Newbie questions

[Lucieq]

Hi everyone,

I just purchased a 10 week old Holland Lop 4 days ago. He is my very first rabbit.
At the breeders, he was calm and friendly but here he is very very nervous. I understand that he has to get used to his new environment but I'm surprised at how different he is. He won't let me pet him and fights if I try to pick him up. Should I let him be for a while? Should I pick him up? Should I let him explore out of the cage a bit? I've read so many confusing opinions online that after reading for about an hour last night I'm more confused and worried than ever!

Also, I made sure to buy the same foods that the breeder was giving him. It took him about 24 hours to eat or drink. In the past 3 days, I've seen him drink once (and the water is not going down at all). He will now eat veggies (romaine, carrot and broccoli) but will not touch the pellets or the hay. That has me worried as well because I know how important hay is to his diet.

Please help!

Lue

 

[SixGun]

I would not give him any other treats until after he has started eating pellets again. It's not worth the risk to his health. He WILL eat again, and you want to make sure it is something that won't upset his stomach.
As far as his attitude. My best guess is that yes, new surroundings and all that, but mostly he is responding to perhaps your nervousness when you interact with him. Rabbits truly need a firm and confident interaction. If he scratches and kicks and you put him down, next time he will do the same thing. You need to approach him with confidence. Pick him up securely, hold him securely. He will respond in the same manner as being a bit more calm. Increase your snuggle time with him a little bit each day. The relationship will develop.

 

[SableSteel]

Give him a bowl of water if you are you are trying a bottle, some rabbits don't transition very easily. He might not know how to use a bottle. Once he gets settled in and gets something to eat and drink in him, he'll probably act friendlier. I wouldn't handle him at all (other than health checks) until he is eating and drinking again, and give him some time to adjust to his new surroundings. You don't want him to associate handling with anything stressful.

 

[SixGun]

I second what Sable advises.
I brought home 3 rabbits once, it took one of them a week before he ate, a month before he ate with any sort of regularity, and longer still where I felt his weight was going back up. But... once he started eating, I got to see his lovely personality, which didn't come out until he relaxed and started eating again. I wanted to try all sorts of things to encourage him to eat, but in the end, it just took time. He ate when he was ready.

 

[Lucieq]

Thank you for your suggestions!
Yesterday, I did not give him any veggies and he did eat a very small amount of pellets overnight, yeah!!!! It wasn't much but I'm still very happy. Oh and he drank some water. I'm guessing that he didn't need water because he was eating so many veggies.

So I'm learning to be patient. Thanks again !