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First Time owner. Questions!

ownerof4

New Kit
Hi so i have 4 rabbits named Dendee, Smokey, CC and my one Willow. I also have 2 other brothers and 1 sister. Yesterday like everyday we let the rabbits on the grass (in a cage of course) and we let them eat and roam free for one hour or two. Yesterday Willow escaped his normal cage and ran under the house for 2 hours. This scared me more then anyone because there was a snak living under there a couple days ago.

It's not just this my rabbit is so scared for some reason shes very anti social (Such as myself) but yet so energetic! I sit with her for like 30 mins a day just patting her I have not hurt her at all. why is she/he (dont know if it's a boy or a girl) so scared of me?!

We have had the rabbits for about 2 months now and all the others just coming running to us if we call them. Just not Willow? How can I bond with her more.

p.s she is shedding like crazy not just for one day but for weeks now.

How do we tell if a rabbit is pregnant?
 
I presume you are not in the U.K. How old is your rabbit. Does your rabbit live with the other three? If you do not know the sex of your rabbit, I presume he/she is not neutered, so would presume she doesn't mix with the other buns. If a bun is old enough (4 months or more...sometimes less) then they could be pregnant if they have been with a male.

Have they been to the vets to check their sex?

Rabbits generally hate to be picked up and handled. Most are scared of it and this could be why she is scared of you. If you pick her up or place her on your knee, she may feel threatened (only time a rabbit is picked up in the wild is when they are about to be dinner!). To bond with her you want to spend time with her on her level..i.e on the ground where she feels safe. Rabbits like to have their noses stroked so you can try this, but only if she lets you. If she runs away from you, let her, and try to tempt her back with some nice but healthy treats. It can take months to settle in and to feel comfortable enough to come out of their shell but neutering can certainly help.

How big is her cage? Sometimes a small cage can actually make them feel more skittish because they are not getting their energy out as they should. It may be that she doesn't feel safe in her cage so try to provide her with hidey holes, tubes, boxes or huts.

Min recommended cage/hutch size is 6x2x2ft with a permanent attached run/pen of 8x4ft. :)
 
@Vegan_Bunny The rabbits came straight from my brothers girl friends house. I think there about 3 months and have had no vet check ups. The cage is fairly big but they only seem to stay on the bottom level. Its just 2 story but no attachments. they stay together like they seriously just stick together even on the hottest of days. If it gets really hot ill stick a couple ice cubes in there cage to cool them down. there really big. the size of my computer screen when stretched.

All of the other rabbits love the be picked up, it's just my one :(
 
rabbits generally don't like being picket up, as vegan_bunny mentioned they are a prey species and being picked up makes them uncomfortable and scared. sometimes young bunnies will tolerate it or even learn to like it, but its very natural for your willow not to like it. my two detest being held so i just sit on the floor with them and interact that way.

the reason your bunnies might stay on the bottom level of the cage could be because they don't want to use the ramp, as generally rabbits find these a bit difficult. if possible it might be better to switch up your accommodation to make it all on one level, so they can run around when they want to and stretch out in the heat. do you have a photo? then we could give you some ideas :) to post photos you need to upload them to an image hosting site like photobucket and then paste the img code
 
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