Adopted bonded bunnies in their new environment

Hi, we recently adopted 2 bunnies from a rescue. They are 8 months old neutered brothers. They seem very bonded and have settled reasonably well in the 2 weeks we have had them. They are living indoors and have a room of their own 8ft x 8ft enclosed by a 3ft pen around the whole room that comes off our living room with no door so we can see them and they can see us all the time. We bought a 6ft indoor cage for them as a base and they seem quite content in it. We leave the doors open all the time however the thing I want advice on is that they will not come out of the cage. Last week I tried to encourage them out into the space by putting their food outside. They came out but then it all seemed to kick off. It looked like one was biting the bum of the other and then he was turning on him and then there was lots of chasing and turning on one another which looked aggressive rather than fun. They seem to be ok since but still won't come out of the cage even though they could whenever they want. Should I just leave them to find their own way out and not force the issue again?

They may try to 'claim' the space outside of the cage since nobody has been brave enough to go into it yet. It might be worth trying to get them out, close the cage off and sit on the floor with them whilst they explore the new territory. Scatter some tasty treats around on the floor (fresh herbs, a few pellets, some greens, tasty hay etc) but don't put it in a bowl which can be claimed. Put a couple of litter trays on the floor too with some of their soiled litter in them so they smell right.

You may get a little bit of chasing, nipping and mounting but if they're bonded, it shouldn't be anything major. Just stay with them, sit still and let them get on with it. You can always try to hand feed something tasty. I'd just sit there and read a book whilst they explore and get used to the new space. Once they're happy in the room, you can open the doors to the cage again and leave them to hop in if they wish.

Mackers said:

They may try to 'claim' the space outside of the cage since nobody has been brave enough to go into it yet. It might be worth trying to get them out, close the cage off and sit on the floor with them whilst they explore the new territory. Scatter some tasty treats around on the floor (fresh herbs, a few pellets, some greens, tasty hay etc) but don't put it in a bowl which can be claimed. Put a couple of litter trays on the floor too with some of their soiled litter in them so they smell right.

You may get a little bit of chasing, nipping and mounting but if they're bonded, it shouldn't be anything major. Just stay with them, sit still and let them get on with it. You can always try to hand feed something tasty. I'd just sit there and read a book whilst they explore and get used to the new space. Once they're happy in the room, you can open the doors to the cage again and leave them to hop in if they wish.

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Thank you so much for the advice. We have only had a single bunny who left us earlier this year so this is a new experience for us as well as them