Shes so unhappy, what can I do?

[garfieldette]

Please can I ask for some advice, I am out of ideas on what I can do.

I adopted a bonded pair of lionhead rabbits from RSPCA 5 weeks ago. They are both neutered and around 12 months old. They are living in a 12ftx10ft bedroom. They are my first rabbits. They have a 6ft puppy pen as their base with the door permanently open. The rest of the room is full of cardboard boxes, tunnels, chew toys.

I have been following advice online and taking it slowly with bonding with them. I have not forced any interactions with them, have not picked them up or forced stroking on them and have spent time sat or lying on the floor with them so they can approach me. George has been doing well. He will come up to me and beg for treats, when I spend time on the floor he will come over and have a sniff, chin me and be interested, but if I try to stoke him he will run away.

Millie on the other hand, it totally miserable. She will not come near me, will sit in the far corner with her ears flat back looking so upset. She hates the sound of the TV, shes distressed whenever I go in their room, she seems so unhappy and I do not know what to do. Shes also been eating the carpet. I am blocking up each area she has a go at but am at a loss as why she is doing it given she isn't bothering with any of the chewable toys I have provided.

Sorry for the long post but I am really at a loss on what to do. She looks so unhappy, which is upsetting and its getting so I stay out of their room, knowing it upsets her if I go in but that's not sustainable going forward.

Any advice please? Do some rabbits just not like indoor life or am I doing it all wrong.

Thank you

 

[Miss Binky Bunny]

Hi, does she seem healthy otherwise - eating pooping, drinking, moving about? Others here will likely have more advice, but worth checking the basics... If all is good there, does she show any interest in coming up to you. if you offer her a treat or food like pellets, herbs, greens when you interact with her at her level?

 

[garfieldette]

Hi, does she seem healthy otherwise - eating pooping, drinking, moving about? Others here will likely have more advice, but worth checking the basics... If all is good there, does she show any interest in coming up to you. if you offer her a treat or food like pellets, herbs, greens when you interact with her at her level?

Hi. Thanks for the reply. She eats and drinks OK, They both seem to spend a lot of time just sitting around but as they are my first rabbits I don't know if this is normal. She will take a treat out of George's mouth but not off me. If I go and sit in their room she will go as far away as possible and either sit hunched up with her ears flat back, or lie on the floor with her back to me.

 

[Miss Binky Bunny]

She could just be timid. 5 weeks sounds fairly long to me for keeping that behaviour if nothing has changed, but my bun is just naturally curious and cheeky. Hold on in there, I'm sure others will have very good advice in the morning. If she eats, sleeps, poops and moves about okay that is only a good thing. x

 

[garfieldette]

She could just be timid. 5 weeks sounds fairly long to me for keeping that behaviour if nothing has changed, but my bun is just naturally curious and cheeky. Hold on in there, I'm sure others will have very good advice in the morning. If she eats, sleeps, poops and moves about okay that is only a good thing. x

Its just so upsetting to see her look that miserable. Ive just spent another hour and a half lying on the floor in their room and she just sat under the chair hunched up with her ears flat back the whole time. You look at her and think I should leave so shes not upset but then you think, Im lying on the floor to try and make her feel happier so just so torn on what to do for her going forward.

 

[Miss Binky Bunny]

Its just so upsetting to see her look that miserable. Ive just spent another hour and a half lying on the floor in their room and she just sat under the chair hunched up with her ears flat back the whole time. You look at her and think I should leave so shes not upset but then you think, Im lying on the floor to try and make her feel happier so just so torn on what to do for her going forward.

She does sound like she is scared. It's quite late now. Health wise she should be okay till the morn, if pooping, eating and drinking, if the other bun and her get along. I'd worry too, but there are plenty of people on here who can give you good advice and I'm sure they will be on in the morning and have lots of suggestions. Try to make her comfy and then both of you rest. They do pick up human stress, so wait to see what others have to say in the morn. It's actually quite a good thing to restrict free roaming space when first brought home. Then to introduce to more space slowly. She may just be freaked out still by being in a strange environment, noises and smells.

 

[Mazzy]

I'm certainly no expert as I got my first pair of buns (had a bunny in the 80's but things were very different back then and I was only 5) from the RSPCA on they 10th August but this is my bunnies experience. Paws was dumped in a box back in May 2012 and Buck was dumped in a garden or escaped And found in June 2012 they lwere paired together at the RSPCA from Nov 2012 until we adopted them 2 years later.

Paws settled in and made herself quite at home within days whereas Buck was ultra timid so much so we nicknamed him Buckaroo if you touched him accidently he would jump and run off. I was convinced he was miserable so much so I set up a camcorder to monitor his behaviour whilst we were out or in bed. After about 6 weeks or so he would only leave the cage if I was in the room but even then it would be a case of he'd stay as far away as he could from me.

I was convinced he was miserable and hating life with us, but a few days later armed with my phone to film him to ask on here for advice he did periscope bunny and then we had a binky. I was amazed and so elated and it didn't stop there we had binkys and dead bunny flops for the remainder of the night with head butts for strokes included. Even now we don't see the behaviour all the time (DBF excluded) and I convince myself he's miserable again but then we have a few crazy nights including last night wit a DBF resulting in laying on back with legs in the air until I disturbed him getting up to take a pic!

Like I say I'm pretty clueless with my 2 being my teachers but hopefully Millie is just like Buck and is just taking her time to come out of her shell, believe me if it is the case you will have the greatest reward once she come around I was so so proud that night of his first binky. I'm guessing being a RSPCA bun you won't know much about her history and if may just take longer for her to trust which I'm sure some of these guys who rescue buns on here will know more about.

 

[tonibun]

Carpet chewing is normal I am afraid, as long as she doesn't eat too much! Maybe she was an outdoor bun as sometimes transferring to indoors is quite daunting, maybe she has had a hard time in her previous home, in which case it's going to take a while to feel safe. Are your buns neutered and together? Being bonded will help her to feel more secure. I would just be as normal around her as you can be, don't try to force any interaction from her, just give her what she needs foodwise, and slowly she will come around. But being bonded with another rabbit could mean she will always tend to shy away from her human. Rabbits, being prey animals, are generally untrustful of us humans.

 

[Sarah1989]

She may be a "rabbit's rabbit" ie prefers company from her own kind and not interested in us humans. I have two like that - Jacquetta and Cherry. Cherry is a wild rabbit x domestic rabbit though so I expect that from her. I am very honoured at times when I am permitted to stroke her and she will take treats from me too. Jacquetta, I've had since she was 8 weeks old and has always been nervous of human contact. Her sister, Lady Katherine, however is very cheeky and affectionate & not bothered by anything so it's more difficult for her to come forwards and be outgoing.

I would also say that 5 weeks is still quite recent in terms of her settling in. Do you know her history at all? She could have been abused in her previous home before coming to the rspca and that will make her much more wary of humans. It took a long time for Cherry to settle in and stop running & hiding from me, even though she'd been in rescue most of her life and certainly not abused.

 

[garfieldette]

Thank you for the responses. From what I have been told of their history, they were taken from a home with 90 rabbits. The owners bought 5 rabbits and stuck them all in together and the inevitable happened. These two were kept together in a 2ft hutch. The rest were left running loose in a barn.

If everyone thinks I am doing the right thing in letting her take her time to come to me I am happy to continue. But, I haven't been able to groom either of them since they came and am getting worried that they will get ill if this continues.

Any tips on how I can groom her without freaking her out further if she wont come near me?

 

[dumblepaws]

Thank you for the responses. From what I have been told of their history, they were taken from a home with 90 rabbits. The owners bought 5 rabbits and stuck them all in together and the inevitable happened. These two were kept together in a 2ft hutch. The rest were left running loose in a barn.

If everyone thinks I am doing the right thing in letting her take her time to come to me I am happy to continue. But, I haven't been able to groom either of them since they came and am getting worried that they will get ill if this continues.

Any tips on how I can groom her without freaking her out further if she wont come near me?

I don't know much about bunnies but I've been reading lots since I got Waffles and DP and I've read before about bunnies who were in tiny enclosures. I think Hugo's There had one recently who was so so so scared in the light but a bit more onfident in the dark. You'd think the freedom would be massively exciting for them but actually it's really really really intimidating. Could you try making her pen much much smaller and giving her time to get used to more space very slowly. Maybe small enough that you don't fit in the pen at first, but can sit by it so she's used to seeing you but still feels safe. And so she has lots of hidey holes to retreat to if she's scared?

Also you could maybe try something like pet remedy which is a spray/plug in that can help calm them down

Good luck and let us know how it goes but it sounds like it may take a while as she's had a difficult past

 

[cara]

I don't know much about bunnies but I've been reading lots since I got Waffles and DP and I've read before about bunnies who were in tiny enclosures. I think Hugo's There had one recently who was so so so scared in the light but a bit more onfident in the dark. You'd think the freedom would be massively exciting for them but actually it's really really really intimidating. Could you try making her pen much much smaller and giving her time to get used to more space very slowly. Maybe small enough that you don't fit in the pen at first, but can sit by it so she's used to seeing you but still feels safe. And so she has lots of hidey holes to retreat to if she's scared?

Also you could maybe try something like pet remedy which is a spray/plug in that can help calm them down

Good luck and let us know how it goes but it sounds like it may take a while as she's had a difficult past

This sounds like an idea worth trying

As regards grooming, I am not overly familiar with Lionheads, but in general Rabbits don't need regular grooming by us. Do you think they necessarily need grooming as if they are clean and looking after themselves in that respect, then it is one less thing for you to worry about.

 

[chloemurray]

This sounds like an idea worth trying

As regards grooming, I am not overly familiar with Lionheads, but in general Rabbits don't need regular grooming by us. Do you think they necessarily need grooming as if they are clean and looking after themselves in that respect, then it is one less thing for you to worry about.

Lionheads definitely need fairly regular grooming, my Nahla gets dreadfully knotty if I forget to groom her once a week.

Nahla is exactly the same as your bunny garfieldette, she HATES people and is often completely terrified by them. I have had her for four years now, and she's still scared of me sometimes. I spend lots of time just sitting near her and talking to her softly, and very slowly she started to come round. She still doesn't approach me but she'll take treats from my hand, and she'll lay down and do "happy flops" in front of me. It just takes time and effort... like I said, I've had her four years and she is still very timid.

In terms of grooming and nail-clipping, I have to wrap Nahla securely in a towel and just expose each foot at a time to clip her nails. For grooming, I normally just sit her on the table with treats in front of her, and run the brush over her quickly. If you do it regularly they soon get used to it, and it means she doesn't get knotty and tangled fur.

 

[RogerRabbit999]

I've had very traumatised buns in the past, and you really do need to just give them time. You might find sitting in their room and reading to them might be more reassurring to them and get their curiosity. Maybe going and lying in their room might mean they are on guard and possibly expecting you to do something.

I really do know how upsetting this can be, but when it all comes good, which it will, you will have amazing bonds with them. Sometimes I think people forget about how long it took them to become like this, and so we have to be prepared that it may take time for them to recover and learn to be happy again. You really do sound like you are the best thing to have happened to these little ones, and in time they will realise that for themselves and love you back so much. Try not to get upset as they may pick up on that, and I would spend as much time as possible in with them, as that is the only way they will get used to you being about, and start to trust you.

I used to take my breakfast and lunch in with Bodger and just sit on the other side of the room and totally ignore him. Read a book, listen to music through earphones, take laptop or any thing else in that you can do and totally ignore them. When they do come to you, still don't try to stroke them, just let them sniff you. As soon as you lift your hand to touch them you will be back to square one.

Initially when they are consistently sniffing you, just lift a finger to touch their nose and get them used to that, but you don't need to lift your hand to raise a finger to touch their nose.

Wear a jumper you're not overly fussed about for a day, and then place in their sleeping area, and each day put something nice and healthy for them to eat on it, so that they get used to your smell and start to associate nice things with it. Try not to make any changes or move their things about, and finally be POSITIVE and upbeat in your mood, and look forward to how special you WILL become to them. Very early days yet.

 

[RogerRabbit999]

I have a little blind lionhead myself called Violet, and you are so lucky to have 2 of this fab breed. Of course grooming is important, and I tend to spend 5 mins most days brushing Violet with a slicker brush, but at the moment with your buns, getting them settled and used to you being about is far more important.

As they are indoor buns, they are not going to get as tatty or muddy as outdoor ones may, nor are they so likely to injure themselves on something outside, so I really wouldn't worry about grooming for the time being. If they do get a bit knotty you can just trim the knots out and it really isn't a big deal.

If you do decide that you have simply got to brush them and force and scare them into being handled, you may well have to accept that they will always hate and be fearful of you, of being picked up, and of being groomed.

If they were ill and requiring meds, well that is essential to there well-being, but not grooming indoor buns for a while, will not kill them, and is supposed to be ultimately a pleasureable experience for both of you.

 

[Pixcess]

You menchioned that she doesn't like the sound of the t.v, my rabbits the same, he doesn't like it because he doesn't understand where the sounds coming from and thinks there's another person that could be dangerous. Pacience is the best thing and it sounds like you've got it down with the waiting on the floor but rabbits are very quite animals with very good hearing so if there are any obtrusive noises especially human voices from a t.v or radio its going to feak her out a bit. So if its not the case already just make sure that the house is as quiet as possible.