Afraid of stairs

[jaydick484]

Are bunnys generally afraid of stairs? We just bunny proofed the entire downstairs living area, and opened the baby gate.....only to find our bunny timid about the stairs. He won't go down, and just keeps going back to the rooms he has been kept in. Maybe it's secure up where he's used to?

 

[Preitler]

Give him time, they expand their action radius gradually. Maybe leave a treat on the first step down now and then, when it's gone, next step. Maybe showing him what the stairs are for might help, by going up and down when he can see, or even sit there for a while.

One thing, rabbits like to have good traction, for mine are raw, rough wood stairs and carpeted stairs no problem at all. They don't mind slick flooring either, but I prefer they have a good grip when they leave ground level.

When I got Herr Hase getting out of the hutch was a new concept for him, he had no idea what to do with the ramp - had to send some kits to show him the ropes

 

[samoth]

My doe took to them without flinching. My buck took a year & coaxing to even take a single step. It really depends.

Think of it from their point of view: It's a really long way up/down a giant mountain.

My buck would walk near the edge & just stare down. He'd watch the doe run down, but wasn't going to try it himself. I eventually sat a couple stairs down from the top and coaxed him down a single step with a treat, making sure my body was at the bottom of that step (to alleviate any fear he had of falling the whole way down). This took a while, and he he didn't take that first step right away; I was fine with that, as I wanted him to be comfortable -- a rabbit could easily die tripping & falling down a flight of stairs.

Once he learned to take a step down & back up, he immediately repeated it a few times ("Ah ha! This is how it works!"). He took the whole flight down not long after, and was pretty comfortable from then on out.

Note: My stairs are carpeted. I don't know if they could take non-carpeted stairs, or if I'd want them to even try.

 

[jaydick484]

Thanks. My stairs are carpeted with the same carpet he is used to, and he is looking down the stairs from his position. It probably does look quite steep and scary for him. He was previously kept in an expen by my friend, and never introduced to stairs. I've been sitting a step lower when he curiously comes over to the stairs. I gave him a piece of banana at the top of the stairs and he got a little braver, but eventually went back to his safety zone. I just feel bad that he chooses to be all alone when the whole house is actively right downstairs all day.

 

[jaydick484]

Give him time, they expand their action radius gradually. Maybe leave a treat on the first step down now and then, when it's gone, next step. Maybe showing him what the stairs are for might help, by going up and down when he can see, or even sit there for a while.

One thing, rabbits like to have good traction, for mine are raw, rough wood stairs and carpeted stairs no problem at all. They don't mind slick flooring either, but I prefer they have a good grip when they leave ground level.

When I got Herr Hase getting out of the hutch was a new concept for him, he had no idea what to do with the ramp - had to send some kits to show him the ropes

That's great that you got pictures of this! Wow, what a discovery!