new family bunny

Question
Hi! I have always loved and had small animals but I am new to parenting a bunny. I've had her for five days now. I'm not exactly sure how old she is or what type of bunny she is. At first she was shy and scared. I could tell that she was not use to people. Since then she has become very sociable and curious. She seems happy. I read several books about bunny care and provided her with what was sugested. She loves the Timothy hay. However, I can't tell if she's eating or sleeping like she should. She has a lot of down time in her cage where she just sits still in one spot. I've never seen her close her eyes. Also, I noticed that her food bowl is still pretty full. I can't tell is she's been eating. She drinks about half a bowl of water a day. I'm wondering if this is just part of her getting use to her family and her new home. Is this normal or is there something I should try? Thank you!

Answer
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, but that you may not speak bunny yet.  Have you checked out the information at http://www.rabbit.org/care/new-bunny-index.html?  Or how to speak rabbit at http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk_intro.html?

Rabbits spend a lot of time dozing, and a lot of them don't close their eyes.  It's unnerving at first but eventually you get used to it.  It is good that she is eating hay and drinking, she may not like the pellets or may just be getting used to them.  You could always try a different brand to find one she likes.

If your bunny is purebred, you can find a list of breeds at http://www.arba.net/photo.htm  If she's a mix, well, she's still loveable, just not so identifiable.

Good luck!

Kim