Princess my first Holland Lop!

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Hay there Annette!!

I gave her bread crust, ate it all in a heart beat! Haha, I was reading that on Rabbit.org, as you told me to believe everything, Im just paranoid and want my bunny to be healthy :)

Only thing that really bugs me sometimes is that sometimes she doesnt do anything when i pet her, then all of a sudden she gets spooked!! usually just giving her heda rubs then slowly move down to her neck...usually when I touch her side a bit she freaks out o_o. She also just usually just chills under the shelf all day or lie in litter box...makes me uneasy as I feel like shes in jail. Occasionally she will move to the middle drink some water, eat some hay and play with this straw carrot, but thats very minimal.

Perhaps Im moving too fast and maybe just give her lots of alone time and just talk/feed her?

I leave the cage door open as well hoping she will come out and bring havoc upon the phone book, but when she smells the new towel on the ramp (so she wont get her little feet caught) she jerks back and moves away :( This all because she is getting used to her new home?

edit:// One thing that makes me laugh and always makes it fun, is when I see her pee in one corner, I stuff the litter box there, then she pees opposite of it! And I repeat the process, she repeats process, so fun XD But she's peed on her hay twice today :C Thought they wont pee on their food -.-
 
yes, they'll pee on their hay which is why people often do one of two things
give them hay to put in their potty corner
OR hang the hay up so they can't pee in it. :)

rabbits can be silly.

IF she's like all the rest of her litter she'll warm up her surroundings and then there will be no holding her back. She'll get all sassy on you. :) you might end up throwing a towel over her once in a while. :) Do you let her out to run around the apartment at all?

Her momma knows me well and waits for me in the morning. She's NOT a cuddle bunny but she'll come for treats and nose rubs. She DOES NOT like me petting her along her sides or things like that. She just likes me to give her a solid pet down her back, but that's what she's used to as well. She's VERY easy to nail trim and to check over. She's an easy to handle rabbit and Princess acts like her as a youngster. Her sister that I kept back has ALOT of spunk to her which her auntie had as a youngster. I like the attitude your Princess has and wish her sister was more like her. :) Calm, curious bunny. Very easy to handle and do things with. Let her out and let her explore and see what she does with that in a couple of days. :) Rabbit proof your room a bit if you do that though.
 
Ive let the cage open for pretty much entire day while I sit and use my computer and watch her. She never crawls out :( Maybe the base is too deep? Im not sure, I have a towel on the ramp but she just walks away after sniffing it. Hm that may explain me petting her side and her running away :( She wont let me pick her up, I havent tried since the second day because I dont want her to be afraid of me. She was just fine when she was at your place. Again I assume its a phase she is going through since it is a new environment.

Im not too sure if I want to pick her up to get her put of the cage, should I?
 
i would.

pick her that is.
she does need to get used to you Cav, and being picked up is one of those things to get her used to by you. She needs to learn that you are safe and won't let her fall. :)

So you scoop her up (hand under her belly) and put her on your arm all in one swift movement. Wear long sleeves for the first bit. Cover her head and let her settle. Then put her on the floor and watch her. If you put treats around that will be an incentive. Small pieces of carrot, raisins, bread crusts etc. :)
 
Ohh ok, coz everytime I try to pick her up, she starts running!! And Im always worried that I will lose her trust so I stop. I will try it later tonight, get some more bread crust!! Is there a limit as to much she should have?
 
don't overdo it.
I'd say no more than one normal slice of bread per day...better to think half a slice :)
Keep an eye on her poops.
 
Oh...no more crust for her then! Gave her a slice worth of crust today haha...but not all at once, her poop seems normal, for now.
 
Hello Cav,
please allow me to say:
Don't pay too much attention to the House Rabbit Societies
rabbit diet curriculum. A good quality pelleted rabbit feed,
grass-hay and water is really all that any rabbit requires
for a long and healthy happy life.
Anything else that you feed it should be considered a treat and fed as such.
only occasionally. One ounce of pelleted rabbit feed per pound of body weight.
Growing youngsters should be fed a bit more to facilitate normal growth rate.
Once they reach senior weight you want to feed one ounce per pound of body weight.
Of course every rabbit should be looked at as an individual.
Some rabbits will require a bit more or a bit less to maintain proper condition.
A fat rabbit is not a healthy rabbit. Better to have them on the hungry side
and eager for their morning feeding rather than have them become a couch potato.
As always, JMPO.
Ottersatin.
 
Picked her up...after a good 5minutes of her running around in the base of cage, and trying to get her in my hands for 5minutes O_O then held her for a good 5minutes and then she started panicing :(

And then a good 3minute of trying to get her out of the hay basket as she managed to jump in...then put her back in the cage as I felt her heart racing and was afraid she'll have a heart attack LOL, will have to try again tomorrow. Shes breathing suppppper fast O___O

I think she is just generally scared of me O_O
 
oh my... oh cav

she should settle down.

Next time keep her head covered while you pet her. Five minutes was good. :) start with a minute or two at a time, and give her positive reinforcement. Sit quiet for five seconds...look here's a tiny piece of apple.

she's been such a calm girlie with me. always has been.
 
ladysown":b9ahrsic said:
oh my... oh cav

she should settle down.

Next time keep her head covered while you pet her. Five minutes was good. :) start with a minute or two at a time, and give her positive reinforcement. Sit quiet for five seconds...look here's a tiny piece of apple.

she's been such a calm girlie with me. always has been.
Click to expand...

Yeah she was super calm at your place! Haha at my place she's panicing!! I feel like Im doing a bad job :( The problem with trying to pick her up is she doesnt stay still, since she likes to either stay under the shelf or stay on the litter box, I have to remove the cage top, then try to pick her up. Removing the cage top she seems to get scared and starts moving around the base, which makes it hard picking her up. When shes still I put my hand under her belly and she starts scurrying away not letting me pick her up.

Im just afraid tomorrow she will not like me, after what happened tonight O_O
 
Holland Lops are the absolute cutest and will always have a special place in my heart. I had a fawn that gave kisses and LOVED strawberry twizzlers.
 
Is the cage on the floor? Are you picking her up from above? If so, it is possible that this is the cause of her panic. Every instinct she has is telling her you are a bird of prey, about to snatch and eat her!

If you can, try elevating the cage and using a front opening, if this is possible. It may solve the problem, although you can expect her to take some time to overcome her initial fears.
 
Yeah it is on the floor. I thought its best to pick it up from the top...haha all the reading I did said top openings are the best because it's best they dont see your hands...ahhhh thankfully there are awesome forums to correct my reading! I will have to calm her today, hopefully she is no longer frightened from last night.

When I pick her up, should I have her eyes covered the whole time? Or just cover her head while shes on the ground until shes clam and then one hand on her chest and other to support her groin/hind legs?
 
My current cages are all front opening, but my son's pet rabbit had a top opening cage. It was on a stand, however, so the "swooping down from above" was minimized. I'm not certain that this is the problem, but it may be. It could account for why she was calm at Ladysown's place and is scared at yours.
 
Well at ladysown she picked her up from the top in the cage, I cant remember if I picked her up from the top...haha. Ill try again from the side, see if she will still be frightened. :)

edit:// Started off today by giving her a bit of breadcrust from my hand and then putting it down, so while it eats I pet. Did that for a good 5minutes, hopefully that will put back a bit of trust for me. Rubbed her head and back for a good 10minutes, she didnt move much, think she wanted to eat my fingers because it smelled like breadcrust hahaha. But just gonna leae it alone for today and pet it, and try picking her up from the side door tonight with some breadcrust o_o
 
I got seven rabbits from a lady, and while they were all freindly with her (well, at least the six does) and it took about two weeks to get them calm, where they wouldnt bolt from me. She'll tame down! I promise. Try putting her in a high traffic area of your home, if you can, so she gets super used to people. But either way she'll chill out after a bit. :)
 
Yeah I know she will chill out, just a matter of time. But should I handle her much while she is in her chilling out phase? Im just super afraid if i pick her up, she freaks out and she has to start the chilling out phase from ground zero! Im a very paranoid/worrying person...haha
 
Is she a very young rabbit? If so, baby buns tend to be very nervous lil' critters so keep her environment consistent for the time being. Before my eLop "Pie", all the previous rabbits I used to own where acquired as babies (8-12 weeks) and were a bit skittish at first. Even rearranging their cage can unnerve them while they are getting settled in. They are trying to get used to new sights, smells, noises, etc... it can be an overload in the beginning. But baby buns can bond to you very quickly, too, if you keep trying.
Regardless of her age, she needs to learn to trust your touch so I would touch her often (lots of petting, etc...). The more time she has alone with her "fears" the more aloof she will become. I would take her out and put her next to you on the floor and let her get used to you. Touch her, talk to her. In time she will repond to your voice, too, so let her get to know you (my Elop responds to his name already and Ive only had him a month now).
But with Pie, he just doesnt like being held- wont warm up to it atall. And the only time he's eager to be picked up is when I am taking him out of his cage and he's like "Freedom! Now I can run around!" But he is unbelievably affectionate in other ways and I have invested a great deal of time bonding with him and its paid off. He lets me touch him anywhere I want (ears, nose, cheeks, sides, rump, feet, etc...). We play a game called "poke the tummy" where when he stands on his backlegs and I will poke his chubby belly. He loves it and will keep standing up for me to do it over & over- he's a very funny guy. He loves to run circles around my feet and rub his chin all over me. Also, I will lay on the floor with him next to me and put my arms around him and he presses his face against mine and will even nap with my arms around him- thats how we "floor" snuggle (and his feet never leave the ground so he stays happy).
 
Oh, and I just remembered. My first rabbit, doodle, was very spookyish, and I would sit besiode him on the bed, and just pet him. he quickly started flopping over for his rubs. :)
 

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