Floppy ear rabbit

Question
I have a 6 week old floppy eared little girl rabbit.  When i got her from the pet store she was very fluffy and had a chubby little belly.  Since I've brought her home I have had two bizzare instances with her.  I took her out of her cage to show her to friends and she got very excited or scared made a grunting noice jumped out of my arms, ran around real fast and than all of a sudden she laid on her side almost like she had gotten so excited that she completely exhausted herself.  I instantly picked her up and put her back in her cage.  This same situation happened again but this time when i put her in her cage her thumped her back feet at me almost to let me know she was mad.  I've notice that she seems very skinny and I dont know what i should do.  She eats fine and she loves fruit and yogurt treats and I give her that once a day and she loves to hop on my bed with me and she is a big lover and likes to snuggle.  My question is should i be concerned and take her to the vet or is this normal for her type of rabbit?  I previously has a dwarf rabbit that lived for six years and never had these problems with him so the way she is acting is unfamilar to me.  Any advice or information you could tell me about this kind of bunny and if her behavior is normal when she gets frighten..

Thank you
Dawn

Answer
Dear Dawn,

Most rabbits actually don't like to be held, and it's possible that while your bunny will tolerate your holding her if it's just the two of you, that the presence of a stranger makes it just too scary to bear, and she bolts.  You don't mention whether she fell from any height, which could be very dangerous.  If so, that *might* explain why she races around in a panic, and then lies down--because something got hurt.  And yes, her thumping was her way of saying to you, "Don't do that again!"

To start developing a trusting relationship with her, please read this:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/shybun.html

and use the tips there to interact with her in a way that will make her feel secure and not threatened.  I hope that will help.  But the main thing to remember is that she probably is *not* one of the very rare rabbits who enjoys being held, and that you should avoid carrying her around unless you absolutely have to.  Rabbits are not the "pocket pets" that some people advertise, and I think the article above will help you relate to her in a more "rabbit friendly" way.  :)

Many young rabbits become very lean as they grow rapidly, and to keep them from being too thin it's a good idea to provide free-choice, high-quality pellets (NO seeds, dried fruit or weird bits!  Those are very unhealthy), unlimited timothy hay, and a variety of fresh greens.  You can read about a healthy, balanced diet here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

which can make all the difference in the world to her health and longevity.

I'm glad she's a snuggler, and that you two have a good relationship.  Her behavior when being held in front of strangers isn't exactly what I'd call common, but it's understandable.  Lops often have really dominant personalities, and because she's not shy about making her wishes known, her leaping away and thumping at you when you had Displeased Her Majesty is normal for her, too.  So the main thing is to not force her to be held, and these potentially dangerous behaviors should stop.

Note also that unbred, unspayed female rabbits have a very high risk of uterine cancer.  When she's old enough (I like to wait until 8 months, if possible), she should be spayed by an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps!

Dana