? If she is a bit timid, is she getting her fair share of food or is her sister eating it all?



Thanks for the advice :) ... yeah we're trying to give her all the space possible. But i'm glad you have said about a sibling often being more forward than the other. Puts my mind at ease a little. She's quite small compared to phoenix. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when they're playing in the daylight ... the lighting in the room we let them run about in doesnt do them justice at all lol. The pictures don't come up as well. I think she is getting her fair share of food, as shes not afraid to push phoenix out the way sometimes, but other times she just kind of runs over to her even when we're just talking in the flat. Yeah, a lot of people have said i should have waited to take them to the vet but I'm going with my gut instict on this one and want to make sure everything is ok with her just to be on the safe side. Yeah i think she is the runt of the litter, poor wee thing. Sometimes she can be really great with us, and other times she doesnt want to be near us! lol We got them from a local pet shop, but my brother works there and he knows the breeder they come from. My partners brother also got rabbits from the same place and one was a mini lop. Oh they are indoor too.

Thank you for the advice, I just really want to make sure I'm doing everything right :)
 
Thanks for the advice :) ... yeah we're trying to give her all the space possible. But i'm glad you have said about a sibling often being more forward than the other. Puts my mind at ease a little. She's quite small compared to phoenix. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when they're playing in the daylight ... the lighting in the room we let them run about in doesnt do them justice at all lol. The pictures don't come up as well. I think she is getting her fair share of food, as shes not afraid to push phoenix out the way sometimes, but other times she just kind of runs over to her even when we're just talking in the flat. Yeah, a lot of people have said i should have waited to take them to the vet but I'm going with my gut instict on this one and want to make sure everything is ok with her just to be on the safe side. Yeah i think she is the runt of the litter, poor wee thing. Sometimes she can be really great with us, and other times she doesnt want to be near us! lol We got them from a local pet shop, but my brother works there and he knows the breeder they come from. My partners brother also got rabbits from the same place and one was a mini lop. Oh they are indoor too.

Thank you for the advice, I just really want to make sure I'm doing everything right :)

Yeah I would definitely get them checked over just in case, and even if there is nothing wrong it will put your mind at ease and you can get them vaccinated at the same time.

Pet shop breeders are often not the best as they usually breed for profit not for health. But if your brother works there he might know a bit more about that particular breeder and whether they are definitely from the same litter - maybe he could double check with the breeder about your two?

If she is fine some times and then scared at others, it would be worth making a mental note of what she and you are doing at that time, to see if you can notice any patterns in behavior to tell you what it is she is scared of. Tamsin, the creator of this forum, wrote a book all about rabbit body language that might be useful for that, it's really good. I'm on my phone so can't post a link but it's called 'Understanding your rabbit's habits' and you can get it on amazon or her website www.therabbithouse.com
 
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Thats pictures of coco and coco and phoenix together. Wee bit of a difference. So glad it's monday and we can go to the vet this afternoon! :) ... they are lovely little things but just so worried about coco. She doesn't eat as much as Phoenix does either, we've been watching her and last night she let both me and my boyfriend feed her by eating out our hands. Today she isn't interested in us whatsoever and doesn't want anything to do with us. I came into the living room quite late last night when they were sleeping and phoenix had her leg over coco whilst they were sleeping lol! She's very protective of her, but anytime we go to give coco some attention phoenix runs over and tries to steal the limelight lol!
 
She looks very sweet :) and yes she does look a fair bit smaller, and rather young, how old are they meant to be? let me know what the vet says.

When you say she doesn't eat much, make sure you tell the vet this. Is she eating a good amount of hay? Ideally they should be each eating a pile the size of themselves daily. What is she not eating much of?
 
She looks very sweet :) and yes she does look a fair bit smaller, and rather young, how old are they meant to be? let me know what the vet says.

When you say she doesn't eat much, make sure you tell the vet this. Is she eating a good amount of hay? Ideally they should be each eating a pile the size of themselves daily. What is she not eating much of?

We went today and it went very well! They are most definetly females, and they're around 3-4 months old it turns out! Both weighing 1kg. So a huge weight off my shoulders that although she looks small she is the same weight. She seems to wait until phoenix has ate now, but they are both eating lots of hay. They were on museli when I got them but I am weaning them off them and on to pellets. Just remembered that I forgot to ask the vet if we could give them veg. Could we give them wee bits of veg at the moment, or are they still too young? :)
 
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