My Friend Casper

Question
Hello there. I am writing to you because I want to know if you can give me
some much needed advice about my dwarf albino rabbit, Casper.

I received Casper two days ago from a woman who had to give him up
because she didn't have time for him. He was left to her from her daughter's
care some time ago. He hasn't been socialized with for some indetermined
amount of time since her 4 year old grandaughter used to play with him.

When I brought him home, I gave him some escarole and water... he ate
voraciously. I've spent a great deal of time with him since, putting him on my
lap & stroking him. He is so comfortable with our bonding time, but it's a
fight to take him out & put him in. It leaves him breathing fast before he
calms down. He sniffs my hand whenever I put it in the cage, and he lets me
pet him. Other times, he grunts and backs away.

My concern is his lack of sleep and shyness, along with his sudden disinterest
in the veggies I give him. He gnaws on the hay and on a nut treat he has
hanging in the cage, but not the dark leafy veggies. He tore and ate the
newspaper I had at the cage bottom, but I removed it for fear of that being
his only consumption. He prefers to hide underneath the second floor, or
stretch out and fold one paw over the other.

I sleep sparingly myself, and whenever I check on him he is never asleep.

Maybe you can figure out if there is any cause for concern, or if it is normal
rabbit behavior in the midst of new surroundings. I don't want him to get
sick, and aside from that he is fine... clean white fur, healthy nail and teeth,
etc.

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Carol,

first, thanks for taking responsibility for this little guy.  He will always appreciate it.

Don't worry about not seeing him sleep.  They catch little naps all the time.  We make so much noise by the time you get over there he's already awake.  Rabbits sleep the most in the afternoon and at night.  They also rest quite a bit.

If he doesn't want the veggies, don't worry.  Stop giving him veggies, they are not nearly as vital as hay.  Give him lots of hay, so that he always has some to nibble on.  That is the best thing for him.  And also always make sure he's got water.

You will want to pick up some good nutritional pelleted food for him.  I recommend timothy hay pellets without any extra junk like corn/seeds/nuts/fruit in it - just straight timothy hay pellets.  Oxbow pellets are a good brand you can find at a pet supply store.

Don't worry about him hiding, rabbits like to have a hidey-hole to rest in - that's what he is using the underneath of the 2nd floor for.  This is generally normal.

He is still getting used to new surroundings, new food, new people, new routines.  This puts  a lot of stress on a prey animal.  Just be patient with him, give him lots of love, move slowly and talk soothing to him while doing things in his cage/near him.  If you can move slower around him and keep the noise levels lower in your house (loud noise stresses them out) that will help him adjust to your house.

I would recommend going to the House Rabbit Society (www.rabbit.org) web site to look through their large variety of rabbit articles on all aspects of rabbit care.  I also woudl suggest picking up a copy of the House Rabbit Handbook, 4th Ed, by Marinell Harimann on either amazon.com or at your local big bookstore.

Lee

PS - hi again, I re-read the questions and wanted to address your cage issues and nipping/grunting issue.

As rabbits normally don't enjoy pickups and such, it often makes things especially hard on new rabbit owners.  I don't know what kind of cage you have, but a cage with a large top and large side door makes things easier, as I have found it is easier to pick them up in the cage through the top door, and put them back in via the side door.  Often they get anxious before being put down, and one suggestion is to use a towel (draped over your shoulder) and place it over their head so that they can't see the door until you're in a good spot to let them back in the side door.  You can also give them a small reward (piece of parsley, couple extra timothy pellets) when they are back so that they learn to tolerate pickups better.

Grunting/nipping:  grunts can mean little protests at what you're doing, annoyed, don't do that, and is usually a prelude to escalating to a nip.  Sometimes a nip comes totally unexpectedly, no warning.  If your guy nips you when being carried, wrap your arm near his face with a towel or wear a baggy sweatshirt.  If it's a nip on the shoulder, drape a towel over your shoulder before picking him up.  They often don't like us coming into their cage too fast or at certain times of day, just move slowly, pet them if you can, give him the back of your hand and then pet him.  If it persists (nipping in the cage), sometimes gently (but firmly) press their head to the cage floor with a "No, Casper".  You have to do it right after the attempt so they associate their last act with the correction.  You are the alpha bunny and you are asserting your dominance over them and saying that behavior is not tolerated.