Getting Bunny Back Into Cage

[dolly87]

Hello, all..

I am a new bunny owner (first timer!) & I am trying very hard to bond with my bunny, Mac. I like giving Mac lots of time outside of his cage. Mac spent a good 12 hours out of his cage yesterday & he gave me NO problems. He loves to explore & run & miraculously he was not chewing anything. Yet, we are not bonded enough to where he trusts me to pick him up & I cannot get him into his cage when I want him to.

This is a problem because last night he was up & we were hanging out & he refused to let me get him into the cage. I do not want to ruin any trust he has in me by chasing him around, trapping him, & forcing him into his cage. Also, he has increased his thumping while running, which is unexplained because I was simply laying on my floor watching TV & he was just sniffing around & he's thumping! I also had to clap at him a few times because he is now chewing on chords, which he never bothered with yesterday when I brought him home.

I don't want to limit the time he spends outside of the cage, but his behavior is forcing me to!

 

[Flashy]

You sound like a very switched on owner which is brilliant, and you're looking for what is your bun's best interests, which is ace.

I would suggest keeping him in a more restricted area until your trust has been built up by him.

Is he able to get in and out of his cage by choice? Could you maybe attach a pen to his cage for run time?

You can then work on your bond, and also on letting him know what you do to get him in the cage. A good way to do this is to use food, so that he realises a certain noise (such as a tapping on a particular part of the cage) means food in his cage and he comes running. Food can be a great bribe, ahem, incentive

Many buns won't tolerate being held, even if you do have a good trust relationship, and this is based on them being a prey animal, and feeling vulnerable in that position, so don't be disheartened if that doesn't improve, just find ways to work around it and only hold him when necessary (such as for medication, nail clipping, etc).

You might find this article on Bonding with your Bunny useful http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=33995&forum_id=17

 

[dolly87]

Thanks for all the help, Flashy! I am very excited to have a bunny & attached already! He's very smart & inquisitive, he will smell my hands & legs & when I was cleaning the messy section of his cage, he even put his front paws on my back & stood there for a few seconds, so I believe he is trusting of me (at least I hope ).

If I might also ask, my legs were under my bed & he was poking around under there for a while. He proceeded to sniff, lick, scratch, & nibble on my leg! I did nothing in an effort to keep him calm, just wondering if this was an aggression behavior or was he just being curious? He also does this same action to the carpet.

 

[Flashy]

It sounds like you are building the trust well

He was probably communicating with you when he was doing that. The sniff and the lick was all positive, but the scratch and the nibble may just be him being a baby (if that's what he is), or he may have been trying to make you move, or get your attention, etc. I woudn't call it agressive though, just that he is communicating in bunny language. He may be a diggy or nipping bunny, but time will tell on that one.