Rabbit wont come out of cage or eat properly

[the_fedex_guy]

Hi all,
I have a Netherland Cross rabbit thats was 8-9 weeks old at the time.
Her name is Spock and for the first week she did not want to be touched or bothered.

Before I bought her I did weeks of research to make sure I could care for a rabbit and the whats and what nots.
Towards the end of her first week she allowed me to pet her for short periods of time, but then she would run into her hideaway and kick/thump her feet.

She is a indoor rabbit and has a cage and a whole room to herself. But here is one of the problems.
She does not come out of her cage, she will come up to the edge of the cage and peer over and then think twice about getting out.

On the 8th day I really had to clean her cage it was a mess!
So I tried to pick her up, it didnt work, she would run. I read online that you must be confidant when holding a rabbit. I tried the towel trick where I wrapped a towel around her and supported her front feet and her bum.

I put her into the cardboard box she came in and I cleaned her cage.
Before I put her back, I wanted her to get used to the rest of the room. So I put her on a Toy Story fleece blanket and she tried to walk but kept very low to the ground.
And I tried putting her on the laminate floor and she was struggling to stand/manuver. So I put her back on the fleece and wrapped it all around her so she was nice and snug.

She seemed to calm down at that point.

I didnt keep her in it long, and went to pick her up and put her close to my chest she tried to wriggle out but I kept hold of her and I slowly put her back in the cage.
She went into to her hidey whole and thumpped.

The next week she didnt like want to be touched and she was very jumpy. She wouldnt eat her pellets from my hand so I left her alone.

I bought some treats that she went mad over and she kept wanting more, she comes up to me and sniffs my hand and is now allowing me to pet her.

But she still wont come out of her cage, it will be cage cleaning time again in a couple of days and I do not want to start all over again.

She is now slightly less jumpy, but I dont think she wants to be picked up.

What can I do to make her get out and play. I am worried she is not getting enough exercise.

Some days she eats all of her hay and some days she just eats her pellets. She doesnt eat hay from her hay holder so I have stopped using it and just put the hay in the cage. She wont always drink water.

She potty trained herself within the first couple of days.

Thanks for any help

 

[yvette]

Hiya....!!

How old is she now??
I think it maybe hormones and trust issues.
Have you sat with her on the floor reading and let her come to you?? Pass her treats?? It takes weeks....

 

[the_fedex_guy]

Hi

Shes will be 11 weeks on Saturday.

I have sat with her, but shes been in the cage and has come to the front of the cage sniffed and looked and gone back to doing what she was doing.
I have been passing her treats and thats why shes been allowing me to pet her for longer periods of time. But she does get bored of it and goes back into her hideaway and kicks (sometimes).

I've read Michael Caine's 1st autobiography while shes been munching and played her Michael Jackson songs.

I want to take her to the vet but I am scared we will be going back to square one again.

:'(

 

[yvette]

Stick around on here.....lots of folk with ideas.I would stay for a chat but Im off to bed and Im tired.Got work tomorrow.....xxx

 

[Elena]

She sounds like a very jumpy rabbit does she have plenty of places to hide? You may just have to give her time and patience. Has she had a vet check? It may be there is something physical making her more jumpy like a hearing or sight problem. How big is her cage and is the door left open for a long time or just an hour here and there?

 

[catxx]

also, how high is the jump to get out of the cage? might be worth building her a ramp up and over the doorway so she isn't jumping into the unknown!

 

[GrahamL]

She sounds like a very jumpy rabbit does she have plenty of places to hide? You may just have to give her time and patience. Has she had a vet check? It may be there is something physical making her more jumpy like a hearing or sight problem. How big is her cage and is the door left open for a long time or just an hour here and there?

also, how high is the jump to get out of the cage? might be worth building her a ramp up and over the doorway so she isn't jumping into the unknown!

Both of these posts make perfect sense to me. Do you have a photo of her cage + environment, we may be able to make suggestions based on your situation easier that way

A vet check may also be wise. At 11 weeks a bun is still very much a baby, although they can fend for themselves, they still haven't honed (sp?) their instincts and need to learn about the world. It may be as catxx suggests, the size of the cage gap is too large for her to get out easily, so she may need a ramp until she's older and stronger. Once out, sit in the room with her, sit and read, and let her come to you, explore you, sniff you, groom you, just in general, get used to you being around. Rabbits don't like being held overly, so confidence is most important. If you are frightened or nervous when you go to pick her up, she WILL pick up on that and will put up a fight, as if you aren't confident in holding her, she won't be confident in being held.

Stick around, yuo'll learn a lot here

 

[parsnipbun]

laminate floors are hell for rabbits - they cannot get any grip.

I recommend purchasing one of those mats that are used for wiping muddy feet - NOT the old fashioned ones but the type like 'turtlemats' (you can get cheaper makes in various places). They have sort of short cotton based 'fluff' on top and rubber underneath that ensures the mat stays in place even on laminate.

Also try placing a blanket or something over the bit she has to jump over to get out.

 

[GrahamL]

laminate floors are hell for rabbits - they cannot get any grip.

I recommend purchasing one of those mats that are used for wiping muddy feet - NOT the old fashioned ones but the type like 'turtlemats' (you can get cheaper makes in various places). They have sort of short cotton based 'fluff' on top and rubber underneath that ensures the mat stays in place even on laminate.

Also try placing a blanket or something over the bit she has to jump over to get out.

Brain...not...working.

DO you know what, i didnt even see about laminate flooring

 

[KarenM]

I agree with Graham that a photo would help us to make suggestions - it could be that she doesn't want to jump out of the cage? I've used one of the bendy log rolls as a bridge before as Bubbles was too wary of jumping out.

Also, you mention laminate flooring. If bunny has to step straight out on to that from the cage, that could also be why she's reluctant to do so. Bubbles is very unsure on laminate flooring and she won't even walk on it if she can help it, so if my bunnies are indoors I make sure to put some rugs down so that she can work her way across the room on them.

It definitely sounds like you're making progress as she's now willing to let you stroke her, so do stick with it. There is some useful info here: http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/care/gettingtoknow.asp and also in the Behaviour sticky to help with bonding with your rabbit.

ETA: I took so long to post parsnipbun had beaten me to the point about laminate flooring. :lol::lol:

 

[nessar]

Brilliant advice so far, I just wanted to add that some rabbits dont like to be stroked or touched, and no amount of handling will make them like it. Also, when they are nervous buns stroking them or holding them against their will can just make them more scared of you. I would advise you to stroke her if she seems to like it, but if she backs off or runs or hides, then back off yourself, make sure its on her terms.

I have had one of my buns, Annabelle, for around 6 months now, she doesnt like humans very much and prefers her rabbit friend for company. I did try for ages to get her to accept being touched, but she just doesnt like it. So I stopped, and did things on her terms, letting her sniff me instead and letting her come to me. Now, 6 months later, she now trusts me, and she will occasionally let me give her noserubs, she'll come when I call her and her relationship with me is a lot better, I am the only human she will go near.

Oh and looks like you've already twigged that food is the way to get bunnies to like you :lol: so I would not give her pellets in a bowl, but give them to her my hand instead, so she associates you with nice things

As for what she is eating, can you give us approximate amounts? And what brand and type of hay are you using? Are you using a bottle or bowl? Rabbits tend to like bowls better for water, its a more natural way to drink.


eta- also thought it would be worth mentioning that my other bun, Barney, who isnt scared of anything and is basically a dog in a rabbits body, is TERRIFIED of laminate or lino flooring, so its not just your bun

 

[the_fedex_guy]

I have not uploaded any pics yet.

This is the cage: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rabbit_cage/100_cm_cages/30344

There's a guinea pig version but thats smaller.

I have a few videos on youtube:

http://youtu.be/Rap3Wzom660
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvLZR-Xsnnk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qVSMWZsJNg

I am not sure about the type of carpet to get, do you have a photo or a link to some examples?

When I say she's jumpy, its more that she's scared. She's not trying to jump out of her cage.

I have placed a big soft blanket so its the same level as the cage so she can hop on it but she always looks over the edge and totally ignores the blanket.