Wild Rabbit Syndrome

As chuffed as I am to have Easter back, my god she is driving me to the limit. Last night I let her out for some play time and she was great for a while, then she dived under the sofa and it promptly took me 30 mins to get her out.

Today Chance was being a bit amorous and I let them both out for a run round as I was about and am worried that my cat Nancy wants to eat Easter for dinner at the moment. Anyway, I went to get a drink, which is 3 metres from where she was and she had vanished when I returned all of 15 seconds later. She has now been located, behind the fireplace, in the old fireplace. I can't get to her to get her out. There is no where she can go, so I guess this is a waiting game. She is literally driving me to distraction, she can fit through gaps a hamster would struggle with and she is literally a genius so you can't outsmart her. Oh man.

Is this what it is going to be like having a wildie as I am going stir crazy already? Any advice from other wildie parents?

That's just bun!!
My Alice is a master in dissapearing, she's really Alice in Wonderland, hopping happily in the garden when she found a way to escape.
Get French lops, they are too big to get by unnoticed and are calmer.

lol char, easter certainly keeping ya on ya toes xx

maybe leave a trail of food so that she comes out??

I think she has packed food and an escape map. She keeps poking her head out and then disappearing back in there.

tee hee ..

I know EXACTLY how you feel - Bracken drives me insane ALL the time, she gets EVERYWHERE destroys EVERYTHING, I'm constantly losiing her in impossibly small places, my only good fortune is that she loves her home, and feels safe in this tent that she has made hers, so if I scare her enough with noise and banging, she runs into her tent, and I can shut her away!!!


But with saying all that I love her more then anything, and I would never ever trade her for the world - I just wish she'd learn to use a litter tray

yes, it will be like that forever. Foxy is always under the sofa at the back where my arm won't quite reach or under the bed. Wobbles and Nettle were just as bad and squeezed in holes and behind radiators and had to spend the whole time pointing the camera in places and taking photos as that was the only way you could see if there was a rabbit there. Wobbles also got under kitchen units, through wall into the bathroom and behind the bath panel. We took the panel off and he ran back into under kitchen units so we went in kitchen and removed all the kick boards and he sneaked back through wall and out of bathroom up corridor and sat behind us in kitchen for 5 minutes watching us shining torches under the units going 'where is he where is he'.

at the wildie bunny stories.

I guess the urge to 'burrow' away is overpowering in a wildie

I had to pull everything apart to get her out. So infuriating. I just feel like we are never going to have a real relationship, but she is too domesticated to go back to the wild. It's demoralising really.

Aww, hon, don't let it get you down. I don't know quite what it's like with bunnies, but the semi-feral cats we have here eventually developed a relationship with us, albeit a slightly weird one. Easter is just doing what comes naturally to her - it's frustrating I'm sure but it doesn't mean you're a bad bunny mum or anything.

Hang in there - I'm sure she'll settle down eventually.

I have to say, quite honestly, this is why Juno is now living outside. I just couldn't cope with her in the house for both of our safety.

Piper is like that sometimes even though she isn't a wildie. If I let her out to roam the house and she has true freedom, I can't get her back to save my life. She'll disappear to that perfect spot behind something that I can't reach and stays there until she is ready to come out, most likely because she wants food.

She's fine and friendly when she's confined to her normal space and will come to me no problem, but once she tastes that little bit of freedom she's a terror.

you will have a good relationship charlotte - just different from normal. I have with my wild rabbits. Foxy comes for a head rubs and loves playing boxing games when i am on my computer and jumping on me in my sleep. Nettle defo knows i am his mummy and shows me love in his own way, although it is not like the affectionate way he loves Barney it is more in the trust way eg he feels safe when i am holding him but going nuts if anyone else does.

I just remember the photo that foxy posted of a rabbit up in the rafters! Wildies are obviously closely related to monkeys.

Our mini bun has been squeezing behind H+H's run and shed.

There is literally a 2" gap. I only realised this when H+H were taking an unusual amount of interest in that end of the run and then caught minibun out of the corner of my eye shooting behind.

As the other end is blocked off I don't know how s/he gets out, I am sure there can't be any room to turn around.

Sixer wrote:

As the other end is blocked off I don't know how s/he gets out, I am sure there can't be any room to turn around.

I stopped asking questions like this when I found a cat curled up in a saucepan inside a closed cupboard.

awww charlottle, it's horrid and frustrating, but I agree with everyone else, you have a relationship, it's just different, bracken throwns a wobbly when being picked up, she won't come for cuddles, but she doesn't hide anymore when I'm in the room, she takes food from my hand but not anyone else, she'll run a mile if anyone she doesn't know walks in the room, she lets me rub her nose every so often. she does everything she shouldn't, and is next to impossible to keep as a house bunny, but at the same time, putting her outside would hurt her leg, and completely destroy our bond, yea okay it's totally different to domestic bunnies, but I love Bracken so very much, that in the end I'd rather have her, and a destroyed house, then no bracken at all!! I keep thinking when I finally get my own house she and Ivy will get there very own room, with nothing but their stuff, and a bunny climbing frame - then they can destroy everything - You'll find your click

We are doing intensive handling now as I really want her to learn that I am not something to be scared of. Do you think that is the right thing? This is where Blanket was vital as he was always coming up for loves and stuff and she saw his confidence.

yes, lots of handling is the right way forward.

If your going to have her inside she needs to feel safe for her own wellbeing so I'd say it is important to get lots of handling in now whilst she is still young enough to be 'moulded' slighty. You will most likely find she will never really be comfortable around anyone else though...this is what makes me most sad for Juno, she sees me as her only companion.

poor Juno, I wish so much for her sake, that she would bond with someone She just doesn't get it though, does she?