News on the bunny front
Aug. 21st, 2013 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzAt first, Joepie was adapting very slowly. I was still a stranger to him and he can get quite panicky when picked up (but hey, prey behaviour!).
By now he's gotten used to my scent and he's slowly learning what he can and can't do. I've been home with a severe cold these past few days (that'll teach me to dunk my head underwater in a swimming pool!) so I've been watching the antics of a cage-crazy rabbit. As soon as I let him out he likes to run loops around the boxes and chairs.
I feed him carrots and some greens that I cut off of my vegetables. There's a handy website I can look up whether what I give him is good for him, so I'm taking the best care that I can.
He's also enjoying the cuddles. Today I could pet him outside his cage without him frantically running and hiding. He stayed still for a whole three minutes!
He also enjoys hiding under my couch or behind my laundry basket and nibbling on whatever he finds there. My quiver and the rope I used to tie the ladder of my bed down with are favourites. Dumb bunny. He goes right back into the cage and I hold him very tightly so he can't struggle free, which must be a punishment for bunnies.
Inside the cage he will still attack my hand if I use the front door -- that one appears to be reserved for bunnies only -- but tolerates me when I use the top door. He eats a lot of "kibble" and all the greens I give him, so I have to take care not to overfeed.
He really needs his cage cleaned too, but I'm not going out while I'm down with a cold.
All in all, progress!
By now he's gotten used to my scent and he's slowly learning what he can and can't do. I've been home with a severe cold these past few days (that'll teach me to dunk my head underwater in a swimming pool!) so I've been watching the antics of a cage-crazy rabbit. As soon as I let him out he likes to run loops around the boxes and chairs.
I feed him carrots and some greens that I cut off of my vegetables. There's a handy website I can look up whether what I give him is good for him, so I'm taking the best care that I can.
He's also enjoying the cuddles. Today I could pet him outside his cage without him frantically running and hiding. He stayed still for a whole three minutes!
He also enjoys hiding under my couch or behind my laundry basket and nibbling on whatever he finds there. My quiver and the rope I used to tie the ladder of my bed down with are favourites. Dumb bunny. He goes right back into the cage and I hold him very tightly so he can't struggle free, which must be a punishment for bunnies.
Inside the cage he will still attack my hand if I use the front door -- that one appears to be reserved for bunnies only -- but tolerates me when I use the top door. He eats a lot of "kibble" and all the greens I give him, so I have to take care not to overfeed.
He really needs his cage cleaned too, but I'm not going out while I'm down with a cold.
All in all, progress!
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Date: 2013-08-22 08:18 am (UTC)It sounds like the two of you are getting along well. Getting a rabbit to trust you can take up to a few weeks, so looks like you're doing great. Taking care of a rabbit can be tricky as they are very different from cats and dogs in behaviour and needs, but luckily there are now several good internet sources on rabbit behaviour and care. If you haven't found any info on it yet, I can recommend reading up on rabbit ear/body language. They become so much more fun once you get a feeling for how they are feeling. ;)
If you don't mind the mess of having bits of carton in your room, carton boxes can be great and cheap rabbit toys. Especially when you have a rabbit that likes to destroy things.