I can't figure out my bun's behavior.

[Sophie.k2002]

My bun Maggie is about 8 months old. I'm not sure about his weight but he's around 1 kg.
I can't decide many things.

I want him to be freeroam but he won't eat when i let him out. He just doesn't like going in his cage so i get him in his cage for a few hours so that he can eat.
I don't know if i should worry about him.
I don't have a diet for him. I feed him whatever i have at the moment.

One week we have green Leafs. I feed him that everyday.

One week we have more vegetables . I try to feed him vegetables and fruits.

Sometimes i feed him pellets everyday when we run out of all.

I don't know what diet is the best so that he gets enough hay and can gain enough weigh.

And i don't usually Wake up early since it's summer so i don't get to take him out of his cage in the morning so That he can play.

But when school starts i can get him out but i need to be prepared for both.
when i let him out at night , he just sleeps all around the house and doesn't poop or pee in his litter box because laziness.

I have litter trained him since the day I got him.

So this behavior is very weird for me but I say that maybe it's because of his male hormones and all of that.

What do you suggest for me to do?

I was planning to get him a bigger cage and not let him free roam.

Or

I should just remove his cage and let him free roam all around the house and put double of things everywhere or put everything in one spot. So that he knows he has to go there to eat and pee.

I was planning to let him sleep in my room at night but He is a nightmare at night.

My room isn't very big but it's rabbit proof so there's nothing dangerous i worry about.

he likes to jump, chew and fit himself through tight spaces that i don't want him to go.

AND the worst part he jumps on me, poops on me.

And around 6 am he gets CRAZY. That i put him in his cage and sleep.

When I let him free roam he goes into the kitchen and stays under the cabinets until i get him out to eat.

He's a pain in the *** but me and my family adore him and are attached to him so deeply since he's the first animal to live with us.

I make him toys from paper, wood, cardboard, fabric and everything i can find.

I even made a cardboard castle for him.

But he just roams around the house.

I was thinking that
will he eat when he's hungry at night?

Or should i put him in his cage?

Should i make more toys?

etc ...

I feel so paranoid that he's always hungry, thirsty or he's bored or depressed.

I don't know what is the best thing i can do that isn't expensive and will make my bun happy.

I don't sleep at night sometimes of worry.

I would be very very happy if someone helped me find his way of happiness and health along with mine.

When he's happy I'm happy.

Since i live in a country that doesn't have many things. I can't find some things for him and if I do they're are super expensive.
These situations needs to be considered.
What can i do?

this is Maggie. Up



This is my room. Up


This is Maggie's cage. Up



this is the living room where he usually roams around and doesn't return to his cage. Up



this is Maggie at 2 am in the morning trying to get under the cabinets even though i try to close the way in. Up

*thank you for reading*

 

[Niomi]

What a cute rabbit! I think it would help with the pooping and peeing if you can get him neutered. Unless he is litter box trained, I would not let him free roam. Keep him in a smaller area where he always has a litter box, until you can trust him. Rabbits like schedules, so feed him at the same time every day. Give him his pellets twice a day and measure them. Sometimes rabbit that get as much pellets as they want don't get into the habit of eating hay, which he needs to do. His cage is a good size so don't feel bad about keeping him in his cage overnight. You can let him out of his cage for exercise every day, but you will not be able to train him unless you have him in an area that you can control his behavior in. It's kind of like getting a puppy. They destroy everything when left alone and have to be put in a kennel or cage at night. If you want to let him free roam, he needs to learn some lessons first and mature a little. Rabbits calm down as they get older, just like puppies do. Don't rush thing.

 

[Sunny Days]

Firstly, bunny gets crazy at 6am because he wants to be outdoors grazing early before the world is up. It's natural instinct. He wants to be out on the grass, hopping around and eating whatever he wants.
We, people want to control everything, and box everything. Animals were made to be free. How do we meet halfway?
If we are in our rooms all day everyday with no time outdoors we'll go nuts too. We need to be out in the open air, seeing the sun shine, or clouds in the sky, feel the rain fall, and smell the flowers. That's how caged animals feel too. They don't want to be boxed in and only feel bare floor/carpet, and eat only what is given to them. What if we had to eat only brown bread with no spread everyday with no variety...no occasional hamburger, ice-cream etc? We become very dull, sad, bored with life. Animals feel the same way.
Even worse is it for people and animals in poor areas, lands that have not much rain, or vegetation for the animals.
Best way to think about bunny's meals is to prepare before hand. Have some greens ready, washed and bagged/put in containers, so when he is up at 6am, you can have some snuggle time and give him his greenies. He will eat and then take a nap again. Around late morning you could cut up small pieces of apple/banana, simple fruit, and a maybe a tablespoon of raw/dry oats.
For the rest of the day bunny should have lots of dry hay(Alfalfa/Timothy/orchard grass or combination of them) and water. You could leave a small amount of bunny kibbles/pellets that have extra fun stuff like sunflower/pumpkin seeds, dried fruit etc. to nibble on. In the evening as the sun goes down they like to graze again, so have some fresh greens ready. If they were outdoors they would be nibbling here there and everywhere on the grass, and resting in some indentation in the ground they made for themselves to fit in.
Bunnies should be in the crate/cage only when necessary, not all day everyday.
In the morning, if you have a fenced yard, or deck/porch you should let bunny out for a while, and let him in after an hour or so. A bunny I had a few years ago would go downstairs when I let her, and sat under a big tree in the courtyard of the apartment complex. She would come back up on her own, if something startled her. I would look through the window to make sure she was ok. If she ventured too far I would go get her. One day one of the free roam cats was beckoning her to the back- to the woods. I thought it was trying to be friends, but then much later realized that it was luring her to the back where the other cats were. They would have eaten her up. But I didn't let her go after it. I went down and called her back. Remember, children should not go anywhere with strangers!
Spend lots of time snuggling with bunny and gaining his trust, so when you go back and forth outside he will always stay close and come back to you when called, or stays put when you go to get him. Make sure you are in a fenced area, so he doesn't dart out on the street, or woods/fields where he won't want to come back.
Another tip. Find out all the naturally growing vegetation that bunny likes, and get them from the trees outdoors for example, apple/peach/pear twigs to chew on, leaves from trees that they like, here in NJ some maple leaves. Not too much of one kind of thing. You can also grow some things in pots outside if you cannot have a little garden to grow flowers/veggies/plants like dandelion which they love.
Spend lots of time on the floor with bunny, scritch scratching his head, gently patting his back, giving him clean, wet washcloth washes/wipes- it's all bonding time.
Hope it's valuable info. for you.
Sunny Days

 

[Sophie.k2002]

What a cute rabbit! I think it would help with the pooping and peeing if you can get him neutered. Unless he is litter box trained, I would not let him free roam. Keep him in a smaller area where he always has a litter box, until you can trust him. Rabbits like schedules, so feed him at the same time every day. Give him his pellets twice a day and measure them. Sometimes rabbit that get as much pellets as they want don't get into the habit of eating hay, which he needs to do. His cage is a good size so don't feel bad about keeping him in his cage overnight. You can let him out of his cage for exercise every day, but you will not be able to train him unless you have him in an area that you can control his behavior in. It's kind of like getting a puppy. They destroy everything when left alone and have to be put in a kennel or cage at night. If you want to let him free roam, he needs to learn some lessons first and mature a little. Rabbits calm down as they get older, just like puppies do. Don't rush thing.

Well from looking at all the pictures and reading the information of rabbit conditions.

I feel like he needs to be out around morning to exercise (because he's crepuscular) but the second i get up i open his cage in the living room and he starts jumping around.

When i see him in a cage wanting to be outside and free. I just can't help it you know. He's got his charms to fool me.

Since I've Been letting him out often . He won't go back inside his cage anymore.

Will he be okay even if i over sleep?

In a cage?

When do i know that he's ready to free roam?

-thank you so much for helping

 

[Niomi]

Firstly, bunny gets crazy at 6am because he wants to be outdoors grazing early before the world is up. It's natural instinct. He wants to be out on the grass, hopping around and eating whatever he wants.
We, people want to control everything, and box everything. Animals were made to be free. How do we meet halfway?
If we are in our rooms all day everyday with no time outdoors we'll go nuts too. We need to be out in the open air, seeing the sun shine, or clouds in the sky, feel the rain fall, and smell the flowers. That's how caged animals feel too. They don't want to be boxed in and only feel bare floor/carpet, and eat only what is given to them. What if we had to eat only brown bread with no spread everyday with no variety...no occasional hamburger, ice-cream etc? We become very dull, sad, bored with life. Animals feel the same way.
Even worse is it for people and animals in poor areas, lands that have not much rain, or vegetation for the animals.
Best way to think about bunny's meals is to prepare before hand. Have some greens ready, washed and bagged/put in containers, so when he is up at 6am, you can have some snuggle time and give him his greenies. He will eat and then take a nap again. Around late morning you could cut up small pieces of apple/banana, simple fruit, and a maybe a tablespoon of raw/dry oats.
For the rest of the day bunny should have lots of dry hay(Alfalfa/Timothy/orchard grass or combination of them) and water. You could leave a small amount of bunny kibbles/pellets that have extra fun stuff like sunflower/pumpkin seeds, dried fruit etc. to nibble on. In the evening as the sun goes down they like to graze again, so have some fresh greens ready. If they were outdoors they would be nibbling here there and everywhere on the grass, and resting in some indentation in the ground they made for themselves to fit in.
Bunnies should be in the crate/cage only when necessary, not all day everyday.
In the morning, if you have a fenced yard, or deck/porch you should let bunny out for a while, and let him in after an hour or so. A bunny I had a few years ago would go downstairs when I let her, and sat under a big tree in the courtyard of the apartment complex. She would come back up on her own, if something startled her. I would look through the window to make sure she was ok. If she ventured too far I would go get her. One day one of the free roam cats was beckoning her to the back- to the woods. I thought it was trying to be friends, but then much later realized that it was luring her to the back where the other cats were. They would have eaten her up. But I didn't let her go after it. I went down and called her back. Remember, children should not go anywhere with strangers!
Spend lots of time snuggling with bunny and gaining his trust, so when you go back and forth outside he will always stay close and come back to you when called, or stays put when you go to get him. Make sure you are in a fenced area, so he doesn't dart out on the street, or woods/fields where he won't want to come back.
Another tip. Find out all the naturally growing vegetation that bunny likes, and get them from the trees outdoors for example, apple/peach/pear twigs to chew on, leaves from trees that they like, here in NJ some maple leaves. Not too much of one kind of thing. You can also grow some things in pots outside if you cannot have a little garden to grow flowers/veggies/plants like dandelion which they love.
Spend lots of time on the floor with bunny, scritch scratching his head, gently patting his back, giving him clean, wet washcloth washes/wipes- it's all bonding time.
Hope it's valuable info. for you.
Sunny Days

Your experience with rabbits must be different from mine. For years I had rabbits outside in a large fenced in area. They had a hutch the was 8 feet long and had three levels. They would go out in the morning and again in the evening, but would spend most of their time sitting in their hutch with the door open. They had their favorite spot in the hutch where they spent most of their time and the rest of the hutch they ignored. That was after they got past the bunny stage. When they were young they loved to run up and down the ramps, but once they reached about 3 years old, that behavior stopped. Our neighborhood has changed, and if I kept my rabbits outside now, they would not live long because fox, coyote, hawks and eagles have moved into the area. I have 4 rabbits now in one room with large cages. They don't get along, so 3 of them take turns with out of cage time, so each rabbit gets out 8 hours a day. The other rabbit spends his out of cage time in our living room because he can be trusted not to destroy things. Even with 8 hours of out of cage time, my rabbits spend plenty of time sitting in their cages with the door open. Then their is the question of what kind of relationship do you want with your rabbits? I train mine. I have two that work as therapy rabbits, and one that just retired from therapy because of his age, and the forth rabbit goes to agility classes. I also train them on commands and tricks. It looks like Sophie has been raising her rabbit as a free spirit, but it isn't working out for her.

 

[Niomi]

I have found that the best way to get a rabbit back into his cage is to feed him when you want him to go back in. So let him out for exercise first. If you are going to let him out in a big area, you can try putting more litter boxes out. If he poops and pees outside the boxes, maybe you can somehow fence off areas of the room to reduce the size of the area. As he starts using the litter boxes, you can increase the size of his area and hopefully he will get to the point where he can free roam. Most rabbits will leave a little poop around because that is how they mark their territory, but it is easy to clean up and you might just have to live with that. Nothing bad is going to happen to your rabbit if you over sleep. He will just have learn to wait for you. You might want to start training him on basic commands like "come" or "sit pretty" so you can get him to listen to you better, and have a better relationship with him. YouTube is full of videos, or check out the facebook groups for training your rabbit.

 

[Sophie.k2002]

Firstly, bunny gets crazy at 6am because he wants to be outdoors grazing early before the world is up. It's natural instinct. He wants to be out on the grass, hopping around and eating whatever he wants.
We, people want to control everything, and box everything. Animals were made to be free. How do we meet halfway?
If we are in our rooms all day everyday with no time outdoors we'll go nuts too. We need to be out in the open air, seeing the sun shine, or clouds in the sky, feel the rain fall, and smell the flowers. That's how caged animals feel too. They don't want to be boxed in and only feel bare floor/carpet, and eat only what is given to them. What if we had to eat only brown bread with no spread everyday with no variety...no occasional hamburger, ice-cream etc? We become very dull, sad, bored with life. Animals feel the same way.
Even worse is it for people and animals in poor areas, lands that have not much rain, or vegetation for the animals.
Best way to think about bunny's meals is to prepare before hand. Have some greens ready, washed and bagged/put in containers, so when he is up at 6am, you can have some snuggle time and give him his greenies. He will eat and then take a nap again. Around late morning you could cut up small pieces of apple/banana, simple fruit, and a maybe a tablespoon of raw/dry oats.
For the rest of the day bunny should have lots of dry hay(Alfalfa/Timothy/orchard grass or combination of them) and water. You could leave a small amount of bunny kibbles/pellets that have extra fun stuff like sunflower/pumpkin seeds, dried fruit etc. to nibble on. In the evening as the sun goes down they like to graze again, so have some fresh greens ready. If they were outdoors they would be nibbling here there and everywhere on the grass, and resting in some indentation in the ground they made for themselves to fit in.
Bunnies should be in the crate/cage only when necessary, not all day everyday.
In the morning, if you have a fenced yard, or deck/porch you should let bunny out for a while, and let him in after an hour or so. A bunny I had a few years ago would go downstairs when I let her, and sat under a big tree in the courtyard of the apartment complex. She would come back up on her own, if something startled her. I would look through the window to make sure she was ok. If she ventured too far I would go get her. One day one of the free roam cats was beckoning her to the back- to the woods. I thought it was trying to be friends, but then much later realized that it was luring her to the back where the other cats were. They would have eaten her up. But I didn't let her go after it. I went down and called her back. Remember, children should not go anywhere with strangers!
Spend lots of time snuggling with bunny and gaining his trust, so when you go back and forth outside he will always stay close and come back to you when called, or stays put when you go to get him. Make sure you are in a fenced area, so he doesn't dart out on the street, or woods/fields where he won't want to come back.
Another tip. Find out all the naturally growing vegetation that bunny likes, and get them from the trees outdoors for example, apple/peach/pear twigs to chew on, leaves from trees that they like, here in NJ some maple leaves. Not too much of one kind of thing. You can also grow some things in pots outside if you cannot have a little garden to grow flowers/veggies/plants like dandelion which they love.
Spend lots of time on the floor with bunny, scritch scratching his head, gently patting his back, giving him clean, wet washcloth washes/wipes- it's all bonding time.
Hope it's valuable info. for you.
Sunny Days

Well i don't know what he likes to eat.

Rabbits love bananas. He Hates it.

Rabbits love strawberries, He doesn't.

Can i feed him the same things for a week and change to for example apple in the afternoon then some lettuce?(so that he wouldn't be bored)

Do you think if i write it down and put it somewhere my family can follow the diet with me?

I usually let him eat as much as leafy greens he wants once a day.

And i pour a little bit of pellets into his dish for a day.

And i give him treats like little pieces of fruits i can find.

I made these home made treats. Smashed pellets, some apple and a little bit of honey and baked it.

He loves them.

Since we live in an apartment he doesn't go out much.

Once in a few weeks i take him out to the park or in the yard for him to explore for about 30 minutes or so.

I wanted to find the best toy for him. So that he wouldn't be bored at night. What toys do you suggest that rabbit adore?

I'm playing with him all the time. We sometimes play aggressive, he bites, scratches but we don't mind since we know this is a natural behavior ans i don't plan on neutering him. We're happy the way he is. No matter how aggressive and possessive he can be.

About him staying in his cage at night.

Do you think i should put him in my room?

Then let him freeroam after his behavior has became better?

-thank you so much for replying. I can't decide anything nowadays.

 

[Sophie.k2002]

I have found that the best way to get a rabbit back into his cage is to feed him when you want him to go back in. So let him out for exercise first. If you are going to let him out in a big area, you can try putting more litter boxes out. If he poops and pees outside the boxes, maybe you can somehow fence off areas of the room to reduce the size of the area. As he starts using the litter boxes, you can increase the size of his area and hopefully he will get to the point where he can free roam. Most rabbits will leave a little poop around because that is how they mark their territory, but it is easy to clean up and you might just have to live with that. Nothing bad is going to happen to your rabbit if you over sleep. He will just have learn to wait for you. You might want to start training him on basic commands like "come" or "sit pretty" so you can get him to listen to you better, and have a better relationship with him. YouTube is full of videos, or check out the facebook groups for training your rabbit.

I try to lure him back in but he runs away and in the end i have to put him inside.

I'm okay with poops around. Since it's easy to pick up and vacuum.

He doesn't pee much. Sometimes he just pees on the ground where there isn't any carpet or material.

And i think it's for marking.

It's starting to stop since i apply a spray of mixed smells (alcohol and vinegar) so he doesn't do much there.

I tried many training of calling him.

He never reacts to me calling his name. Or anything i say.

He only hears the treats when i want to teach him and doesn't care.

I tried clicker. It didn't work.

I think he still isn't sure of his name because he never responds.

He runs to me when i jiggle his treats. But doesn't come when I say "come".

What to do you suggest for me to do to teach him those things?

-Thank you soooooo much for replying

 

[Niomi]

You can try getting him used to a cat harness and use a leash to keep him from running away. One of my rabbits is terrified of the clicker. Use a word like "good "instead. If you are on fb, find a group that has videos and can give you feedback. I like "trickbun spark team." Good luck.

 

[Niomi]

I see you have an open top cage. It might be easier to go his cage with him and train him there. You can take something out to make more room and put it back when you are done. Your rabbit has a short attention span, so training may last only a few minutes. But keep going back several times a day. You will need to keep repeating before he catches on, but he will eventually catch on.

 

[JenGibs]

I try to lure him back in but he runs away and in the end i have to put him inside.

I'm okay with poops around. Since it's easy to pick up and vacuum.

He doesn't pee much. Sometimes he just pees on the ground where there isn't any carpet or material.

And i think it's for marking.

It's starting to stop since i apply a spray of mixed smells (alcohol and vinegar) so he doesn't do much there.

I tried many training of calling him.

He never reacts to me calling his name. Or anything i say.

He only hears the treats when i want to teach him and doesn't care.

I tried clicker. It didn't work.

I think he still isn't sure of his name because he never responds.

He runs to me when i jiggle his treats. But doesn't come when I say "come".

What to do you suggest for me to do to teach him those things?

-Thank you soooooo much for replying

I can tell you love your bunny and want to do what is best. That’s great!
I will say that you need to have a more consistent feeding situation- and watch the sugar!
Your bun needs access to hay (Alfalfa included until 6 months old) 24 hours a day. Mostly Timothy hay. He needs about 1/4 cup of pellets at the same time every day. He also needs fresh greens daily! I give mine their “salad” at night. Some people do greens twice a day. Mine get Romaine lettuce, Cilantro, Dandelion leaves, a few pieces of Parsley (Italian or regular) and a few carrot chips. Be careful with those- they have sugar. I may add in some mustard leaves here and there. As far as fruits and stuff- sparingly. Out of my 5 rabbits- only one likes fruit. Mine also get papaya every other day for digestion.
There are “treats” my bunnies LOVE but they can only have a few a week- even though they love them and look at me like “Moooooooom, please?”. Nice try bunnies but no! lol....
I would definitely get your bun on a regular eating schedule of things he needs daily.
As far as litter training, I started with their hay bin over the side of the litter box and food bowl in the box. Buns “poop where they eat”. Mine will drop a poop here and there but that’s ok. They never pee outside the box UNLESS they are mad I changed the litter/hay in their box. Then they do it once to show me their dislike- but this is still rare.
Once you start him on daily pellets, watch out for squooshy poops- not the itty bitty raspberry-looking ones that are good for them to eat. I’m talking about regular sized poops that are just squishy. If that happens, you can add a handful of oats (regular- no flavor) to his pellets to help firm it up.
Take the training slow and steady. Repetition and structure work best. Mine are out for the day, go to their “spot” I’m the living room around 7:30pm for treats and after treat time they hop on in their house to be locked up for the night. Same thing. Every day.
Bunnies active times are early in the morning or late in the evening. They tend to run around most during those times.
Lastly, my state chapter of House Rabbit Society has been a blessing to me in times of need, questions, advice, tips and so much more! Locate your state chapter and message them or call to introduce yourself and let them know your questions and ask if they can provide any ideas for you. My state chapter is about 3 hours away but I participate in events and bring my buns to Bunnyfest every year. Sometimes we go to visit or help with things for half a day. Rescues are overwhelmed and love the help. It is important to have a contact with a group that you can count on.
Good luck!