and now the rabbits are crazy.......

samanthaj

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 4, 2011
Messages
61
Reaction score
5
Points
29
we put them into the outside pens about a week ago and now they are nuts! when they where on the porch they would always run over to see you as soon as you came out,loved to get pet, and werent really bad about being picked up. now as soon as you walk near the outside pens they run,jump and kick.forget about sweet little things who run up to see you,they act like we are going to chop them up!!! today i went out and while filling the feeder one of the bucks freaked out and got out of the cage,he just jumped up and over my arm!! what in the world is going on. these are my daughters 4h bunnies and she has to be able to handle them! i thought putting them outside would be better,cleaning the cages everyother day wasnt so great for us. but if this is the way its going to be its not going to work. the only things i can think of is,going from a solid bottom cage to wire,or that the dogs have been to close and freaked them out,besides that i dont know!!!
 

hoodat

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
294
Reaction score
4
Points
59
samanthaj said:
we put them into the outside pens about a week ago and now they are nuts! when they where on the porch they would always run over to see you as soon as you came out,loved to get pet, and werent really bad about being picked up. now as soon as you walk near the outside pens they run,jump and kick.forget about sweet little things who run up to see you,they act like we are going to chop them up!!! today i went out and while filling the feeder one of the bucks freaked out and got out of the cage,he just jumped up and over my arm!! what in the world is going on. these are my daughters 4h bunnies and she has to be able to handle them! i thought putting them outside would be better,cleaning the cages everyother day wasnt so great for us. but if this is the way its going to be its not going to work. the only things i can think of is,going from a solid bottom cage to wire,or that the dogs have been to close and freaked them out,besides that i dont know!!!
It sounds as though you might be describing bunny exhuberance more than fright. That's the way they act when they show happiness. They may be just overjoyed at being outside. Giving them a few hand held treats like apple slices may make them come to you again. Don't overdo the fruit, just use it as a treat.
 

Bunnylady

Herd Master
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
2,431
Reaction score
3,058
Points
353
Location
Wilmington, NC
Rabbits are small herbivores, which means in nature, everything eats them. Staying alive means being hyper vigilant. Cuddly, friendly, incautious behavior is not natural for a rabbit, hiding and fleeing from perceived threats is. Clearly, your rabbits no longer feel "safe" outside. Are the cages open on all sides, or are there walls around them? The more exposed the rabbits are, the more insecure they will feel, and the wilder they will behave. Rabbits feel vulnerable in wide open spaces, they were meant to live in brush and burrows. If dogs or any other predators can get close to the cages, that could make the rabbits even spookier.

All of my rabbits live outside. They are in all wire hanging cages, but the rabbitry has a roof and walls at cage height that gives them shelter and a sense of security. My rabbits know me, but if I just walk unannounced into the rabbitry I can expect to see rabbits leaping in terror all over the place. If I speak before I enter, they know what that looming thing suddenly among them is (the person with the food bucket!!) and instead of trying to run, they are all over the fronts of their cages.
 

tortoise

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Dec 17, 2010
Messages
233
Reaction score
1
Points
54
samanthaj said:
we put them into the outside pens about a week ago and now they are nuts! when they where on the porch they would always run over to see you as soon as you came out,loved to get pet, and werent really bad about being picked up. now as soon as you walk near the outside pens they run,jump and kick.forget about sweet little things who run up to see you,they act like we are going to chop them up!!! today i went out and while filling the feeder one of the bucks freaked out and got out of the cage,he just jumped up and over my arm!! what in the world is going on. these are my daughters 4h bunnies and she has to be able to handle them! i thought putting them outside would be better,cleaning the cages everyother day wasnt so great for us. but if this is the way its going to be its not going to work. the only things i can think of is,going from a solid bottom cage to wire,or that the dogs have been to close and freaked them out,besides that i dont know!!!
Having them outside in pens will do that. The bigger the pen, the worse they get. I tried free-ranging mine 2 years ago and I wasn't OK with them always being frightened. I brought mine into small cages indoors until they chilled out. They may - or may not - regain their previous temperaments.
 

hoodat

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
294
Reaction score
4
Points
59
Bunnylady said:
Rabbits are small herbivores, which means in nature, everything eats them. Staying alive means being hyper vigilant. Cuddly, friendly, incautious behavior is not natural for a rabbit, hiding and fleeing from perceived threats is. Clearly, your rabbits no longer feel "safe" outside. Are the cages open on all sides, or are there walls around them? The more exposed the rabbits are, the more insecure they will feel, and the wilder they will behave. Rabbits feel vulnerable in wide open spaces, they were meant to live in brush and burrows. If dogs or any other predators can get close to the cages, that could make the rabbits even spookier.

All of my rabbits live outside. They are in all wire hanging cages, but the rabbitry has a roof and walls at cage height that gives them shelter and a sense of security. My rabbits know me, but if I just walk unannounced into the rabbitry I can expect to see rabbits leaping in terror all over the place. If I speak before I enter, they know what that looming thing suddenly among them is (the person with the food bucket!!) and instead of trying to run, they are all over the fronts of their cages.
Rabbits are prey animals. Their role in nature is to convert inedible protein like grass into edible protein. Humans are predators and don't think your rabbits don't know that. They are most afraid of danger from above (hawks etc.) so looming above them will frighten them more than coming at them from their own level. Their talents in outrunning predators are of little use against death from the sky.
 

samanthaj

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Feb 4, 2011
Messages
61
Reaction score
5
Points
29
the new pens are closed on the top,sides and part of the front,they are all wire on the bottom. when i went down later in the day with my dd,they didnt seem to be as freaked out.our yard is fenced and they are inside the fence,i thought for extra protection. i dont ever see our dogs bothering them,but we may need to put them on the outside of the fence if they are. if we just had one bunny for a pet,we could just keep it on the enclosed porch in the solid bottom cage,but thats just not an option for all 6!!!
 

terri9630

Overrun with beasties
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
472
Reaction score
1
Points
86
Location
Southern New Mexico
samanthaj said:
the new pens are closed on the top,sides and part of the front,they are all wire on the bottom. when i went down later in the day with my dd,they didnt seem to be as freaked out.our yard is fenced and they are inside the fence,i thought for extra protection. i dont ever see our dogs bothering them,but we may need to put them on the outside of the fence if they are. if we just had one bunny for a pet,we could just keep it on the enclosed porch in the solid bottom cage,but thats just not an option for all 6!!!
I would just fence off around the rabbits. If you put them ouside the fence some other animal may get them.
 
Top