Need Help With New Rabbit

[anawelch]

Hello
I got a Holland Lop about a month ago. He is about a year old and he was a show rabbit that wasn't given as much attention as he should have. He was kept in a cage his whole life with no toys and never let out (so I offered to buy him from his previous owners so he could have a more fulfilling life). He is very sweet and not very shy but no matter what I do I cannot get him to come out of his cage on his own. Any times I picked him up out of his cage he runs back in. I feel so bad that he's cooped up in his cage all day but I cant get him to come out. In the morning I open his cage door and leave it open all but he has never once come out. He stands at his door when I come in the room and he give me little bunny kisses and plays with me in his cage or at his door but he won't come out. I dont know what to do. I've tried treats but hes not very food driven. He's really sweet and he's not shy with me at all but he just wont come out. What should I do?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Time and patience. Bunnies are very slow to trust. Try putting his food and essential outside his hutch.

 

[anawelch]

I did take his food bowl out one time and he seemed fine but then out of nowhere he started running back in forth in his cage, slamming in the sides, and then he stopped and started the thumping the ground. I got so scared I put his food back in and he calmed down immediately. But I do hope time will work.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Does he know he can get out of the cage on his own? Most rabbits from breeders don't get to come and go from the cage, they are picked up from the cage and put somewhere. He may not realize that he can come out on his own.
If the cage have a top door, try opening the front door and then reaching in through the top. Work to get him to go out the door. It may take a few times for him to understand that he can come out without help.
You can also try taking the top off the cage (is possible) and just having the base there. This will be easier for him to get out of.

He is also probably not comfortable out of the cage. Some rabbits from breeders don't get out much and if they do it is to go to a show. They might not get the freedom to run around. A big open space could be scary for him and he feels safe in the cage. You could try a smaller pen around his cage.

Give him some time. Put things he wants outside the cage. It can be treats, veggies, toys and other stuff.

 

[anawelch]

He wasn't from a breeder he was an FFA (future farmers of America) project for a middle school girl. Although they may have bought him from a breeder when he was a baby. I think your right about the open spaces though. Whenever I took him out he would hide in the corner next to his cage. Im going to go to petsmart and buy a little pen and see if that works. I think he knows how to get out because he'll get his front end out then he'll go back in and the top doesn't come off I wish it did. And I'm going to try the toys and veggies idea. I have a tennis ball that I call his 'girlfriend' because he gets a little frisky with it and I'm gnna see if I can coax him out with that.

 

[MyBabyHasPaws]

I think you're on the right path. Its just going to take time and patience. One day he'll surprise you and get out all on his own. I agree with getting the pen and putting it around his cage, good luck!

 

[wendymac]

Just out of curiosity, how big is his cage? Maybe it's big enough, and filled with enough toys, that he doesn't see a need to come out to explore?

 

[Kay1287]

I have the same exact problem with my mini rex. We adopted him from a breeder who used him for show/breed purposes. He rarely left his small cage, and now he never wants to leave the one I have for him. If I take him out, he just sits by the cage or goes running directly back in. Im going to try and give him some time to get used to things, then add an x pen to his cage to see if he will come out to a "bigger cage"...good luck!

 

[MiniLopHop]

My Becky came from an abuse situation. Her original cage was so small that when she came to me she could not hop or perriscope. It took her a long time to explore anything. She was living in my bedroom and I never had to put up a gate to confine her to the room, she took over 6 months to make it to the other side of the room!

Now she is bonded to a hyper active boy. He runs all over the house. She still stays in the room mostly but will occasionally wander out to see what is going on. She tends to hide under the dresser or her step stool that has a shirt over it to make a little cave. She still has so much more room than originally and she's happy, which is what is important.

Give your little one more time. It takes a while for them to learn it can be fun to run and play. What I did to draw her out at first was play. I called it butter bowling. I used an empty square butter box and would put it at the door. She would push it out the door. I would praise her then put it back. I think it got her used to seeing it is ok for things to go over the threshold.

 

[anawelch]

His cage is huge. I don't know the exact measurements. His original owners had him in a 2 ft by 14 in cage when he was a baby but they said he grew out of it within a month and they bought him the cage that he's in now (which is probably the best thing they did for him). It's the same length as the trunk of my dad's Jeep and probably 3/4 of the width. And its really tall. If I could fit through his cage door I could lay in his cage with my feet tucked in alittle bit.

 

[MiniLopHop]

That sounds very roomy. He may not want to come out. I would just leave the door open and let him explore on his own time. My guess is that he will start to explore more at night or when you aren't around, then expand into when you are around.

 

[anawelch]

I think your right because I keep him in the guest bedroom (I've converted it into a 'rabbit' room). So when I open his door in the morning he has periods of time where I'm not in there and its open. Every time I've come in the room he's always been sleeping in his corner but about 10 minutes ago I went in there and he was halfway out his door just sniffing around. I usually don't leave his door open at night but tonight I'm going to leave it open tonight.