Such a Sad Rabbit!

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

TF3

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2015
Messages
890
Reaction score
3
Location
South River, Ontario
Ok, maybe I am projecting human emotions on to her :D .
But really!
I adopted a rex cross doe 2 weeks ago.
She had just been bred (so maybe this is just hormones), and she is about 2.5 years old.
She seems in good weight, her feet look good, her ears, eyes, mouth look fine.
She previously lived in a hutch that was basically dark 24/7 from what I could tell, likely on straw~ it was under a bench, wooden, solid door :(
I don't imagine she had much human contact as the owner was a 14 year old whose Grandpa kept her rabbits for her (and he is very old school farmer).

So chances are she is pretty dulled by life.
I gradually brought her into more air and light, she is now in a large wire cage (I added a box for her to chew/ hide in).
But she is such a sad sack. Not much appetite. No curiosity.

I have been giving her tidbits several times a day (she won't eat if it is in my hand yet).
Should I just accept that she is what she is?
Is there some sort of tonic I can give her?! :lol:
Any suggestions for winning her over?
She's really bringing down the room!
 
Maybe put a cloth cover over part of her cage so it looks more like what she was used to. If she'd been living that way for 2+ years, 2 weeks is too short of a time to see an adjustment. I'd suggest keep your routine the same and let her adjust in as she's ready. A lot of changes for her: a new home, new style of home, more attention than ever before, pregnant ...she just may need time to figure out that she has more options than sitting in a dark den (and she might need time to figure out the light, exposed cage isn't a dangerous spot to be in.)
BTW, what were they feeding her before? If there was a food switch, it may be taking her a bit to switch to that. Here's hoping she snaps out of it soon!
 
Excellent-- thank you!
That makes perfect sense-- I know that dogs can take months to adjust after rescue, I just wasn't sure what to expect from a mature rabbit!
 
Back
Top