Bunny with bulging eyes

[Nadeerah]

I found a 6 month old cali buck on craiglist who has taken advantage of his sister :shock: . He was cute, close, and $15 so I picked him up yesterday.

I put him in his pen and his eyes were soooo big. I left him alone overnight and came back to him this morning to feed him. He was fine until he saw me. He ran to the back of the cage and his eyes were so big.

I filled his hay rack and his food bowl and talked to him. Is this normal bunny behavior? What should I do to make him feel comfortable?

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

He's scared. Try offering treats. Mine are suckers for BOSS. When he feels more comfortable and relates you to being the keeper of the treats he will relax. You might try giving him a box for a hidey hole, too.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Sounds like he needs time to adjust. I've found that the best way to win over a rabbit is through their stomach, LOL. My herd all get really excited when it is Pellet Time! Maybe try feeding him last? That way he sees/hears other rabbits happily munching away and then suddenly he gets FOOD! Soon I'm sure he'll see you as the Magical Pellet Dispenser.

He may not have been handled much before, and a lot of rabbits do stress some when going to a new home.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I found a 6 month old cali buck on craiglist who has taken advantage of his sister :shock: . He was cute, close, and $15 so I picked him up yesterday.

I put him in his pen and his eyes were soooo big. I left him alone overnight and came back to him this morning to feed him. He was fine until he saw me. He ran to the back of the cage and his eyes were so big.

I filled his hay rack and his food bowl and talked to him. Is this normal bunny behavior? What should I do to make him feel comfortable?

Bulging eyes are normal when rabbits are frightened.... Some of them bulge so much you swear they will pop right out of their sockets! :lol: It will get better as he gets used to you.

Just a comment....rabbits aren't people. They cannot "take advantage" of each other. They do what comes naturally and one of those things is to mate with another rabbit. They don't care how closely related they are...we are the ones that put those stipulations on them because of the taboos we have concerning human incest. There is nothing wrong with brother/sister breedings.

 

[Whipple]

I have a few rabbits who still have not warmed up to me. They have bulgey eyes a bit. When I first got a couple of my lionheads they looked like they were going to bulge right out of their sockets too. Now the one left just sits there. I don't handle my bunnies much so I do use food to my advantage, scared bunnies have to be touched before they get dinner. Even if only a teeny bit. Over time they come to the front of the cage for a pat so they can have dinner.