Anyone know about rabbits? (Long)

[Doris48]

I was given a "not friendly" male lop eared bunny about 6 mnths ago.He is a year old.I wanted him in the house but our Heeler mix could not stop going crazy for him.She would stare and drool for hours at his cage.
My problem now is Ive had him "semi free ranging" in with my chickens(3) for all this time.I did have him in a cage and would let him out to run during the day but it got to where he just stayed in the chicken coop at night so he became a yard rabbit.
But I am giving my chickens to a friend.Im not sure what to do with the rabbit now.The chickens kept him safe from cats and such(trust me, my big bitty is ferocious).Anyway I think he thinks he's a chicken.

Is it possible to tame him down and put him in a cage again? He will take food from my hands but runs away if I try and pet him.He's gone kinda feral( he was never a very friendly guy) .
But he is one happy little guy, kicks those feet up, nibbles fresh stuff and all.The thought of caging him up seems almost cruel now.Will he get lonely or are they naturally solitary?
So any suggestions??

 

[IcyWolf]

It sounds like he's become a part of the flock, is there any way your friend could take the bunny too so he could stay with his feathered brethren?

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm wondering the same. It's not like the bunny is much extra work compared to the chickens. Generally though rabbits need to worry more about dogs and coyotes and hawks than cats. Some cats can catch smaller rabbits, but a large rabbit can easily put a cat in it's place. My sister had a huge rabbit and that thing did get a hold of my little cat one day and beat the crap out of her. Of course the poor cat had to go through life being laughed at as the only cat who has ever been beaten up by a rabbit, but I suspect she wasn't the only cat to have something like that happen

As far as taming the bunny, I'm not sure how to go about it. I had a rabbit many years ago and she was a wonderful, sweet bunny who got along fine with my cat. My sister got her bunny as a little baby and then it was tame and sweet. But, it grew into this horrible, giant rabbit that would chase us and bite our legs and feet really hard, and no one really liked her. We never really understood why she went from being sweet and tame to being a rabbit terror.

I guess you could try putting him back in the cage and see what happens?

 

[usamimi]

Rabbits are smart animals, I wouldn't worry about being able to get him to gain your trust.

As a House Rabbit Educator, i'm obviously going to vote for inside and in a pen rather than out with chickens. Lops are a domesticated breed so there's not a whole lot of survival instinct there to be outside all the time.

Taming would take time, and I wouldn't expect cuddly out of the deal but touchable. It's a lot like birds, there are a lot of trust issues there, as prey animals they tend to be more uneasy and bite first until they're calm. Sit next to the pen, open the latch, sit and talk to the bunny and let it hop around and get comfortable in its surroundings.

 

[mcw009]

He's probably not neutered, is he? That might help calm him down and make him easier to tame, and it's also better for his quality of life in the long run, as with cats and dogs.

I don't have much to add that usamimi didn't cover already. Taming an animal takes time and patience. If bringing him indoors isn't an option, he'll get used to being in a cage with more limited time to run around the pen.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, actually I was at the vet's today with Merlin and she does other exotic pets aside from birds. I was reading a poster on the wall about rabbits and saw they can be spayed and neutered, which I didn't know. That might have been the problem with my sister's rabbit. Mine was a female, too, but never ever mean. Had I been around my parent's house more I would have worked with that bunny terror of hers, but I was out of college and living 4 hours away. So I didn't see her rabbit much to try to help with taming her again.

 

[suncon97]

I have two rabbits.One is around 9 years old believe it or not but I think her time left is limited.She was won at a local fair in 2003.I have another 10 month old bunny that is shy some.I have them in a covered outside pen that used to be a dog cage but has been "rabbit proofed"with smaller chain link and concrete flooring.They both like to be petted and what I do is go out and sit with them almost everyday and let them come up to me except in the winter.After a few months my relationship with the baby has gotten better.

 

[IcyWolf]

I was going to say the same thing about neutering, I know many male rabbits can get very territorial and aggressive if left intact. That's why it's always a plus to get a bunny from a reputable rabbitry, as many of them will have the bunnies altered before they leave.

 

[Doris48]

He isnt aggressive in the least so I dont see the point in neutering(unless I have to get him a buddy).I thought about building a small pen near the house.I just dont know how to build it, it has to be dog proof because the neighbors dogs are always getting out(dont get me started on that)..
It has to have a nice house in it too.I really cant bring him in the house.I really wanted him to be a house pet.I cant stand to see rabbits stuck in hutches, sitting on wire their whole lives.One of the reasons he ended up getting to free roam.I knew I was taking a chance but seeing him all cooped up wasnt any better so I decided quality over quantity and it actually turned out well for him.
I cant let the lady have him because she is putting my hens in with her flock and he coop doesnt have a nice big yard like mine so she lets hers out(as in out of the yard) so he would just run off.

 

[roxynoodle]

They can be trained to use a litter box or to go back to their cage to potty. Is there a room in your house he could be in where the dogs couldn't get him? Maybe you could work on litter training him and he could be free at least in that room.

 

[TurquoiseMel]

I was thinking getting him fixed and getting him a friend if that's an option at all for you. That way he'll still live his happy free life & have company of his own kind that he would probably enjoy, yet you wouldn't end up with 3trillion baby bunnies lol.

 

[MikeyTN]

When you have a bunny that goes kinda wild your gonna have to watch those teeth and their hind legs. They have razor shape nails that will slash you right open. Just spend more time with you by sitting with him and keep feeding him food from your hand. I had to give up all my bunnies cause I become highly allergic to them and where I was living at before was not safe to keep them outside without total protection. Eagles, coyotes, mountain lions occasionally, etc. roams around....But mine were extremely tame, except one freaked out one night and when we went to get him out of the cage, he bit my roommate pretty good and he was bleeding pretty bad....Yes they can be litter box trained, do you know if it's a boy or a girl? IF it's a boy, they WILL mark territory like dogs do! It's something for you to think about....

 

[mcw009]

"There are many benefits to spaying or neutering your house rabbit. First and foremost, a fixed rabbit can live a longer, healthier life as the risk of cancer and urinary tract infections are greatly reduced."
Spaying or Neutering Pet Rabbits - Benefits & Facts

Though at the same time, rabbits are far more delicate than cats and dogs. Even the relatively simple neutering operation is much riskier with them. That being said, my boy came through his neutering just fine.